We’ve heard of the expression, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Here’s a variation on that theme: “One man’s news is another man’s lie”.

Article 10 of the Federal Constitution states that all Malaysians are guaranteed freedom of expression. But the recently proposed Anti-Fake News Bill is another tool for the authorities to clamp down on our civil liberties.

Who defines what is fake news? Will there be an independent arbitrator to determine what constitutes fake news?

Let me tell you a story. The child of a friend died on the operating table and everyone in the hospital commiserated with him. The father met a doctor-friend who said the operation had been a tricky one. Citing one complex procedure, he said mistakes had probably been made.

Based on this information, the father met a member of the operating team who agreed with his friend’s analysis.

The father said he wanted to pursue an official inquiry into the death of his child so that others could learn from the mistakes. He emphasised that he was not after any compensation. He only wanted the truth, and for others to learn from any mistakes that may have been made.

But the surgeon told him that if he did so, the operating team would deny any knowledge of their conversation. The surgeon was true to his word. When the results of the official inquiry were announced, the team denied making any mistakes and the medical staff closed ranks.

The father was punished twice over. Firstly, he lost a child. Secondly, he was portrayed to the media as a grieving father suffering from mental stress who was determined to blame the hospital. He was also depicted as a greedy person looking for financial compensation. But he wasn’t. All he wanted was the truth, and for lessons to be learned.

Although he knew the truth, the father’s story was denounced as “fake”.

The government says the anti-fake news law is needed to defend national security and public order. It says it will not affect freedom of expression which is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

But its definition of “fake news” is vague. To give unlimited powers to the authorities to determine what can be disseminated to the people is time-consuming and will add to the people’s frustrations.

In the age of speedy information gathering and dissemination, the bill will only hamper the people from accessing the truth. Ultimately, it will work against the government itself.

Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.