MalayMail-Jan 17
A report by the regional think tank Asia Centre has suggested that hate speech and ultranationalist groups are gaining significant influence in the Malaysian online space recently, promoting their agenda that revolves around the “3R”, or race, religion and the royalty. According to the report titled “Internet Freedoms in Malaysia: Regulating Online Discourse on Race, Religion and Royalty” released yesterday, there is an immediate need for action to be taken to protect victims of the groups which have been operating with impunity. “More exclusive and more right-wing groups use social media to propagate their agendas. These groups are able to silence people,” Dr Hew Wai Weng, a research fellow at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, was quoted as saying in the report. “They used their ‘freedom of speech’ to limit the freedoms of other people, especially those of minority background — be it gender, ethnic or religious minorities. For example, they campaigned against LGBT people. They monitor LGBT activism online and offline. “These right-wing groups are not necessarily state actors. There can be preachers, NGO leaders, and opinion leaders who propagate Malay Muslim insecurity,” he added. The report also said that these groups became especially prevalent after Malay nationalist party Umno’s defeat in the 2018 general election which saw its coalition Barisan Nasional lose for the first time in six decades, which created a “vacuum where Malays need to defend Malays”.
Umno is currently part of the coalition government with former political enemies Pakatan Harapan led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The report also pointed out that although ultranationalist groups existed before the internet, the arrival of the internet enabled these groups to promote their agenda at a low cost to a bigger audience. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/01/17/study-ultranationalist-groups-gaining-traction-in-malaysian-online-space-following-umnos-defeat-in-2018-polls/50558
