Women in charge: Newly-minted KL Mayor Maimunah and Customs director-general Anis (bottom) are ready for the tough battle ahead after they declared war on graft and the abuse of power. — Photos: The Star

IF the men are failing, then faith should logically be placed in two women who embody competency and integrity to take the reins in running two important government agencies.

Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif was named Kuala Lumpur’s Mayor last week, and at her first press conference, she laid down the law for her zero tolerance for corruption.

Then there’s Customs director-general Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin, who assumed the role last September.

The two tough ladies, hand-picked by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for their abilities, have declared their readiness to combat graft and abuses of power.

Malaysians can be assured that their pledges aren’t empty promises, the true bane of our existence.

Maimunah said she wants Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to be seen as a local authority with integrity, accountability and transparency.

The timing of her installation as Kuala Lumpur’s first woman mayor coincided with a DBKL enforcement deputy director and his assistant being charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court with two counts of soliciting and accepting bribes from the operator of an unlicensed entertainment centre.

Muhammad Irwan Abdullah, 44, and Zahari Muhammad, 34, were jointly charged for soliciting RM200,000 and receiving RM160,000 monthly from a man as an inducement for not taking enforcement action against unlicensed entertainment premises under his supervision.

Muhamad Irwan also pleaded not guilty to a third corruption charge for allegedly receiving RM130,000 in cash from the same individual in a similar charge over an unlicensed entertainment centre managed by the man.

Although debatable, DBKL can’t cover itself in glory now as an institution. In fact, it has a history of urban legends of the nefarious kind.

Gutsy Maimunah is no stranger to managing local government authorities, as she was mayor of the Penang Island Municipal Council and was also the first woman president of the Seberang Prai Municipal Council.

Another civil servant in the spotlight is Anis, who detailed her battle against corruption as the top of her agenda.

She has declared that the Customs Department, an arguably stained institution, will not protect officers or personnel found guilty of corruption and abusing their power for personal gain, describing these offences as “unforgivable”.

She said these actions had not only tarnished the country’s image and reputation but also affected most of the staff who are honest and dedicated.

Between May and July, numerous Customs officers were charged with a variety of corruption offences in various states, mostly involving transactions at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

This was a follow-up to the arrests of 34 Customs officers at KLIA and 11 officers at Port Klang by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The activities of the “flying containers” syndicate are believed to have led to RM3.5bil in tax leakages for the country.

MACC seized RM4.4mil in cash, believed to be obtained from the proceeds of corruption by Customs officers suspected to be involved in the case.

Also seized were four Yamaha XMAX motorcycles worth RM28,000 each, a luxury multi- purpose vehicle worth more than RM200,000, a used BMW car, jewellery, luxury watches, as well as a plot of land, all of which were bought with cash.

MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the agency had identified more than 100 companies involved in the syndicate, which had been operating for more than a decade in Port Klang.

The companies, he said, acted as intermediaries for the payment of bribes to rogue Customs officers.

The probe has also seen MACC liaising with Singapore’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau to track down a Singaporean believed to be a key figure behind the syndicate.

We’re certainly seeing early results since Anis began helming the Customs Department, as the number of illegal cigarettes seized and confiscated has increased by over 20% in 1Q 2024 compared with the same period in 2023, according to the Malaysia Integrity and Governance Society (MIG).

Illegal cigarette prevalence in Malaysia has seen an improvement from 56.4% in January 2024 to 55.4% in March, according to Nielsen’s Illicit Cigarette Study in Malaysia.

“When the current Customs director-general, Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin, was appointed on Sept 23 last year, she vowed to seriously go all out to address corruption,” MIG president Datuk Seri Dr Akhbar Satar was quoted as saying.

Recent news reports have also put a spotlight on a series of high-profile raids, including the RM12.8mil haul in contraband cigarettes and liquor made by Melaka Customs in two separate operations in Johor.

In Negri Sembilan, Customs seized over RM600,000 worth of illicit cigarettes and liquor from a three-storey bungalow rented by Bangladesh nationals, revealed a news report.

Maimunah is known as a “turn-around specialist”, a skill set that is common among companies in the private sector, but in this situation, it’s local government, or more specifically, municipal councils that have benefited.

When she took over the Seberang Prai Municipal Council in 2011, it was in a complete financial mess, but by the end of her term in 2017, the council had a surplus in its budget.

