Dr M 'gatecrashes' Anti-Fake News Bill briefing session for opposition MPs
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today ‘gate crashed’ a briefing session for Members of Parliament on the Anti-Fake News Bill 2018, held in the Parliament building.
The closed-door briefing, held around 2.30pm, was meant to provide an explanation to opposition Members of Parliament on the Bill, which is expected to be debated in the current session of the Dewan Rakyat.
However, the session saw an uninvited guest in the form of Dr Mahathir, who joined the session, which was conducted by an officer from the Prime Minister’s Department.
Dr Mahathir, who had just finished attending the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting at the opposition leader’s office in the Parliament building, entered the briefing with other opposition MPs.
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the Pakatan Harapan chairman was not invited, and said the briefing was only reserved for opposition MPs.
Although unfazed by the presence of the former prime minister, Azalina said she was disappointed that the briefing, which was supposed to be an exchange of views with opposition MPs, instead evolved into a political dialogue.
“I invited opposition MPs because I wanted to hear their views from a legal standpoint (on the Bill), but instead, they politicised it, claiming that the government was implementing this law as it the election is closing in.
“They appear to have become so desperate that they are willing to trigger fear of this law. We want to explain, but (before we could even finish) they walked out.
“Tun Mahathir left ((before the session ended), so did the Pagoh MP (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), Lembah Pantai (Nurul Izzah Anwar), so what can we do.
“He came and spoke, then he left. I don’t really mind this about the opposition as this is their nature. But Tun, as the former prime minister ...during his time, were there any instances where laws were brought up for discussion with the opposition first?” she told reporters when met after a briefing session with reporters in Parliament.
(File pix) “I invited opposition MPs because I wanted to hear their views from a legal standpoint (on the Bill), but instead, they politicised it, claiming that the government was implementing this law as it the election is closing in” said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said
Dr Mahathir, met after the briefing, had claimed that the Bill was only meat to silence the voice of the opposition. He also claimed that several questions posed to the officer during the briefing went unanswered.
Azalina however begged to differ.
“This is a law which is meant to help those who become victims (of fake news). Do you actually believe (Dr Mahathir’s claims)? You saw us just now (fielding questions from the media), do you believe (that we can’t answer),” said Azalina in reference to the media briefing session on the Bill.
Meanwhile, PKR’s Batu MP, Tian Chua, said the opposition MPs did not invite Dr Mahathir to the session. Instead, Dr Mahathir was the one who wanted to come along.
“After our meeting, we said that we wanted to go to the briefing and he (Dr Mahathir) said he wanted to come along as he wanted to hear Azalina’s explanation.
“But when he saw that it was an officer who was conducting the briefing and not Azalina, he walked out,” he said. * Reports by Mohd Anwar Patho Rohman; Hidir Reduan; Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi; Luqman Arif Abdul Karim and Ahmad Suhael Adnan © New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
