The law, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison, was passed months before the May 2018 election that saw Malaysia’s first change of government since its independence. It was used to put Mahathir under investigation for saying that a plane due to take him on his campaign trail was tampered, after the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia denied any sabotage. The probe was later dropped.
Countries around the region are grappling with ways to prevent disinformation. Singapore pushed through a controversial law against online falsehoods last week, while Indonesia set up a “war room” to crack down on hoaxes.