Her achievements caught the attention of the United Nations, and in 2017 she was appointed executive director of UN-Habitat at the level of under-secretary general by the UN secretary-general, and in 2018 she assumed her role at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Crucially, she was headhunted for the job, and again displayed her turn-around ability, putting things right at the headquarters.

Born to a poor rubber tapping family in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, she had to wake up every morning at 4am to help the family, but that didn’t stop her pursuing her studies until the tertiary level.

She studied town planning at the University of Wales’ Institute of Science and Technology before embarking on postgraduate studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia for a Master’s degree.

She is married to businessman Adli Lai Abdullah, and they have two adult daughters. Amira is working while Atira, who is now a businesswoman, was a former student of SMJK (C) Heng Ee in Penang.

Realistically, it would be impossible for Maimunah and Anis to battle graft alone.

“I alone cannot do it because we have 9,000 City Hall officers. So I am asking department heads and the executive management to monitor. We also have partners from MACC,” said Maimunah.

“We educate and provide knowledge, but if civil servants are determined to be corrupt, I will not hesitate to take action.”

She said it was vital for City Hall staff to have strong integrity and a firm awareness of rejecting corruption.

For Anis, she has reminded her staff that those who are stationed at airports need to understand that Malaysia’s reputation is always on the line through the services they render, so corruption, leaking government’s secrets, and abusing one’s position for personal gain will not be tolerated.

Both Maimunah and Anis certainly need plenty of support since their bold efforts will surely be unpopular among rogue officers who may still be holding powerful positions.

There could possibly be acts of sabotage to undermine their leadership. The duo must be mindful of these responses, and slowly and meticulously strategise their fight to ensure effectiveness.

For Malaysians who have routinely and repeatedly been let down, news of these two appointments is encouraging, and these ladies can be assured of our support.

The Proton e.MAS 7 electric SUV was unveiled recently. Let’s axe the X owner and turn our attention to the Chinese, especially Geely, for collaboration as they’re a committed partner who’s here for the long haul, says the writer. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

IT’S disappointing that Tesla has opted against investing in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand after months of aggressive courting by leaders of these countries of Elon Musk’s electric car brand.

But it’s not surprising since China-made electric vehicles (EV) are already way ahead of the American company in this region.

From 2023, China’s BYD (Build Your Dreams) has become the world’s EV brand of choice, surpassing Tesla.

No doubt, Tesla is perceived as the better brand, but it now plays second fiddle to the Shenzhen-based BYD, the number one EV car in Malaysia.

As a regular visitor to China who has seen EVs on display in their showrooms across the republic, I can safely say these Chinese cars are quality vehicles offering value for money.

Their China-made status doesn’t make these EVs inferior to American or European cars. The days of China products signifying second-rate quality are well and truly consigned to the history books in this fast-paced age we live in.

South China Morning Post reported that BYD has been selling over 8,000 units since last year, 3,000 more than Tesla.

It said that EV sales in South-East Asia are expected to hit between US$80bil (RM354bil) and US$100bil (RM443bil) by 2035, from about US$2bil (RM8.9bil) in 2021, according to a January report by EY-Parthenon, the strategy consulting arm of Ernst & Young.

But while BYD is the best-known Chinese brand for EVs, there are also many other options.

The floor price set by the Malaysian government to protect Proton and Perodua is RM100,000.

If it wasn’t for this policy, Chinese competitors would have flooded the Malaysian market with cheaper options.

Jakarta Post reported that Chinese EV makers such as BYD, SAIC Motor-Corp-owned MG, Nio, GAC Motor, Li Auto, Geely and Chery, collectively controlled 53% of the global market share for EVs in 2023.

“Fierce competition in the EV market has prompted governments in several jurisdictions, particularly the US and the European Union (EU) to enact measures to curb China dominance and protect their domestic industries.”

Instead of contemplating their cost effectiveness, price offers and improving their EV designs, the US has predictably taken the easy way – slapping tariffs on China made EVs by quadrupling the import duties on Chinese EVs by a whopping 100%!

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is right in believing that intense competition from China rivals had influenced Tesla’s decision.

While Musk took his time to decide when and how to set up shop in Asean, playing hard to get despite the many incentives offered by wooing suitors, he’s ultimately a late comer because China beat him to it.

The SCMP quoted Cassey Lee from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute saying, “Tesla would be a latecomer in this market, and its EVs are pricier than those from Chinese companies.”

Unsurprising U-turn: Cars on the assembly line at Tesla’s Giga Texas manufacturing facility in Austin. Musk has opted against investing in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand after months of aggressive courting by leaders of these countries of his EV brand. — AFP

Tesla’s decision to skip Asean could mean it will miss out on a chunk of the region’s market, said to be worth up to US$100bil (RM443bil) by 2035.

