MCA: Always authenticate news from social media

PETALING JAYA: Voters are reminded not to fall for fake news and should verify the authenticity of any form of information they receive from social media, says MCA publicity bureau chairman Datuk Chai Kim Sen.

Drawing attention to two false news circulating on WhatsApp recently, he said such fake news have begun to surface on social media and mobile communication tools.

The rumour was in the form of an audio message with a woman’s voice, claiming that the Government would play dirty in the general election by deploying a large number of Bangladeshi citizens to vote.

The second allegation is a claim that the Government was distributing MyKad to foreign workers so that they could cast their votes.

“These two fake news, which were widely circulated in the previous general election, left a lasting impact that caused a swing in support for the Opposition, although they were later confirmed to be fake.

“It is foreseeable that as GE14 draws closer, similar false information and edited photographs will surface and will become more rampant,” he said in a statement.

He said another example of fake news was a photograph showing a huge crowd at a Pakatan Harapan ceramah in Johor.

It was later confirmed to be an old photograph from 2013.

Chai pointed out that the giveaway was that a PAS flag was seen in the photos. PAS was then a partner with DAP and PKR in the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat, he added.

Chai said MCA urged the people not to fall prey to false news.

The party also implored Opposition supporters not to use fake news and images to deceive the public.

“MCA respects their right to use any channel to publicise their activities. But it should not be implemented by leveraging on fake news and images.

“This strategy is vile and unscrupulous. “Please refrain from disseminating fake news,” Chai said.