A total of over 11,000 individuals have signed two separate online petitions calling on the Malaysian government to drop the Anti-Fake News Bill.
On 27 March, Aliran initiated a petition against the Anti-Fake News Bill because we feel it threatens freedom of expression and will undermine our already fettered democracy. By Saturday evening, we succeeded in getting 8,511 signatures.
A couple of days ago, it came to our attention that a students’ group in the UK had also initiated a somewhat similar petition. The group, known as the United Kingdom & Eire Malaysian Law Students Union or Kesatuan Penuntut Undang-undang Malaysia di United Kingdom dan Eire (KPUM), represents Malaysian law students studying in the UK and Eire and law students undertaking UK degrees and the Certificate of Legal Practice (CLP) in Malaysia.
The KUPM petition, which by Saturday evening had about 2,782 signatories mainly from the UK and Malaysia and is ongoing, can be found here: https://goo.gl/72M4Pk A few of the signatories might overlap with our list.
Michelle Liu, the human rights and activism officer of the KPUM, explained to Aliran why the law students group initiated its petition: “We believe that Malaysian students have a voice, regardless of where we are around the world, in our country.”
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“As rakyat we must keep our leaders and institutions accountable, and it is the freedom of speech and press which allows us to do so. We cannot stand by and allow such a draconian law, which would affect our right to freedom of speech, to be passed without proper scrutiny and debate.”
These two lists of over 11,000 signatories (as of 30 March 2018) have been emailed tonight to the Prime Minister’s Office and copied to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman with the following cover note:
YAB Dato’ Seri Najib
Kami merujuk kepada RUU Anti-berita Palsu yang baru baru ini diusulkan diParlimen oleh pihak pentadbiran Barisan Nasional.
Memandangkan definisi berita palsu mengikut RUU terlalu luas ianya membangkitkan soalan bahawa niat sebenarnya undang-undang ini adalah untuk menakutkan pengkritik kerajaan.
Melalui rang undang-undang ini, definisi tunggal sesuatu kebenaran ditentukan oleh pentadbiran kerajaan. Justeru itu mana mana cerita yang bercanggah dengan versi resmi kerajaan boleh dituduh sebagai berita palsu.
Memandangkan potensi undang-undang yang terlalu luas kuasanya boleh disalahgunakan kami ingin secara rasmi menentang RUU Anti-berita Palsu ini.
Dengan ini kami juga ingin melampirkan dua senarai tandatangan berjumlah lebih 11,000 dari dua petisyen online yang berasingan yang menentang RUU Anti-Berita Palsu:
1) Petisyen oleh Aliran dengan 8,511 tandatangan
2) Petisyen oleh Kesatuan Penuntut Undang-undang Malaysia di United Kingdom dan Eire (KPUM), dengan 2,782 tandatangan
Kami berharap pihak YAB akan mengambil berat suara rakyat jelata dan menarik balik RUU Anti-berita Palsu ini.
Sekian terima kasih.
We hope that the government will listen to the voices of so many Malaysians who have opposed the bill.
Aliran executive committee
1 April 2018
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
Foreign historians cannot accept such a reppresive bill, which might prevent historical study, either.
VOTE PH TO REPEAL THE ACT
Too late is already passed in parliament!