He admitted there were discussions about the act but said they involved aspects to increase the penalties for infractions or breaches of the existing act.

“Amendments to control online media are definitely not on our radar,” he said at a media conference here today, adding that there were also no such suggestions from any parties.

He also denied that his ministry was opposed to the setting up of the Media Council as alleged in a media report today.

“I was shocked when I heard about this issue and the home ministry secretary-general (Ruji Ubi) and I have seen and checked which parts we disagree with, it’s not correct,” he said, reiterating that the ministry had no objection towards the setting up of the council. A bill is set to be tabled in Parliament in June.

On rise in underage sex offences

Separately, Saifuddin rejected claims that the rise in statutory rape cases stemmed from weaknesses in civil law, or from shariah enactments not being enforced.

He said this in response to a claim by Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman at the Dewan Rakyat. Tarmizi said the failure of existing laws had caused the rise in statutory rape involving underage children.

Saifuddin said: “The Syariah Criminal Code was formulated in Kelantan, which has the highest number of such cases, with 98% of its residents being Malay-Muslims.

“Such cases in Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu have risen while they have dropped in Penang. I’m comparing data from 2022 and 2023, and the offenders are from the low-economic category, the B40 group.”

He said that the statement was based on an excerpt of a previous briefing given to him by Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Shuhaily Zain.

“Now isn’t the time to find fault as it is our shared responsibility to tackle this crime.”