Sarawak would amend its Standing Orders to deal with online comments undermining its rulings

The Sarawak legislative assembly’s Standing Orders would be amended to deal with social media and online challenges, particularly remarks that are deemed as undermining the legislative rulings.

Speaker Tan Sri Asfia Awang Nassar said the amendments would be targeting online criticism against the legislative bodies and its rulings which are not presently covered in the Standing Orders.

He denied that the amendments were meant to control social media posts of elected representatives.

“When a speaker makes a ruling and social media comments follow, neither the state nor the federal Standing Orders can currently manage this,” he said, Dayak Daily reported.

A working paper on the proposed amendments would be presented at a conference of legislative speakers that is scheduled to be held on Sept 12 and 13.

“We need to discuss (the matter) with the (other) speakers and listen to their opinions; all for the betterment of parliamentary democracy,” he said.