GE14 A CRAZY SEASON FOR FAKE NEWS, SAYS ZAHID
It raises risks of non-traditional threats to country, says DPM
AS the 14th General Election (GE14) looms, fake news proliferates online, heightening the risks of more complex and nontraditional security threats to the nation.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi labelled this period as the “crazy season” as fake news spread on the Internet.
“Malaysia has seen too much fake news flying back and forth, from south to the north, east to west, which is not the best way (for the country) to progress.
“Fake news is harmful to the country, and it is the responsibility of the government to neutralise the dangers it poses,” he said at the closing of the Putrajaya Forum 2018 titled “Recalibrating Regional Security Architecture” at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre here yesterday.
Zahid said fake news must be seen in the context of an evolving threat to national security in the cyberworld.
“Today, we are living in an age of cyberdependency, or, if I may say, we are living in an era of cyberinsecurity.
“Cyberthreats in the past few years have risen to the top of many governments’ list of concerns,” he said.
Zahid, who is also home minister, said there was very little distinction between internal and external threats in this new security dimension.
“These threats are intangible in nature, with no borders and involving unseen armies. Thus, keeping pace with this evolving threat requires evolving solutions.”
He said the line that separated traditional and non-traditional security had blurred, with growing risk posed by non-state actors, ranging from international religious extremists to cyberterrorists.
“Issues of extremism, radicalism, terrorism and transnational organised crimes have become the interests of both the Defence and Home Ministries.”
Zahid said this required all stakeholders to work beyond traditional norms in an efficient and effective way that cut across agencies and sectors, public or private.
“Malaysia can attest to this as we have successfully collaborated with Petronas in establishing a Forward Operating Base in the waters of Sabah, by combining resources from the government and the oil giant.
“Taking from that experience, private-public partnership is probably the way forward for Asean in managing its regional security and stability, as this will bring together all regional experts and representatives across sectors,” he said.