Written by Mkini
Analysts: J-Kom created panic with Dubai Move claims
The Community Communications Department's (J-Kom) role in the Dubai Move fiasco continues to be a subject of scrutiny.
Political experts opined that the revelation - which remains unproven - has ended up reflecting negatively on the government agency.
Political analyst Kartini Aboo Talib @ Khalid said that by making allegations without evidence, J-Kom had inadvertently cast doubt on whether the government was still viable.
"It not only opened questions about the integrity of the government, but in this digital era, it’s hard to make statements without evidence because such actions give a wide opportunity for netizens to attack and criticise such frivolous actions," she said.
Towards the end of December, J-Kom deputy director-general Ismail Yusop claimed there was a plot to topple the federal government.
He also claimed a meeting took place in UAE to assign specific tasks to “agents” responsible for identifying MPs who might switch their support to the opposition with inducements.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later said that intelligence gathered confirmed that the plot was real.
However, Perikatan Nasional is adamant that there was no such meeting.
Despite this, rumours of a coup persist and there remains uncertainty over the government's future.
For Kartini, as a government agency, J-Kom should not have created such an environment.
People want stability
"When there is no evidence, J-Kom as an agency should have been more careful in making whatever statements.
"This situation is not beneficial, as whatever move threatens stability.
"The people want stability to heal the economy, new jobs and well-managed societal wellbeing," she said.
Analysts have opined that the political situation will most likely improve once the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong is sworn in on Jan 31, with any plots to overthrow the government buried.
J-Kom was formed in 2021 as a successor to the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).
Jasa was formerly the government's propaganda arm but was dissolved in 2018 by the first Pakatan Harapan administration.
At the time of its establishment, J-Kom was touted as a means for the government to disseminate non-political information to the public.
On that note, Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Abdul Muqit Muhammad said the department had clearly strayed from its role.
At the same time, it was also not operating in the same way Jasa did, with the former previously being a rather secretive operation, he said.
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Abdul Muqit Muhammad
Thus, he added, there was a need to re-evaluate J-Kom's purpose.
"I think J-Kom’s leadership doesn't know how it is supposed to function," Abdul Muqit said.
However, he said any changes to the department must be with the aim of making it more strategic as an agency.
For Kartini, J-Kom must return to its roots as a bridge between the government and public.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil previously said that he had intended to review J-Kom's functions even before the Dubai Move allegations surfaced.
Written by Mkini
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