The communications and multimedia minister gave an assurance that the government will not misuse the Ordinance, adding that investigations will be handled professionally and independently and follow the due processes of the law. — Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — The newly drawn up Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 (EO) that allows the government to prosecute anyone who spreads misinformation about Covid-19 or the Emergency is purely to uphold the rule of law, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said today.
The communications and multimedia minister gave an assurance that the government will not misuse the Ordinance, adding that investigations will be handled professionally and independently and follow the due processes of the law.
“When we presented and then gazetted the Ordinance, it was never meant to be directed at politicians or such, it was meant to uphold the rule of law.
“We want to stress that we will not misuse the Ordinance and due to this we are very careful, so when we say investigations are sped up, we do not mean we will go against the premise of existing rules and laws,” he said during a virtual press conference.
The EO No. 2 defines “fake news” as news or information that “is or are wholly or partly false relating to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency and anyone found guilty, under it can face a jail term of up to three years or fine up to RM100,000, or both.
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