KUCHING: The state’s BN’s New Media Unit (UMB) has urged the state government and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to investigate a certain cellular service provider’s towers used by Radio Free Sarawak (RPF) to transmit its service to longhouses and villages in rural areas.
According to an UMB spokesman who wished to remain anonymous R PF has been using these towers to disseminate anti-government propaganda to the people in the rural areas.
“These sites are supposedly located on ‘private property’ belonging to timber and big plantation companies.
“The question is: Has this cellular service provider obtained the state government’s and MCMC’s approval for these sites? If so, do they know their sites have been used to disseminate poisonous anti-government propaganda?” the spokesman told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
He also hoped that the MCMC and state government would get to the bottom of the issue.
The spokesman added that for the past few months, elected representatives had been perplexed as to how RFS was able to reach out to longhouses and villages yet to even have a telephone
connection.
Taking it upon themselves to investigate the matter, UMB BN Sarawak discovered that RFS has been ‘piggybacking’ on certain cellular phone sites.
“There are nearly 70 nano GSM cellular phone sites that have been set up in rural Sarawak by a cellular service provider.
“RFS is using these sites to relay their broadcast transmissions to nearby longhouses and villages which do not even have telephone connection,” he said.
The issue was highlighted by Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development Rosey Yunus in Utusan Borneo yesterday.
Rosey who is also Bekenu assemblywoman urged the people not to be easily swayed by the sweet promises of the opposition that were normally made only during election times.
She advised the people who needed help to seek assistance from their elected representatives and the relevant government agencies.