APRIL 4 ― In the hands of extremists, social media is a potent and dangerous tool and platform for propagating and inciting ideological, racial and religious sentiments which...
APRIL 4 ― In the hands of extremists, social media is a potent and dangerous tool and platform for propagating and inciting ideological, racial and religious sentiments which can lead to violent outcomes.
It’s through social media that these politicians gain “new ground” and expand their electoral and support base, particularly in relation to what’s known as the hitherto untapped politically virgin and unfamiliar/uninitiated constituency of the young voters who are newly enfranchised. In short, these extremist politicians deploy social media to peddle and hustle and tout a narrative that’s contrary to the fundamental concept of Malaysia ― and what it means to be Malaysian ― as defined and circumscribed by our Federal Constitution as the highest law of the land.
It’s basically no different at all with the situation in the US, for example, where the ultra-right base can only understand and conceive reality through the Alt-Right conspiracy theories as peddled by the “conservative” talk show hosts. In Malaysia, the ethno-religious peddlers and merchants have been deftly and cynically manipulating base/primordial sentiments using social media, especially on TikTok and Twitter. ― AFP pic
We should emulate Singapore in this regard which is ever ready to clamp down on any party posting comments or videos which can jeopardise and threaten societal harmony. Minister of Communications and Digital YB Fahmi Fadzil is on the right track in updating and firming up the regulatory framework to combat the continuing pernicious influence and impact of the exploitation of 3Rs in the country ― which has definitively and typically been through social media platforms.
The government and PDRM must continue to be vigilant against such threats and constantly monitor social media platforms in collaboration with the providers to ensure that such contents are removed immediately and the creator traced and arrested. The government should also enlist the public in the fight against extremism on social media. In this, the public are indeed the frontliners.
By right, the home minister should have a statutory duty to act swiftly and decisively where sensitive issues are raised with the intention to exploit racial and religious sentiments which could cause tensions to rise and resulting in the tearing of our social fabric. During the PH administration, the Minister in charge of Islamic affairs YB Mujahid Yusor Rawa had been a strong and vocal proponent of the legislative trio of an Anti-Discrimination Act, a National Harmony and Reconciliation Commission Act and a Religious and Racial Hatred Act.
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