Controversial and unpopular Anti-Fake News Act set to be repealed in the first Dewan Rakyat sitting after the elections on June 25.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo confirmed that the law that was gazetted in February will be repealed in totality, he told reporters after visiting the headquarters of national news agency Bernama today.
“The repeal of the Anti-Fake News Act remains one of the promises of the Pakatan Harapan government and we are totally committed to do so,” he said.
But Gobind also said media freedom is not absolute, adding that the government will relook certain provisions in the current legislation to ensure there are no loopholes that will lay it open to abuse.
He also said the government is open to the setting-up of a media council to provide input on “the revolution the media was experiencing”.
Gobind also said that statutory bodies under his ministry, including RTM and Bernama, should move with the times to improve their services.
“They should be cognizant of the news value to the users in this information age,” he said.