Abuse of social media threatens national unity, says minister

Abuse of social media, which has been more rampant lately, will be a threat to national unity if not checked, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. He said although freedom of speech was guaranteed in the constitution, social media should not be abused to the extent of disrupting existing harmony. "I hope social media is used in a good way. If one wants to criticise, criticise logically, don't twist and distort. Sometimes we see the statements of our leaders are also distorted. "Use social media to obtain information or upload ideas which can help develop the nation, don't be the cause of quarrels between one another. It will definitely disrupt unity," he said. He said this to Bernama after being a guest on Bernama Radio24's "Dalam Radar" programme tonight. The topic was "The Value of Unity in Society". Kurup said the government via the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission was looking to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to tackle the spread of libel in social media. – Bernama, February 16, 2016.]]>