S’wak deputy minister urges tougher social media laws to combat online abuse

KUCHING (Oct 3): With over 800 reports made to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) between Jan and July this year in Sarawak, it is crucial for the social media regulation to hold online abusers accountable for their acts.

In stating this, the deputy minister for Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development Dato Gerald Rentap Jabu called for an improvement to the laws related to the social media abuse, particularly among the youths.

“The most important step, in my opinion, is to strengthen the law where social media abuse is not just the responsibility of the agencies, but more so of the individuals,” he said.

He also highlighted that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is also dealing with daily reports of social media abuse which include cyberbullying and online fraud.

“Self-regulation is better than arrest or punishment, and therefore, we need to cultivate a society that knows how to govern itself, understanding right from wrong,” he said in a press conference after chairing the state-level National Youth Consultative Council (MPBN) meeting here today.

The MPBN is an intellectual forum that brings together leaders of state-level youth organisations and government’s representatives, as well as officials from various departments and agencies to discuss youth-related issues.

Established in 1971, MPBN recognises the pivotal role of youth in shaping the nation’s future.

During the meeting, five key motions were debated in which the first focused on securing funds and incentives from the government, while the second addressed the rising issue of social media abuse among the youth.

The third motion tackled broader social issues affecting young people, while the fourth centered on education, particularly youth dropout rates.

The fifth motion, meanwhile, discussed employment opportunities for the younger generation.

With all these motions being debated and discussed in the meeting, Rentap said these were essential so as to identify and address the needs and challenges of the youth, while at the same time to lay a foundation for a dynamic, responsible future generation.