DOES Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil plan to dispatch a radio car to the mansion of Silicon Valley mogul Mark Zuckerberg if the Facebook platform, which he founded and owns, flouts Malaysian laws?

Fahmi during a live TikTok session in June last year, threatened viewers critical of his police action.

“Don’t get upset with me if there is a call or a radio car outside of your house. We are monitoring, behave yourself,” he was reported to have said.

While this is unlikely to happen due to jurisdictional constraints, the Madani government’s plan to license social media companies appears to suggest its desire to create a dystopian state.

Civil society groups in Malaysia have suggested that the plan is a thinly-veiled attempt to reclaim narrative control as the government finds itself increasingly outflanked in the social media space.

They have raised concerns about a subtle attempt to muzzle free speech and suppress dissent. It’s a gambit straight out of the authoritarian playbook of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) regime, which the Pakatan Harapan (PH) had long ridiculed before sweeping to power in 2022.

It is an open secret that the unity government coalition has found itself on the back foot, insofar as the digital infowars are concerned.

Lame reasoning for licensing

Perikatan Nasional (PN) has been running rings around the government. The opposition coalition has taken to TikTok like fish to water, leveraging its vast reach to peddle its messages.

At this rate, PN is set to win a bigger chunk of support from the young Malay electorate come the next national polls, possibly even dethroning the unity government in Putrajaya.

So, one can be forgiven for concluding that the Madani government’s proposal to license social media platforms appears less about regulation and more about silencing an increasingly influential opposition voice as the 16^th General Election (GE16) looms.

The government’s rationale for the move - combating scams, pornography, cyberbullying and the likes-is not convincing enough considering the existing major social media platforms already have internal mechanisms to clamp down on such sinister motives.

TikTok recently revealed that the Malaysian government made the world’s highest number of requests to take down content in 2H 2023 with such demands surging multiple-fold during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s first year in power.

Fahmi’s threat to send a “police radio car” to social media headquarters-if taken literally-might be the stuff of satire.

But it underscores a darker truth: This administration is willing to resort to intimidation to enforce compliance. This is a far cry from the reformist platform it stood for when in opposition.

Does Fahmi really believe he can police the digital behemoths from Putrajaya? Will there be squads of officers poring over posts, deciding what is permissible? The logistical nightmare aside, the economic fallout could be severe.

Social media is a cornerstone of modern business. Imposing draconian regulations could deter tech companies from investing in Malaysia, stifling innovation and economic growth.

The Madani government’s plan to license social media could spectacularly backfire. In the age of digital transparency; any attempt to clamp down on free speech is likely to incite public outrage.

Malaysians value their digital freedoms, and any perceived encroachment is bound to provoke resistance. - Aug 8, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/licensing-social-media-will-fahmi-fadzil-send-a-radio-car-to-zuckerbergs-mansion-if-fb-doesnt-toe-the-line/