Citizens’ right to internet access: Gobind

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians’ right to access the internet will be proposed to be included in the Federal Constitution, says Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.

He said he will table the proposal to the Cabinet, with the final outcome needing parliamentary approval.

“The public had been complaining about the quality of internet service in Malaysia, which was far inferior to other developed countries.

“If I have my way, it should be the constitutional amendment but for our constitutional amendment, of course you need certain numbers in parliament,” Gobind told reporters after visiting Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) headquarters in Cyberjaya yesterday.

“I’m not sure we will be able to get the support but it is an apolitical matter. Such a policy benefits everyone,” he added.

On another matter, Gobind said he has given the MCMC a week from now to give a detailed report on consumer data breach reported recently and the commission has to recommend to the government on best methods to combat the data breach cases.

“We view data breach cases seriously and I stress that MCMC is currently equipped with enough expertise to enable it to tackle the growing concern. But some of the cases involve external parties which would take some time and other necessary expertise.”

The issue came to light when a tech portal claimed last week that the personal data of Astro customers have been offered for sale online. A portal under the Education Ministry introduced in July 2011 was also compromised with data breach attack. – by Ashwin Kumar