KUALA LUMPUR: Selayang member of Parliament William Leong Jee Keen described the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No.2) Ordinance 2021 as a "draconian enactment" and urged the government to repeal it.
The ordinance, which comes into effect today (March 12), criminalises the publication or dissemination of fake news related to Covid-19 or the proclamation of emergency, making it an offence punishable with a RM100,000 fine or three year imprisonment.
Leong said, countering fake news will require the government to disclose science-based evidence transparently to the public.
"Such draconian provisions are usually enacted by authoritarian regimes to curb freedom of speech.
"The people are in need of information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and measures to address it.
"It is only natural for people to want to know whether the different types of vaccines are effective and safe.
"The people are entitled to know the side-effects, if any, of the different vaccines because this concerns their health, their lives and those of their family members.
"The government ought to counter fake news by providing full and complete disclosures supported by scientific evidence on these matters.
William said punitive measures will only sow mistrust instead of reassuring the people about pandemic management and the safety of the vaccines.
"Reassurance does not come by burying the truth in the form of heavy and disproportionate punishment for disseminating information.
"Such provisions create suspicions and foster distrust.
"This will drive the people to seek answers from underground and unreliable sources of information," he said.
According to the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No.2) Ordinance 2021, repeat offenders could also face a further fine not exceeding RM1,000 for every day during which the offence continues after conviction.
The law will apply to both Malaysian citizens and foreign nationals who are involved in propagating fake news, regardless of whether the act is committed within the country or abroad.