The Anti-Fake News Bill has been passed at policy stage in Dewan Rakyat today after Barisan Nasional (BN) won a bloc vote that was called by Opposition MPs. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — The Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 has been passed by Dewan Rakyat today.

The Bill was passed by a majority voice vote at 6.20pm today after a brief debate at committee stage.

The Bill will be now brought to the Senate, that is sitting concurrently, before it can be gazetted as law.

Earlier, BN won a bloc vote at the conclusion of the policy stage debate in order to bring the Bill to the committee stage.

The bloc vote was called by the opposition, but 123 members voted in favour of the Bill, with 64 members voting against the Bill.

PAS parliamentarians voted in favour of the Bill, along with independent Bandar Tun Razak MP Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

The Bill was passed with two amendments at the committee stage which was previously announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman.

The amendments were to replace the word “knowingly” with “maliciously” in the bill, and to reduce the maximum jail term from 10 years to six years.