Don’t chase votes by exploiting race, religion or royalty, Teo tells parties

All political parties, candidates, and supporters must use artificial intelligence (AI) technology responsibly and refrain from playing up 3R issues during election campaigns, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching. — Bernama pic

First Published: Sunday, 25 Oct 2026 9:51 AM MYT

KULAI, Oct 25 — All political parties, candidates, and supporters must use artificial intelligence (AI) technology responsibly and refrain from playing up religion, race, and royalty (3R) issues during election campaigns, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.

Teo, who is also Johor DAP chairman, said the use of AI in generating digital content is inevitable, especially as the technology becomes increasingly accessible and widely used in daily life.

She said the public must be digitally literate internet users, practise fact-checking, and avoid creating content that could undermine societal harmony.

She stressed that sensitive matters involving religion, race, and the royal institution should never be touched upon, whether during state elections, general elections, or outside campaign periods.

“Do not touch on sensitive issues just to secure a party victory or win a state election, to the extent of disrupting societal harmony,” she told reporters after the 2026 Deepavali Contribution Presentation Programme and a press conference at Sri Maha Mariamman Kovil, Kulai Besar, here today.

When asked about internet coverage ahead of the Melaka and Sarawak state elections, Teo said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) regularly conducts on-site audits to ensure services meet mandatory standards.

She said the required download speed must not be lower than 10 megabits per second (Mbps).

MCMC, she added, is prepared to go to the ground to conduct audits following complaints from the public or elected representatives regarding internet service quality in their respective areas.

Teo also encouraged the public to use the MCMC Nexus platform to submit reports or speed test results to help the commission obtain more accurate data.

On the Deepavali food basket programme, she said 220 recipients were identified to receive aid across four locations in her Kulai parliamentary constituency today.

The aid, funded through her parliamentary allocation and a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme by Maxis, will be extended to about 370 more recipients, she added. — Bernama