He said it clearly showed they did not even understand the bill.
“I listened to the explanation given by their officers and from it, there were many questions raised that they could not answer.
“They could not tell us which of our laws did not cover a situation which this bill covers.
“It was very clear they were confused and they did not know the point of introducing this anti-fake news bill, besides it being a political tool.
“They are proposing a bill that is covered by the present laws that we have, such as the Sedition Act.
“This new bill is proposed in order to give the government power to detain its critics,” he said after the briefing at the Parliament building here today.
Mahathir said there had been instances when Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders were guilty of spreading fake news and asked if action would be taken against them.
He said there had also been instances when these leaders made statements that contradicted news reports.
“Will this be considered fake news? Can the AG bring a case against the prime minister? Of course not.
“So the point of this law is to stop the opposition from voicing its views or to be critical of the government.”
Mahathir said there was no reason to rush the implementation of the law.
“We do not have to rush this law as it is very serious and there are many objections to it, including from the Bar Council.
“We should debate it at the next Parliament session, after the 14th general election.
“The point of this law is political and it has no intention of safeguarding public safety or the rights of the people.”
Under the anti-fake news bill, it is an offence to create, offer, publish, distribute, circulate or disseminate fake news. The proposed law provides for a fine not exceeding RM500,000, jail up to 10 years, or both.
It is also an offence to directly or indirectly provide financial assistance to facilitate the spread of fake news or to abet the offence.
The bill describes fake news as any news, information, data or report, which is wholly or partly false, whether in the form of features, visuals, audio recordings or any other form, capable of suggesting words or ideas.
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