Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching publicly rejected allegations circulating on social media that connected her to gang-related activities and a road accident under police scrutiny in Johor. She addressed the issue during the Safe Internet Campaign Community Carnival in Kulai on August 28, stressing the claims were "false and baseless" and based on photographs taken during normal social interactions [1, 2, 3].
Teo said, "I have been in politics for 18 years and have served as a MP for 13 years. There may have been occasions when I met someone once or twice, or perhaps had photographs taken with someone in an ordinary social setting. However, to claim that I was involved in such activities is a false accusation because they merely showed photographs of me with someone, when it was simply a normal social activity" [1].
The police, including the Johor police chief, have confirmed the arrest of 13 suspects connected to the investigation, and Teo welcomed the thorough inquiry. She stated, "The police, including the Johor police chief, have already held a press conference and announced that 13 suspects had been arrested. I welcome a thorough investigation by the police" [2].
On August 27, Senai assemblyman Wong Bor Yang lodged a police report at Kulai District Police Headquarters regarding defamatory posts linking Teo and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to a gang [2, 3]. Following that, Teo also filed complaints with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and a police report over the online defamation [1, 2, 3].
Teo urged the public to verify social media information before accepting it as true, noting difficulties in getting fake news removed. She explained, "We need to think rationally and investigate first. I myself have lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as a police report. However, the main challenge is that the decision to shut down the account or delete the post rests with Meta, and not all fake news can be removed immediately" [3].
The investigation continues as authorities work to identify others involved in spreading the defamatory posts and verifying the associated claims.