“The global EV industry landscape has intensified, with China solidifying its position as the world champion in the EV space.

“As a result, China experienced a significant surge in the export value of its battery electric vehicles, which quadrupled from US$8.59bil in 2021 to US$34.13bil by 2023,” Jakarta Post reported.

The International Energy Agency reported that China accounted for nearly 60% of new electric car registrations globally in 2023, Europe at 25%, the US at 10%, and the rest of the world for the remaining 5%.

In contrast to the US blanket policy that applies to all EV automakers from China, the EU’s rule imposes a provisional individually tailored increase in tariffs for different manufacturers.

For instance, BYD will face a 17.4% tariff, while Geely and SAIC will be subject to import tariffs of 20% and 38.1%, respectively.

Jakarta Post added that a recent report by Counterpoint Research revealed that Chinese brands accounted for over 70% of EV sales in South-East Asia this year, with BYD leading the market.

“Chinese brands have successfully overtaken Japanese and South Korean brands for the EV space, which have long dominated Southeast Asia’s internal combustion engine car market, as the latter two countries lag in the transition to EVs.”

In Malaysia, Geely has partnered with Malaysian Proton to invest US$10bil (RM44.3bil) to expand its presence in South-East Asia while in Thailand, Chery has plans to set up a factory in Rayong province aiming to produce 50,000 BEV and hybrid EV units in the first phase of production.

Let’s axe the X owner and turn our attention to the Chinese, especially Geely, for collaboration as they’re a committed partner who’s here for the long haul.

The Proton e.MAS7 has already been unveiled and surely, this will be the first of many models that could arrive from 2025.

Digital fentanyl: We have all become addicts to social networking, making many fear losing access to these platforms if they fall foul of their rules or guidelines, says the writer. — 123rf

DEPENDING on which side you are on, the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated last week, was either a hero who defended the Palestinians or a leader of a terrorist group.

But as far as Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is concerned, it is the latter; as the Prime Minister found out much to his disgust, his posting on the Hamas leader was deemed unacceptable and was deleted immediately.

The removal notification from Instagram stated that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s post contained “symbols, praise, or support of people and organisations that we define as dangerous.’’

So much for the freedom of expression. If that’s not censorship, we do not know what is. Or maybe it is simply that the political stand of the PM is not aligned with what the owners of these social media platforms subscribe to.

It may seem ironic, but in the eyes of these operators, the PM’s posting was defined as more dangerous than the scammers, bullies, sex predators and anonymous slanderers roaming freely in cyberspace.

Over the past one year, many netizens have found their postings in support of the Palestinian cause removed, but we are helpless, because we do not have alternative social media platforms as in China and Russia.

Last week, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muyhiddin Yassin’s statement on Ismail was also removed from Facebook. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul also suffered the same fate.

The reality is the world is dependant, if not hooked, on Facebook, Instagram, Google Chat, TikTok, Telegram and X (formerly Twitter).

While many of us have criticised the government for its plan to impose regulations on these platforms from Aug 1, these critics have strangely been silent when postings supporting Hamas leaders or the Palestinians are removed.

Neither has there been any objections or anger towards the many cyber criminals, who operate behind anonymity, who scam, cheat, bully or defame innocent people daily,

Perhaps that’s the idea of the “freedom of expression”, that these platform owners should be left to operate without rules, and allow them to cause misery, humiliation and even death.

These operators have become so powerful that any form of government intervention is regarded as unpopular and opened to criticism by groups or personalities who only look at one issue – politics.

While no one wants dissenting views to be curtailed, let’s not forget the real anguish affecting common folks daily.

We have all become addicts to social networking, including this writer, and many fear losing access to these platforms if they fall foul of their rules or guidelines.

It is what has been called “digital fentanyl” or an addiction to these destructive platforms. The US legislators used this term to describe TikTok, but they turned a blind eye to the other platforms, which aren’t any different.

Fentanyl is a synthetic drug, which the Americans are fond of accusing the Chinese government of providing to Americans, and the reference to TikTok is because the short-form video hosting service is owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance.

Many accusations have been levelled at TikTok and Huawei for their purported access to the data of Americans using these tools, but doesn’t Meta, for example, also already have our details?

