PETALING JAYA (Oct 4): Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today Malaysia's Anti-Fake News Act may be amended, instead of being repealed, because the country needs to curb the spread of false information.

Mahathir said the Anti-Fake News Act is good in the sense that it deals with false information but the government must not abuse the law. He said when the government proposed to repeal the Anti-Fake News Act, some people said the law was necessary as it will prevent fake news from spreading.

"So now we have to look at possibly amending the law, which would mean the law would still be in place.

"Many people now have the opportunity to voice their views via alternative media, and they use it for promoting bad news and false news. Frankly, we have to curb the problem of fake news, but we cannot curb true news," he said at the LAWASIA Constitutional Law and Rule of Law Conference here in Petaling Jaya today.

Mahathir, however, reiterated that the government is committed to repealing repressive or bad laws. He said Malaysia needs good laws as a foundation for the rule of law.

The premier said the rule of law needs to be based on the notion of good laws that benefit the people.

"Only good laws should be passed, Parliament should be able to reject bad laws. While we believe in the rule of law, the laws themselves are not themselves always good," he said.

He said the government is looking to repeal repressive laws, but the process is not so easy, as there are rules and procedures that need to be followed.

Click here for more property stories.

SHARE
RELATED POSTS
  1. Malaysia-to-Singapore contra lane to be activated at Sultan Abu Bakar Complex next week, says Loke
  2. Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park drew RM31b in investments, created over 14,000 jobs, says deputy Miti minister
  3. Malaysia ranks 27th in 2023 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking