KUALA PERLIS, April 27 — All parties are reminded to be careful and not to play the issue of race, religion and royalty (3R), especially on social media platforms, throughout the Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) by-election campaigning period which began today.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he has instructed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to increase monitoring to detect any illegal posts.

"MCMC has also said that they will not hesitate to call anyone who violates the laws of our country specifically in relation to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and if necessary, they can be summoned to have their statement recorded, have their devices confiscated and be brought to court.

"I hope Malaysians take a lesson from the series of cases that have been brought to court and those who put extreme comments, can be fined and if they fail to pay the fine then the punishment is imprisonment,” he said.

He told reporters after attending the Jiwa Madani programme in Kampung Seberang Ramai, here today.

Fahmi said the parties involved in the by-election are urged to campaign in a healthy manner, use facts and avoid touching on sensitive matters.

He said if it happens, MCMC will immediately call those involved and it will not only be those who upload related content but also those who put in outrageous comments.

"So be careful, be moderate in our campaigning... the important thing is that we want the people, especially the voters of Kuala Kubu Baru state constituency, to have the best choice by May 11,” he said.

The KKB by-election, which saw a four-cornered contest involving candidates from Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, Parti Rakyat Malaysia and Independent, was held following the death of incumbent Lee Kee Hiong, 58, on March 21 due to cancer.

The Election Commission (EC) set the voting day for the by-election on May 11 with early voting on May 7.

Earlier, at the event, Fahmi presented the appointment letters for the establishment of the Madani Community to 45 community leaders and representatives throughout the state of Perlis involving 15 state constituencies.

He said it is hoped the appointment would help to disseminate information about government policies to the grassroots so that the people get the accurate information.

"For example, we created a third account for EPF (Employee Provident Fund Fund) which is to enable the people to spend wisely while making use of the contributions that have been made in EPF.

"The review of the Public Service Remuneration Scheme that will be announced by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) from May 1 onwards and there are several other efforts that we see the Prime Minister working on as part of what I call the Prime Minister’s mission for Malaysia,” he said.

Fahmi also hopes that the Madani Community can be the eyes and ears of the government to ensure that information related to government policies reaches the grassroots level. — Bernama