Is the Communications Ministry working overtime to rebrand itself as the Factory of Miscommunication - a place where slogans are polished but practice is abandoned?
Its proud tagline, “Tidak Pasti Jangan Kongsi” (“If unsure, don’t share”), is meant to warn Malaysians against spreading unverified information.
Yet the louder the ministry trumpets this mantra, the more its own leaders seem to be consciously making efforts to break it.
Instead of embodying clarity and trust, they stumble into contradictions, repost half-truths, and ignite controversies that make the ministry look less like a guardian of information and more like a workshop of confusion.
Last February, in his ministry’s winding-up speech in Parliament, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil asked lawmakers to set an example.
“I hope that all lawmakers will verify before sharing anything.”
A month later, he repeated the same mantra - the public should verify information by cross-checking news before sharing it with others.
“One thing I am asking for is that we should be cautious about the information received on social media. Sometimes the information received is incomplete - just part of the photo or video - and it fails to show the truth,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying.
But apparently, Fahmi himself has refused to heed his own advice. Last month, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is a Bersama co-leader alongside Rafizi Ramli, highlighted on X that Fahmi’s TikTok account had reposted a video that claimed Rafizi had “bought” Bersama for RM8.6 million.
It questioned the source of Rafizi’s funds and accused the former economy minister of harbouring ill intentions against PKR.
“Where did Rafizi get his funds? Are they proceeds from a corruption scandal, or did he get money from George Soros?” the 56-second video questioned.
J-Kom’s offensive sparks backlash
Then, a week ago, the newly minted head of the Community Communications Department (J-Kom), Hisyamuddin Ghazali, better known as Syam Ghaz, made a series of pronouncements on social media, leading to public backlash.
In one of his first social media posts since his appointment, he published an invitation to “monitor” businesses run by Rohingya refugees in Selayang, and that concerns among Malaysians have been “resolved” through actions by enforcement authorities.
Journalist Zakiah Koya, in a scathing response on Facebook, described his stance as being downright racist and xenophobic.
“You are urging Malaysians to watch and take action against men, women, and children - human beings - who have come here for refuge from genocide in their motherland.
“You are fuelling racist and xenophobic behaviour among Malaysians who, before this, have had no problems living with them,” she wrote.
If that was merely the curtain-raiser, the drama escalated quickly. In a flurry of Facebook posts, Hisyamuddin announced that J-Kom would go on the offensive, vowing to lodge police reports against “all those who have been spreading slander against the government leadership”.
What should have been a communications arm bridging citizens and government instead sounded like a prosecutor’s office, more eager to silence dissent than to foster dialogue.
“Today, J-Kom will begin our offensive. No more playing defensive. We will start with lodging police reports at the Putrajaya district police headquarters this morning. Kutip terus! (Arrest them). Today is just the fourth day,” he declared.
Racial remark draws condemnation
Over the weekend, he was in the news again, after he described two government critics as “Cina sesat” (lost Chinese) on Facebook.
The racial remark drew condemnation from various quarters, including politicians from the government and opposition.
The racial remark was in a post in which Hisyamuddin described businessperson Albert Tei (who accused several Sabah leaders of corruption) and former BN activist, Eric See-To, as opposition lackeys.
“Previously, opposition lackeys See-To and Tei have been attacking Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but now they have to face me.
“It’s okay, it is my duty to help Anwar so he can focus on developing the country. Leave these two ‘Cina sesat’ to us. Move forward!” Hisyamuddin posted on Facebook.
Yesterday (Monday), he lamented attempts to portray the post as an attack on the Chinese community and apologised for any misunderstanding.
“Nevertheless, I sincerely regret any mistakes or misunderstandings arising from the matter that may have offended individuals who were not involved.
“I take full responsibility and will exercise greater caution in managing my social media posts in the future,” he said.
When messengers undermine the message
But a bigger issue has not been addressed: When a ministry that preaches “verify before you share” cannot even verify its own posts, and when its newly minted communications chief thinks racism, police reports, and playground taunts are legitimate tools of governance, the rot is not in the message but in the messengers.
The Communications Ministry is fast becoming the Miscommunication Ministry - a place where slogans are preached but not practised, where accountability is demanded of citizens but dodged by leaders.
And let’s not forget: these officials are not paid to pick fights with the public. They are funded by taxpayers to serve as a bridge between the government and the people and to foster trust, clarity, and dialogue.
Every gaffe, every howler, every reckless repost, every xenophobic remark is not just a personal failing; it is a betrayal of that mandate.
If this is the standard-bearer for truth in the digital age, then Malaysia’s information highway is being steered by drivers who can’t read their own road signs - and the toll is being charged to the rakyat. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who strives to uphold the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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