THE government has acknowledged the urgent need to reassess and amend existing laws to ensure they remain aligned with global developments and rapid technological advancement, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reform Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said today.
Azalina noted that a significant portion of Malaysia’s laws were enacted before independence in 1957 and the formation of Malaysia in 1963, while others date back to the 1970s and 1980s, rendering many of them increasingly out of step with present-day realities, particularly in the digital era.
“The world is changing. If the government does not act from this framework, we will be left behind.
Investors will also be concerned if the law and justice system are not adequate to keep pace with global changes,” she told reporters at the Criminal Justice and Legal Reform Convention held at the Asian International Arbitration Centre.
She said emerging challenges, including technology-driven crimes such as deepfakes, demand changes in evidentiary standards and the way courts assess and admit proof.
According to Azalina, the legal system must be equipped to accept evidence generated through technological platforms.
She explained that in cases involving online sexual offences, platform providers are also held accountable under the law, as content is created and disseminated through their systems.
This, she said, is consistent with the regulatory framework currently being examined by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
“The trial process must be fair to all parties, platform providers, perpetrators and victims. However, the courts cannot function properly if the law is not ready to accept technology-based evidence,” she said.
Azalina acknowledged that legislation often lags behind technological progress, making the drafting of future-proof laws one of the government’s most significant challenges.
She stressed that meaningful reform requires parliamentary support, as any amendments must be tabled and approved by Members of Parliament and Senators.
“Members of Parliament must also understand that the world is changing. This change is not political in nature, but concerns how we work and how we govern,” she said.
At the same time, she said the judiciary must also move decisively towards digitalisation, including the acceptance of electronic documents and the adoption of technologies such as voice-to-text systems.
However, she cautioned that these efforts need to be accelerated to keep pace with the speed of technological change.
Azalina expressed hope that several urgent amendments could be tabled and debated in the upcoming parliamentary session to ensure Malaysia’s legal system remains relevant, effective and capable of supporting the country’s continued development. - January 28, 2026
