The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman , has finally brought out “national security” as reason for her Fake Committee on Fake News which comprise representatives from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police and the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.

To Azalina, “national security” could cover a multitude of sins.

However, Azalina is unable to answer the simple question as to what “national security” she is talking about when the government authorities, whether the AG’s Chambers, Police and the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia had been collectively negligent and impotent in being unable to tackle the mountain of lies, fake news and false information churned out by a multi-million ringgit UMNO/Barisan Nasional cybertrooper operation against the DAP and Pakatan Harapan.

Can Azalina explain what “national security” she is talking about with reference to the fake news by UMNO/BN cybertroopers that DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam, wants a Christian Malaysia, had a budget of RM100 million to RNM1 billion to fund a Red Bean Army (RBA) of 3,000 cybertroopers operating out of Concorde Hotel, Kuala Lumpur to attack and defame UMNO/BN – with the latest recent fake news that I was in a coma in a Singapore hospital waiting for my end?

Can Azalina explain what was the “national security” in the five-year long abortive conspiracy to ban DAP as a legal party, which was the biggest UMNO/BN Fake News plot in recent years, trying to turn lies, fake news and false information to a “post-truth”?

Azalina cannot have any answers to these questions and this is why Malaysians must beware of the Azalina Fake Committee on Fake News, for this is not a genuine effort to combat fake news but merely the latest UMNO/BN gambit to weaponise UMNO/BN cybertroopers to harass and persecute Pakatan Harapan and independent NGOs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that laws being drafted to curb the spread of fake news is not meant to conceal the truth from the people.

Zahid need to convince the people that this is the case, for if the government is genuinely concerned about fake news, which affect both the government and the opposition, why is the government afraid to have a bipartisan committee which involves the civil society to be entrusted with the task of discussing what laws and mechanism is suitable for Malaysia to combat fake news?

Pakatan Harapan leaders and MPs are prepared to co-operate with the government to discuss the best ways and means to tackle fake news, but we will not remain silent to any attempt by UMNO/BN to use “fake news” as an excuse to arm itself with more powers to undermine free speech and the democratic rights of Malaysians.

(Media Statement in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 8th February 2018)