KUALA LUMPUR – The government will closely monitor the activities of anti-vaccination groups, looking to spread disinformation and misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines.
Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ahmad Amzad Hashim said this will be done in cooperation with the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, adding that legislation is also being studied to handle the issue.
“The government had previously set up the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee and, through it, a sub-committee on communications was formed to draft a strategic communication plan to present accurate facts and information on Covid-19 to the people.
“The committee also identified various levels of public confidence in Covid-19 vaccination, including full-fledged opponents, who albeit are a minority, their views are difficult to change,” he told the Dewan Negara today.
He was replying to a question from Senator Muhammad Zahid Md Arip on the government’s plan to address anti-vaccine propaganda and measures taken to educate the public on the importance of taking the Covid-19 vaccine.
The second category, he said, made up the biggest group in the country, comprising people who are confident of the importance of the vaccine and are not easily influenced by anti-vaccine propaganda.
The third category is called the ‘vaccine hesitancy group’, comprising people who have doubts about the vaccine but who do not reject it entirely.
Amzad said this was the group most at risk of being influenced by anti-vaccine propaganda.
“As such, the government is actively implementing proactive communication strategies, through various platforms and communication mediums, to provide a clear explanation to the people regarding the importance of taking the Covid-19 vaccine, which the country expects to obtain by the first quarter of next year.
“To ensure that the message is disseminated comprehensively, the communication plan that is being drafted will also involve various community groups, such as non-governmental organisations, religious people, community heads as well as the private sector,” he said.
He said this included the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), to provide information on the vaccine from the point of view of Islamic law, including its halal status which is the main concern of many Malaysian Muslims. – Bernama, December 16, 2020
