‘Hidden hands’ exploiting 3R issues ahead of polls, says Teo
Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching hopes the public will not be influenced by the 3R issues played up by certain parties.
PETALING JAYA: Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching claims there are “hidden hands” who want to exploit issues related to race, religion and royalty, especially during the lead-up to any election.
The Kulai MP said she expects such issues to escalate ahead of the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on May 11, Sinar Harian reported.
The date for the by-election was announced by the Election Commission on April 4. The seat fell vacant following the death of DAP’s Lee Kee Hiong, who was a three-term assemblyman for the constituency.
“We do not deny that there are hidden hands playing up these issues on social media. However, we believe the police will investigate and take appropriate action to ensure that these matters are kept under control.”
“I hope the public is aware (of such tactics) and are not influenced by the 3R issues played up by certain parties,” Teo told reporters during a visit to a school in Kulai today.
She also said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had removed 1,454 online content related to 3R issues in the first quarter of this year.
Apart from 727 online content related to religious issues, there were 588 online content related to racially charged speeches, and 139 hate speeches involving the royal institution.
Last month, a report by a human rights group found that incidents of racism and racial discrimination were most prevalent in politics among several categories studied in 2023.
In its report titled “Malaysia Racism Report 2023”, Pusat Komas said it recorded a total of 50 incidents of racism and racial discrimination, of which 15, or 31.4%, involved politics.
It said politicians often manipulated racial and religious tension to grapple for power, adding that they would also seek to instil fear within their communities.
Komas programme director Ryan Chua said the 50 incidents reported last year were lower than those recorded in previous years, adding that it peaked during the general election season in November 2022 and May 2018, when 82 and 76 cases were recorded, respectively.
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