In the words of Malaysia Communications and Multimedia (MCMC) commissioner Derek Fernandez, “the customer was sometimes viewed as a product whose data is traded for the right to use the service rather than a human being who must be protected from the dangers and predators in the digital space.’’

He said they see customer security as “a cost and not part of digital infrastructure needed to generate the huge profits they enjoy.”

To put it simply, these operators feel that it is the job of governments to regulate cyberspace and that it’s not their job to police cyberspace.

Neither is it their worry when people conceal their identities, create multiple accounts, target vulnerable people and deploy scam technology but when proper regulation is initiated, they cry “violation of freedom of expression,’’ knowing they will have their chorus boys.

“There have been clearly insufficient resources allocated by digital services providers for cybersecurity,’’ said Fernandez, adding that the problems have grown to the point of society being threatened and governments have realised that intervention was not only necessary “but a sovereign responsibility of the nation.’’

The cybersecurity expert said while these platforms were heavily regulated in the European Union, US, Vietnam, Indonesia and even Singapore, “sadly they have been enjoying exemptions from licensing or even proper registration in Malaysia.’’

He also said many users were not aware that platforms required them to consent to monetisation of their personal data as “a precondition to use their services’’ and “this allows them to sell their data to third parties, and should the data fall into the wrong hands, the data can be used for targeting individuals of cybercrimes.’’

But cyberbullying in Malaysia has gone out of control. It is not surprising to detect such devious acts in Facebook or Instagram, but it has even spread to LinkedIn, which is mostly used by adult professionals.

It is imperative that various laws are updated as the term “cyberbullying’’ is not defined under Malaysian law and is generally understood to mean bullying with the use of digital technologies.

It is time that cyberbullying is more clearly defined in our jurisdictions that seek to prohibit, regulate or sanction such behaviour as well as stronger criminal punitive actions against those who heaped financial misery as well as those who spew religious and racial hate online.

Enough is enough.

For all: Lest we forget, vernacular schools are government-aided and supported. But instead of waiting for handouts from the Education Ministry, Chinese schools engage in a variety of initiatives to raise funds and improve their facilities. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

THE unwavering support of the Chinese community, especially business personalities and education groups, towards Chinese primary schools is well established.

Their actions have removed the burden of the Education Ministry, which is struggling to disperse funds to schools.

Traditional Chinese culture attaches great importance to education as it’s viewed as an essential platform for self-advancement.

Instead of waiting for handouts from the Education Ministry, these schools engage in initiatives to improve their facilities.

School halls are rented out during weekends for badminton, weddings and other functions to generate funds.

The schools and parents also work together to improve their sports facilities and computer labs.

In one report, parents at Chung Kwok Chinese school in Kuala Lumpur even pooled their resources to upgrade the toilets, complete with polished tiles, backlit mirrors, auto-flushing sensors and wood finishes.

It was made possible because some of the parents are interior designers, while the school also received discounted prices on the items from contractors and tile sellers, the report said.

The Chinese community’s perception is that they will never get enough financial support for these schools.

For decades, funds have arrived from business groups as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

But the biggest fallacy is that breweries donate directly to Chinese schools, which has suddenly become a controversy.

Why should breweries donate directly to schools, which are not even their customers? That accusation simply doesn’t make sense.

The brouhaha began when Selangor PAS deputy commissioner Sabirin Marsono questioned a Chinese school in Sepang for hosting a charity performance and fundraising event which involved a beer company’s sponsorship.

His target appeared to be Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu, who was present at the event.

The MP for Sepang is also a member of Amanah, a splinter party of PAS. She even pledged a RM10,000 donation to the Chinese primary school.

It’s a different story when breweries sponsor dinners and support groups such as clan associations, parents-teachers association or old-boys alumni, which contribute to these schools.

PAS is probably unaware that during the annual Hungry Ghost festival, many dinners will be hosted, which would also see millions of ringgit being raised for charity, including helping needy students and schools.

As with Chinese dinners, beer and liquor are usually served. Very often, beer is sold to raise funds. So, let’s not make an issue of this.

It’s not just schools that benefit but also Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Hospital’s development in Kampar, Perak, which reportedly gained from fundraising events supported by breweries.

Over 500 schools across Malaysia have received more than RM100mil since the “Tiger Chinese Education Charity Concert” programme started in 1994.

Last week, Tiger Beer said the company had never given donations to schools, claiming that its recent school fundraiser only involved performances by local artistes at the concert organised by the contributors.

It said it was confined to the school’s parent-teacher association and board of directors.

