Government Seeks Public Feedback On What To Do With Anti-Vaccine Disseminators

The federal government, through the Information Department (JaPen) under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, has launched a survey to obtain public feedback on the effectiveness of existing law enforcement against those sharing anti-vaccine information.

The purpose of the study is to collect public feedback on a federal government gazettement aimed at deterring individuals from discouraging the public from taking COVID-19 vaccinations through anti-vaccine misinformation.

“Anti-vaccine groups identified and found to be instigating the public from receiving their Covid-19 vaccination can be subjected to legal action under the Emergency Ordinance 2021. Individuals found guilty of said offences could also be investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 and Communication and Multimedia Act 1998,” said the department on Facebook.

The survey is open to those aged 18 and above and will be open only until Thursday, 15 July. You can participate in the survey here.

Takiyudddin Hassan, the de-facto law minister, said in May that the government had no plans to introduce new laws to go after anti-vaccine groups. Instead, he said those disseminating misinformation about vaccines can be punished under three laws: the Sedition Act, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and the Emergency Ordinance 2021.

(Source: Malay Mail, NST)

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