What’s The Great Big Emergency?

What’s the great big emergency? Well, “fake news”, apparently, according to the powers that be – because of that big, bad Covid-19 situation and ensuing emergency proclamation. 

And unless you’ve been living in a pineapple under the sea, you would/should be aware that the Perikatan Nasional gomen has dropped a bombshell in the form of a freshly gazetted new ordinance (a law basically) meant to take on this double scourge.

The official name is the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021. Still, many are saying it reads suspiciously a lot like the defunct Anti-Fake News (AFN) Act (of course, if you hear Comms Minister Saifuddin Abdullah tell it, that’s a non-argument).

You can read the ordinance in full here. In fact, we urge you to.

You will recall that the horrendous AFN Act 2018, courtesy of the BN Najib Razak regime, was successfully repealed in Dec 2019 by a Pakatan Harapan gomen that then included one Muhyiddin Yassin and his Bersatu party, as well as a certain other Saifuddin Abdullah (why the heck do these names sound so familiar?).

Now, it’s true. The spread of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation (you can read up on the differences here) –– collectively known as “fake news” –– had become an increasing global nuisance. 

During the pandemic, this has only become a bigger headache for gomens, lawmakers, media and us plebs. The spread of info (both fake and real) is fueled by the speed and influence of social media, a lack of information/media literacy awareness, confusing gomen rules and regulations, and fear and chaos resulting from Covid. In simpler terms, it’s an infodemic.

Yet the problem with this new temporary law, as with the AFN Act before it, is that it gives broad, sweeping powers to authorities, forces the immediate removal of any work (written, drawn, recorded and/or video-ed) deemed “fake news”, and imposes some hefty fines (between up to RM50,000 to RM500,000 and jail time) while leaving the definition of what is fake very, very vague. 

However, unlike the Jibby’s AFN Act, this law 1) covers only information touching on Covid and the emergency order, and 2) was never subjected to Parliamentary scrutiny.

So while it’s great this law can take on anti-vaxxer BS and other fear-mongering disinformation, critics fear this law leaves ample space for potential abuse of power as well as the silencing of the press, critics and whistleblowers.

Try this fun role-playing game (co-developed by our editor) on navigating the Covid infodemic!

Our de facto legal headman Takiyuddin Hassan has already said those claiming PM Moo and his gomen sought the emergency to evade the he-lost-majority-Parliamentary-support (allegedly! allegedly!) argument would run afoul of the anti-fake Covid/emergency news law (FYI, the official reason given for the emergency is to curb the coronavirus spread).

The timing of the move, too, could not have been worse. It comes just as pressure mounts for Dewan Rakyat to reconvene following the fall in Covid cases, legal action questioning the emergency proclamation and ordinances, the reopening of schools and businesses; and increasing buzz about elections being just round the corner (remember that Jibby tried to pull his AFN stunt just before GE14). 

It also comes following purported whistleblower claims of queue-jumpers in the national Covid vaccination rollout and Putrajaya’s gag order for hospital staff not to speak publicly. Their apparent reason? To avoid tainting the civil service’s image and credibility, and sowing confusion.

Still, Saifuddin –– who alongside PM Moo was once part of the ‘other side’ that criticised the AFN Act –– has assured the people the PN gomen  us all.

He’s said: “Our interest is in fighting Covid-19, and we will do whatever that it takes.”

Well then, sir, in the words of former lawman Zaid Ibrahim, “so, if Covid-19 is the enemy, why react in a way as if the people are the enemy?“.