Harakah cautioned over Facebook page comment
Harakahdaily would have been held liable despite the third-party origin of the comment. — Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, June 19 — PAS organ Harakahdaily was today warned by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for allegedly allowing an Internet user to insult the Malaysian royalty on its Facebook page.
According to the daily’s online report on the matter, a warning letter from the MCMC’s new media unit said that the remark was in violation of Section 211 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Section 211(1) of the Act states that, “No content applications service provider, or other person using a content applications service, shall provide content which is indecent, obscene, false, menacing, or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any person.”
The offence carries a RM50,000 maximum fine, imprisonment for not more than a year, or both upon conviction.
Convicted offenders would also be liable to a further fine of RM1,000 for every day or part of a day during which the offence is continued after conviction.
“As such, you are required to adhere to the provision above and ensure that the [contents] of your portal do not violate it.
“MCMC will continue to monitor this portal so that it does not transgress the limits of law, and becomes instead a healthy and ethical avenue for discussion,” the letter said, according to Harakahdaily’s report.
The daily added that the letter also said Harakahdaily was at fault over the matter although the statement in contention had been issued by a third party.
The daily said the Internet user had issued the alleged insult when commenting on the role of the Malay Rulers in its article titled, “Itu pandangan saya sebagai rakyat biasa — Nizar” (That is my view as a common citizen — Nizar).
Harakahdaily added in its report that it has since deleted the user’s comment from its Facebook page.
