SANDAKAN: The Communications Ministry has not detected any online campaign misconduct in the first eight days of campaigning.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said social media has become one of the preferred platforms for candidates to reach voters, especially as internet coverage across the State remains stable with no reported disruptions.
She said continuous monitoring is being carried out by officers from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to ensure compliance with online campaign regulations.
“The Ministry, through our officers at MCMC, continues to monitor these activities and will take follow-up action if any reports are received,” she said after visiting the Media Centre for the 17th Sabah Election, Sunday. Also present was the Ministry’s Senior Asst Sec, Mohd Sabri Abdullah.
Teo advised the public not to misuse social media, including spreading false information, acknowledging that many fake accounts actively attempt to circulate unverified content and scams.
She said the ministry does not have direct authority to remove such content but works closely with platform providers to enable further investigation into suspicious accounts.
This includes determining whether the uploaded material violates platform norms, which may lead to the content being taken down or the account being restricted.
Teo revealed that one case of defamatory and false information circulating online falsely claimed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was barred from entering Sabah.
Meanwhile, the three media centres opened for this state election which located in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau have recorded 185 media personnel using the facilities so far.
She encouraged media personnel, especially those in rural areas, to make use of the National Information Dissemination Centres (Nadi), which also offer reliable internet connectivity for their work.
