KUALA LUMPUR: The Internet should not become a medium for the stoking of racial and religious tension, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
The prime minister said people had a responsibility to think about the content they shared on the Internet, especially in a multi-religious and multi-racial country like Malaysia.
"In the heat of the moment, the public needs to be discerning and understand that allegations on the Internet should not be accepted as the absolute truth.
"Claims need to be questioned and evidence assessed," he said while opening the Umno International Forum 2014 here.
Attended by some 129 foreign delegates, the forum, themed "A Hyper-Connected World: Challenges in Nation Building", was held ahead of Umno's annual general assembly, which starts tomorrow.
Najib, who is Umno president, said while legitimate criticism should be encouraged, the Internet had been used at times to spread half-truths and lies, such as claims that the government had orchestrated blackouts at polling stations and flew in 40,000 illegal voters during the last general election.
"These claims were all proven to be baseless lies but not before they had been swallowed hook, line and sinker by many, doing real damage to our reputation."
"Internet stories can go viral and take on a life of their own,"
Nevertheless, Najib expressed optimism that behaviour online could reflect the norms and values expected in real life, and that the power of the Internet can be harnessed towards the cause of nation-building.
"I believe we should preserve what makes the Internet what it is: a place for the free exchange of views, a place where truly interactive discussion can progress knowledge, development and democracy.