Johor bahru: Social media platform providers need to be proactive in curbing the spread of false information related to the 16th Johor state election, especially on polling day to avoid confusion among the people. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil emphasized the importance of enhanced monitoring and enforcement during his visit to the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) operations centre for the Johor state election today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Fahmi highlighted that while platforms have policies against the spread of false information, these need to be enforced more rigorously, particularly on polling night this Saturday. The minister expressed concerns about potential misinformation regarding election results that could mislead the public.
Fahmi, who also serves as the MADANI Government spokesperson, urged social media platforms to collaborate with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to tackle this issue. He pointed out that the MCMC and the Malaysian Media Council have previously expressed intentions to combat the misuse of media logos for fake graphics, but content created by netizens also poses significant challenges.
He called for quicker action from the platforms to address false information, noting that no complaints of campaign misconduct on social media have been reported to the MCMC so far. Fahmi also discussed the campaign strategy of PH in the last week of the Johor polls, focusing on encouraging outstation voters to return and vote.
The minister noted the positive reception to public transport and special bus packages designed to ease the return of outstation voters. Additionally, students from the Youth and Sports Skills Training Institute (ILKBS) were granted leave to vote, and Fahmi urged employers in retail and food and beverage sectors to provide employees the flexibility to vote this Saturday.
Fahmi expressed hope that voter turnout would exceed 60 percent and urged the public to fulfill their civic duties. He encouraged parents to motivate their children outside Johor to return home to vote, emphasizing the importance of participating in the electoral process to shape the future of Johor for the next several years.