KUALA LUMPUR – Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar’s office has taken social media platform TikTok to task for removing 14 videos uploaded by the PAS vice-president.
Asserting that the videos in question do not contain race, religion and royalty (3R) elements that could disrupt public harmony, Samsuri’s press secretary, Mohd Nasir Abd Razab, said the clips were merely intended to convey initiatives undertaken by the state government.
TikTok’s “baseless” move to take down the videos, the aide said in a statement today, has violated established freedom of speech principles.
“TikTok must review the decision to delete the videos and ensure that guidelines-compliant content is allowed to be shared with the community. Social media platforms should act fairly and respect freedom of speech.”
Besides writing to TikTok Singapore on July 2, Nasir said a letter had also been sent to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission yesterday to urge TikTok to explain its action.
According to the chronology provided by Nasir in the statement, the first video removed from Samsuri’s TikTok page was uploaded in August 2023, with his team noticing the removal in January this year.
The video, which Nasir said garnered 5.9 million views prior to its removal, depicted an interview with a Bandar Kuala Terengganu businesswoman who “promoted unity” in the state.
Out of the 14 videos taken down from the platform, 10 were uploaded last year.
Besides the 14 TikTok videos, Nasir said a July 12 video uploaded on Samsuri’s official X account had also been removed without prior notice. – July 19, 2024