The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has urged the people to rise up together to fight against the spread of fake news to topple the government.

Officially opening the “Negara Ku: 1Malaysia Community” programme in Taman Tasik Sultan Abu Bakar in Pekan last night, Najib said:

“When our minds and hearts are attacked by news, propaganda as well as false information and defamation or ‘fake news’ coming out through social media or from certain leaders in order to topple a government, this is the greatest threat, and we will fight all out against it.”

Let me declare that I fully support Najib in the fight against the spread of fake news – but not just by those who want to topple the government but also to cling on to power although they have lost all credibility and legitimacy.

It must be clearly understood that there is nothing criminal or treasonous in wanting to topple the government in a parliamentary democracy – but this must be done through the democratic process, either by way of a no-confidence motion in Parliament or through the ballot box during a general election.

In fact, there is nothing nationalistic or patriotic in wanting to cling on to power by all undemocratic and criminal means – such as perpetuating an undemocratic electoral system or violating the laws of the land resulting in Malaysia regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy” and guilty of the politics of money to undermine the popular will.

Let me ask Najib a straightforward question – whether he will equally fight against the spread of fake news whether the purpose is to topple the government in the 14th general election or to cling on to power by whatever means.

I pledge full support to Najib to fight against the spread of fake news by those who want to topple him and UMNO/Barisan Nasional from Putrajaya, but will he pledge full support against those who spread fake news so that UMNO/BN can cling on to power in Putrajaya although the ruling coalition has lost all credibility and legitimacy?

Najib is not unaware of a recent polls survey by Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) which indicates that Najib is the most unpopular prime minister in the nation’s history.

According to IDE, only 19 percent of the 2,018 respondents, who are Selangor voters, believe that Najib’s leadership would increase support for BN.

IDE deputy chairperson Mohammad Redzuan Othman pointed out that in a survey last year, 29 percent of the respondents answered in the affirmative when asked if Najib’s leadership would see BN defending Putrajaya.

Based on the decline in the latest figures, Redzuan said: “This shows how Najib is the most unpopular prime minister in Malaysian history.”

He said this in his presentation of IDE’s latest survey, titled “Selangor Rakyat’s Issues and Perception Towards the 14th General Election”, which was conducted between Feb 8 and Feb 13.

Najib is himself the worst offender in the spread of fake news, especially in his UMNO Presidential speech on Nov. 30 last year, where he spread
three “Big Nazi Lies” and fake news:

1. That the 14th General Elections will be a contest between UMNO and DAP;
2. That the DAP is anti-Malay or anti-Islam;
3. The “nightmares” Malay will suffer if UMNO loses power in the next general elections.

I have debunked these three “Big Lies” and “fake news” by Najib and counter-challenged him to list the three “Big Lies” and “fake news” which DAP had disseminated against him and UMNO – but there is only silence from Najib and the army of UMNO cybertroopers although three months have passed.

Yesterday, we witnessed another crude display of the spread of fake news and lies – this time by the present PAS national leadership.

Claiming that it represented the voice of the Selangor PAS grassroots, a memorandum was submitted to the PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to urge PAS to cut off ties with any party which has relations with DAP and Amanah.

There were also banners to attack top Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu leaders – and I had the honour or dishonour of having a special banner bearing my face with the label “Enemy of Malays/Islam (Racist)”.

Although couched as the views of the Selangor PAS grassroots, nobody doubts that the whole farce of the memorandum and banners ceremony was the “masterpiece” of the PAS information chief himself.

But how can Nasaruddin claims to represent a party committed to Islamic values and teachings when he could so blatantly be a party to such lies and fake news?

May be I should not be surprised that present at the official launch of the “Negara Ku: 1Malaysia Community” programme in Pekan yesterday to fight the spread of fake news was a major manufacturer of fake news – the Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail Sabri sets a dubious record of telling more than ten lies in a short five-paragraph statement attacking me two weeks ago.

Ismail Sabri has not been able to rebut my charges or prepared to appear in a joint media conference with me for me to prove that he had told more than 10 lies in a five-paragraph statement attacking me.

But he is not the only culprit. UMNO Information Chief, Datuk Seri Annuar Musa is another – telling eight lies about me in a short statement responding to my offer to speak at the UMNO/BN nation-wide roadshow on the Cabinet’s decision to set up a special task force to probe Bank Negara’s forex losses more than two decades ago.

Like Ismail Sabri, Annuar dared not take up my offer to appear at a joint media conference where I could point out the eight lies which Annuar had made.

If Najib is serious in wanting to fight the spread of fake news, he must get rid from the Cabinet and top echeleons of UMNO leadership the biggest culprits in the making and spreading of fake news against Opposition leaders – Ismail Sabri and Annuar Musa.

(Media Conference Statement in the fourth “Jelajah Desa” in Penang on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at 9 am)