Malaysia's social media licensing plans raise concerns

Critics decry proposal as blatant abuse of power and attack on healthy democracy’

- Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's plans to license social media and messaging platforms, subjecting them to greater government oversight, has sparked increasing concern in recent weeks, with the country's internet regulator summoned before a parliamentary select committee hearing on July 2.

Special Select Committee on Nation Building, Education and HuResources Development chairman Saifuddin Abdullah told The Straits Times that the parliamentary panel was briefed by top officials from the communications ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

However, the committee has asked for a detailed report, breaking down the number of takedown requests annually going back to 2020 and by categories such as scams, pornography and political content "to better understand the landscape and what kind of regulatory powers are needed by the authorities".

"What is important is not to rush through the process without all stakeholders understanding one another so we can ensure we address the issue of freedoms versus abuse of power," said Datuk Seri Saifuddin, who was communications and multimedia minister from March 2020 to August 2021.

This comes on the back of an open letter issued on June 27 by 44 organisations and 23 individual activists to Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decrying the licensing proposal as a "blatant abuse of power" and "an attack on a healthy, functioning democracy" that "shrinks public participation".