Law of Internet Censorship in Malaysia

In March 1999, numerous media organisations reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said there would be no censorship of the Internet. For example, in an article titled Do Away With Internet Censorship: PM the Utusan Express reported:

"KUALA LUMPUR March 16 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has advised the Cabinet to dispense with attempts on internet censorship, said Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Othman Yeop Abdullah today.
'The Prime Minister has given specific instructions that there will not be censorship on the internet. That's the position of the government,' he said at a press conference.
He explained that the Prime Minister was reaffirming a pledge in the Bill of Guarantee last week that there will be no censorship on the internet.

On 14 February 2002, an article in The Australian reported that the Malaysian government had signalled an intent to require website operators to obtain licences. According to the article "Steven Gan, editor-in-chief of Malaysiakini.com, says the Mahathir government's plan to require licences for website operators would effectively silence the only dissenting media voices in a nation with rigid controls over traditional news outlets, especially newspapers."