Isnin, 10 Januari 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not ban the use of the Blackberry smartphone as of now as it has not caused any problem with regard to security, culture and administration, said Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

However, he said, if there were sections of society with the facts to prove that the Blackberry phones were causing problems, the ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), would investigate the matter under the country's existing laws.

"If there are problems (from Blackberry usage), I want to receive the evidence from Malaysians themselves. Therefore, we should not act hastily on this matter," he said after a meeting with Culture Department directors, here, Monday.

He was referring to reports that the Indonesian government planned to ban the use of the Blackberry phone in the republic if its order for the service provider to implement pornography blockers and to create a server was not adhered to within two weeks.


Dr Rais said the MCMC had already done a study and found that Malaysia also did not face the problems experienced by Saudi Arabia and India involving the use of the smartphone.

Asked whether Malaysia would ask the telecommunications company to create a server in this country, Dr Rais said it was a commercial matter and should be considered in the context of whether the company had breached the law under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

"So far, I have not been informed of any breach of the law, so it's not proper at this juncture to say what action can be taken as there have been no reports (of complaints)," he said. - Bernama