Ministry of Law Let the court decide on what is fake news
Under the POFMA or fake news law, any of the 20 ministers can make a determination that a news is false and require the news item to be corrected or taken down. 

I suggest that this determinaition should be made by the court, rather than a minister. This will ensure that there is consistency in making the determination.

If I am not mistaken, the minister for law has said that this approach would be time consuming. 

I disagree. 

It is likely that the minister would have prepared a detailed document to explain why the news should be considered as false and action should be taken.  If this is done properly, it should be possible for a judge to take a decision within a day. 

To achieve an efficient judicial process, I suggest that a small team of judges be appointed specifically for this purpose As they are familiar with the law and the practice, they would be able to decide quite quickly.

Let me draw an analogy. 

There are many people who are taken to court for many minor offenses, such as vandalism or public disturbance. The judge can deal with the issue quite promptly. It does not require a lengthy consideration.

I suggest that the determination of an offence under POFMA should be done by the court.

Tan Kin Lian

Vote - do you agree with my suggestion?

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