KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Bersih is a coalition of 70 citizen groups including those that attended a government briefing on proposed social media licensing that Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the umbrella organisation missed.

The Bersih steering committee said among its members was the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) that participated in the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) briefing.

The group also said its leaders were not at the briefing as they attended a solidarity walk with the family of Teoh Beng Hock, a former DAP aide who died while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

They also criticised the minister for choosing to harp on the absence, saying this was the first time a ministry has mocked a citizen’s group for not attending such a briefing.

“We seek the professionalism and competence of the minister and his office to enhance engagement efforts by including many other stakeholders outside the invited list who have a stake in this issue and the right to question the government’s position,” Bersih said.

The Bersih steering committee then offered to host Fahmi at a public forum on the proposed social media licensing, saying this would facilitate the open and critical discussion of the issue.

Previously, Fahmi reportedly questioned Bersih’s public comments criticising the proposed licensing when the group did not attend the briefing despite being invited.

The government is preparing to require all social media platforms with more than eight million registered Malaysian users to apply for an annual licence from January 1, failing which they would be prevented from operating in Malaysia.

However, the proposal has led to groups such as Bersih expressing concern over possible abuse to further restrict freedoms in Malaysia.

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