Malaysia's government today pushed a law through parliament that makes "fake news" punishable with a maximum six-year jail term despite an outcry from critics worried it will be used to stifle dissent before elections.
The law targets foreign as well as local media, and is seen in part as an effort to silence criticism of the scandal surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1 MDB that has rocked the administration of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The election is expected within weeks and Najib is battling to win a third term in office at the head of the coalition that has led Malaysia for over six decades.
After a debate spanning much of today and last week Thursday afternoon, parliament - which is dominated by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition - voted in favour of the new law.
The law originally proposed a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and fine of 500,000 ringgit (USD 130,000) for publishing what authorities deem to be fake news, but the government lowered the jail term to six years following a storm of criticism.
"This law is not intended to restrict the freedom of speech, but to restrict the dissemination of fake news," said minister Azalina Othman Said.
But opposition Members of Parliament were not convinced, criticising the law's heavy penalties and its potential to limit free speech.
"This bill ... is a weapon to close the truth so that what is false can be upheld as true, and what is true can be reversed as false," said Lim Guan Eng of the Democratic Action Party.
"This is something very dangerous for our country."
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