The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) must monitor digital campaign content fairly and avoid actions that could disadvantage any political party contesting in Negeri Sembilan, Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said.
Azalina Othman said digital platforms had become a key part of modern election campaigning and should be treated as an essential instrument of parliamentary democracy.
She urged MCMC and the Election Commission to ensure a level playing field for all parties while monitoring hate speech, 3R issues involving race, religion and royalty, and dirty campaign tactics.
“I hope there will be no unfair action by government agencies against the political parties contesting,” she said to a local media outlet.
Azalina Othman suggested that MCMC establish monitoring units in constituencies involved in the election to identify harmful content and take down offending messages regardless of which party published them.
She said political campaigning had increasingly shifted from physical rallies to digital platforms capable of reaching a much wider audience.
Digital campaigning should therefore not be viewed differently from conventional election activities, she added.
Azalina Othman stressed that freedom of expression in the digital space must be respected as part of the democratic process, while proper oversight remained necessary to prevent abuse.
