Two fake news emerged in relation to the Merdeka parade on Aug 31 which were aimed at two different target audiences, but a DAP lawmaker said the root cause is the same.
“Although it (the fake news) came from different angles, both emerged from prejudice and racism,” noted Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan on X.
The lawmaker, whose party is no stranger to racist attacks, called on Malaysians to “reject extremists” and to “retain our moderation”.
The two fake news included one that claimed that one of the military helicopters was flying a Palestinian flag.
The viral message read: “Palestinian flag during Malaysian Independence Day flypast? Disgusting armed forces we have. Never has any sovereign country flown another country’s flag during its Independence Day celebration. There has to be a limit for everything, including stupidity.”
The second fake news concerned a “human graphic” which showed the “welcome” greeting in the Chinese language and the caption questioned if this was Malaysia or China’s independence celebration.
It was later clarified that the “welcome” greeting was in all three languages.
Yesterday, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, who debunked the Palestinian flag fake news, urged people to stop spreading misinformation.
“Let’s stop spreading lies and misinformation and focus on the true spirit of Hari Kebangsaan - unity. Please do your research before sharing anything online,” she said. - Mkini
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