KUALA LUMPUR, June 6– The arrest of a woman suspected of insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Facebook should be a lesson that freedom of speech comes with certain responsibility, and that freedom should not be abused, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (photo).
He said in a statement he noted that the Internet represented a borderless world but people, however, should bear in mind that it was not a lawless environment.
There were many cases in Malaysia and other countries of netizens being charged for defamation and sedition because of wild allegations and insults they made on the Internet, he said.
“Even Singapore and the United States are looking into some form of regulation to curb the abuse of social media,” he said.
Dr Chua said netizens should not be manipulated by “unscrupulous parties” to incite hate and disrupt the country’s peace and harmony for their selfish personal and political gain.
“There are just too much of lies, hatred and false information on the social media, and unfortunately there are a lot of people who believe in it,” Dr Chua said.
He said the country’s racial unity and religious harmony did not come automatically and easily as he urged Malaysians to play a role to protect instead of destroying them.
He also stressed that the rights and privileges enshrined in the Federal Constitution should not be abused by the opposition to achieve their political aim.
“Malaysia is a nomocracy nation. Netizens should think twice before they land themselves into trouble because we are accountable for our own deeds,” he said.
The 32-year-old woman was picked up in Taman Nirwana at 9.30 am yesterday. She was alleged to have posted insulting remarks against the Yang di-PertuanAgong on her Facebook account.
– BERNAMA