In fact, the Chinese Education Charity Concert (CECC) has been around for 30 years, and its mission is to be a platform to help the community raise funds to upgrade facilities at Chinese schools in need.

So, why is PAS suddenly upset with these charitable efforts, which are held in restaurants, Chinese associations and community halls?

It’s not news, and PAS incredulously wonders why most non-Muslim voters won’t support the Islamist party in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.

Then, there’s hot head Umno Youth leader, Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, who has waded into this issue, forgetting that he represents a racially mixed state constituency in Melaka.

The beer industry, including Heineken and Carlsberg, contributes over RM2.2bil in taxes annually. Common sense would indicate the taxes benefit other Malaysians as well, and not merely non-Muslims.

During the Covid-19 movement control order (MCO), Heineken Malaysia donated basic food items to B40 communities to help vulnerable families of all religions and races to cope with limited income, while Carlsberg Malaysia donated thermometers and disinfection products to thousands of primary schools throughout Malaysia.

Over the years, the breweries have contributed over RM160mil towards promoting education, protecting the environment and advocating responsible consumption.

On Friday, the Cabinet decided that it would consider allowing vernacular schools to receive funds through its board of directors and foundation, including from activities involving alcohol brands.

The Education Ministry stated that the stand had been the practice of several administrations without dispute.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the event in question was for a charity concert and not a direct donation to the school, adding that it was organised by the school’s parent-teacher association and the school board.

Then, there’s the gaming industry, in particular, number forecasting operators (NFO), which also contributes billions of ringgit in taxes to the country.

More taxes could have been collected, but the gaming industry has been paying less since PAS began gaining more power at state and federal levels.

The winners are the illegal gaming operators, who are in cahoots with criminals and probably corrupt enforcement officials, too, as it is estimated the government loses about RM5bil in taxes.

According to a 2022 news report in The Edge, the operations of gaming companies, NFOs and breweries contributed RM1.86bil in income taxes in the previous two financial years.

Let’s not forget that Sports Toto contributes substantially to the National Sports Council for the development of sports in the country. It also supports the initiatives of numerous community and charity organisations.

It was reported that the Confederation of Malaysian Brewers Bhd alone generated RM3.7bil in taxes, profits and salaries, which is equivalent to 0.3% of the country’s gross domestic product.

About 20% of students in all Chinese schools across the country in 2024 are non-Chinese, a figure up from about 12% in 2020.

Mandarin is an economic language and with China becoming a superpower, Malaysians of all races understand why we need to master Mandarin – just like we know the importance of Bahasa Malaysia as our national language and English as an international language.

There’s no need to fear Chinese schools or make them political scapegoats because it only constitutes six years of basic primary education, where maths and science are prioritised, before students graduate to normal secondary schools.

Lest we forget, these vernacular schools are government-aided and supported.

Well, can the politicians who continue to pick on Chinese education and schools dare say that the Chinese community need not have to continue fundraising because these schools will be allocated an equal amount of money as other schools?

The biggest problem in Malaysia today isn’t Chinese or Tamil vernacular schools but politicians who brew racial and religious sentiments and intoxicate us with their poisonous rhetoric.

Heavy consequences: We should not be too quick to condemn and pass judgement, or worse, bully someone on social media. — 123rf

FREEDOM of speech has been taken for a ride recently on social media under the guise of ignorance. Many people think they can say and write whatever they want with impunity.

However, this privilege doesn’t equate to the luxury of slandering or defaming others.

Targeted parties also have their rights and can exercise them when unproven accusations and even innuendoes are made about them.

Everyone in the media, including social influencers and their followers who post nasty messages, are governed by the law.

Most of us in mainstream media have been sued at one point or another. We’re often picked on because the grieving parties, and their lawyers, assume our companies can pay.

Despite these established media outlets having fulltime legal officers and editors who handle these demands, slip-ups still occur.

News portals receive lighter retribution because they’re deemed to have a smaller audience and are less likely able to pay up, although this no longer rings true.

Some of these portals are run by young editors with no training in legal rules, or even journalism fundamentals, unlike their more experienced and older counterparts in mainstream media who began their careers on the court beat.

We were educated on terms like defamation, libelous, slander, summons, statement of claims, affidavits, case management, sub judice, ultra vires, among others, from day one as reporters.

But much has changed in the media sphere. Many editors who clear copies have minimal knowledge of the legal system, so the prospect of letting through stories that infringe on defamation laws is real.

