Malaysians should utilise social media to reprimand political leaders who make arrogant statements, according to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
"You have to continue your role to check those of us in the ruling parties or government. We don't want to listen to the same old statements of arrogance...
"You have all the freedom online to bang them as hard as you want," the Port Dickson lawmaker said in his closing speech at the 10th Malaysia Social Media Week in Kuala Lumpur today.
Anwar also shared with the audience how he started using Twitter following his release from prison last year and was buoyed by the messages of support.
He said it also served as a tool to exchange ideas on reforms for the nation.
Noting that no freedom is absolute, Anwar said Malaysians have the right to criticise leaders who went against the aspirations of the people.
"Ostentatious lifestyles, waste of public resources, squandering wealth to enrich the family and cronies...You fought against that.
"We welcome the support through your statements on our positive policies and criticism of us when we were either sluggish or deviated from what we promised," he added.
Earlier, Anwar recalled how he had to spend time catching up with the latest technological advancements since he had no access to them when incarcerated.
Social media abused to spread hate
Acknowledging the use of social media as a political weapon, Anwar said he does not believe in using cybertroopers or forced engagement but rather the importance of establishing a genuine presence online.
He also noted that social media had been abused to spread hate, citing examples of terror acts such as the shooting at two mosques in New Zealand as well as the bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.
"Governments tend to overreact by introducing more laws. I don't believe this is the correct strategy.
"But of course you must have certain laws to ensure social media is not used to perpetuate violence, whether in Christchurch, Sri Lanka or elsewhere," he added.
Last month, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the government is looking into the possibility of authorising the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to remove fake news and racist posts from social media.
He said this was among the measures discussed in line with the government's intention to enact legislation addressing the abuse of social media.
The two-day annual Malaysia Social Media Summit hosted by the Malaysia Social Media Chambers saw the participation of over 100 local and international industry players. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.