Reporters are now able to skip the court and crime beats, which are often viewed as the most mundane and graveyard-shift gigs. Being called on at odd hours isn’t necessarily fun, but many of us started from the bottom, and we like the crime beat.

I’ve done my tour of duty visiting police stations, crime scenes, fires, hospitals, morgues and even delivering bad news of deceased victims as a young reporter.

But now, online news portals – which includes the mainstream media – have the comments section.

The most seditious, defamatory and racist comments are freely posted in some of these portals. It’s near impossible to moderate these discussions since comments are posted around the clock.

These are genuine news portals, but then, there are also social influencers who draw a different audience. They may be a one-person operation, but their reach runs into the millions.

They probably have greater impact than some mainstream news portals, and the world wide web is a free-for-all space.

But it can have deadly consequences, too. Social media influencer A. Rajeswary, better known as Esha, used her Tik Tok platform to review cosmetics.

It sounds innocent as it was not even political or religious in nature, but it turned lethal when she was taunted by cyberbullies with threats of gang rape and physical violence, which drove her to suicide.

The nation is outraged that the penalty was a paltry RM100 fine imposed on private nursing homeowner Shalini Periasamy after she pleaded guilty in a Magistrate’s Court for deliberately uttering vulgarities with the intention to incite anger and disturb peace through her Tik Tok account, an offence under the Minor Offences Act.

She got away with a slap on the wrist probably because the case was the first involving cyber bullying and there are no specific laws for it yet.

The culprit walked out of court with a smirk on her face, seemingly indifferent to her grave act.

Esha was found dead in a condominium unit in Setapak on July 5, a day after lodging a report at the Dang Wangi police station over threats made against her.

The first accused, lorry driver B. Sathiskumar, pleaded guilty to a charge of posting lewd comments on Tik Tok. He claimed trial to a second charge of posting lewd comments with the intention of outraging the modesty of Esha’s mother, PR Puspa, 56, on the same day.

Then, there’s the case involving HRD Corp, which has made national news.

It’s common practice for the media to report on the findings of the Auditor General’s Report and the Public Accounts Committee. Most of the weaknesses and alleged conducts of mismanagement and malpractices are reported by these two bodies, and naturally, the media would go to town with it as they detail the reports.

The media has the right to question and cite cases of alleged violations of improper governance as it involves public money. No one should be able to stop the media.

Many questions have surfaced with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission forming a task force to investigate elements of crime while an independent auditor has also been hired to dig deeper.

Reporting the findings of the AG and PAC would be the easy and safe way, but many media commentators also want to have their say because the case is of public interest, and the people deserve to know more.

But there are also those who hide behind anonymity and escape punishment with their innuendoes and accusations, while some news portals have received demand letters from HRD Corp.

Accusations of “stealing people’s money,” “dubious” and “bloody thieves” in commentaries, however, risk the writers being sued, as those implicated can defend their integrity.

These words cast aspersions on the people implicated when they haven’t even been charged with any offence.

None of these words were used by the AG and PAC, as they have merely raised issues on possible mismanagement and short-sightedness on the part of HRD Corp, but Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has asked HRD Corp to drop the legal letters since no one in the media should be pressured on their reporting.

Defamation actions are costly and time-consuming exercises, and all parties hate going to court because it takes ages to resolve. Most parties eventually find a settlement with an apology and financial agreement.

By then, the public has already lost interest in the case and the aggrieved parties have cooled down.

For old-fashioned journalists trained to be cautious and mindful of the laws, we’re becoming a rarity, and could possibly be dismissed in the digital age where anything and everything is done to increase clicks and followers.

I’m still finding it difficult to understand how there can be “likes” with the thumbs-up emoji about news of someone who has died, sometimes in a terrible way even.

Our Federal Court has ruled that the publisher – a media company or a person who owns a social media account – is responsible for the comments posted. Basically, if the comments are defamatory or seditious, you can be sued and also be hauled up by the authorities.

However, tracing anonymous readers can be a nightmare if these online publishers need to protect themselves.

There’s a lesson to be learnt from Esha’s tragic death. Her demise shouldn’t be forgotten, and laws need to evolve to remain relevant in the digital age.

No one should be cyberbullied over social media, or even allow a narrative to be created by political and religious operatives who can individually run thousands and even millions of accounts.

Unfortunately, many of us are quick to condemn and pass judgement, and worse, bully someone on social media without thinking of the consequences.

Acting against these online violators isn’t an infringement on the freedom of speech, and our prosecutors shouldn’t take these cases lightly after the police have completed their investigations. Accountability is imperative.