Amirudin dodges call for Anwar to address fake social media support allegations, warns of AI threat

PARLIAMENT | PKR vice-president Amirudin Shari (Harapan-Gombak) today declined to say whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should address allegations linking him to an effort to generate fake social media support for himself.

He was responding to Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor), who raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat following a report by AI company Anthropic last month on an alleged AI-driven influence operation targeting Malaysia.

“The part of the allegations that should be explained is...

PARLIAMENT | PKR vice-president Amirudin Shari (Harapan-Gombak) today declined to say whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should address allegations linking him to an effort to generate fake social media support for himself.

He was responding to Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor), who raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat following a report by AI company Anthropic last month on an alleged AI-driven influence operation targeting Malaysia.

“The part of the allegations that should be explained is for the parties involved (to do so). I cannot explain that,” Amirudin said during his debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027.

On Sept 10, Anthropic reported that a threat actor had allegedly misused its Claude AI model to micro-target Malaysians by exploiting racial, religious, and royal sensitivities.

The report also disclosed a request to generate one million artificial views for the sitting prime minister’s account. However, it found no evidence that the operation had gained significant traction or affected election outcomes.

Amirudin, who is also PKR’s co-election director alongside Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, argued that the use of cyber troopers was an established political tactic, but said the broader threat posed by AI warranted greater attention.

“I believe you appoint cyber troopers, you appoint cyber jihadists who actually spread slander. That is a political strategy, and it is up to each side to choose its own methods.

“But what I am raising today concerning Anthropic is that the machine has moved and created a tool of fascism, and these actions have led to political changes in many places,” he said.

He warned that AI could become a tool of fascism, enabling mass surveillance and the manipulation of public sentiment through emotional appeals and the creation of “new myths”.

Describing this threat as “techno-fascism”, he said it endangered not only humanity, markets, economic value, and livelihoods, but also national sovereignty.

“Destruction and damage have occurred, yet ultimately, no one takes responsibility because the blame falls on AI.

“I have repeatedly stressed that we need to establish ethical guidelines for dealing with AI before rushing to adopt and integrate the technology into our lives,” he said.

Review taxation framework

Meanwhile, Amirudin called for a broader review of the country’s taxation system to ensure sustainable government revenue for development and subsidies.

The Selangor menteri besar said the government needed to examine how a more effective taxation system could generate revenue to be channelled back to the people.

“This is a serious fiscal issue that must be considered to ensure sustainable national revenue, which can then be channelled back to the people in the form of development and subsidies,” he said.

Without reforms, he warned, successive governments would remain financially constrained and continue relying on government-linked investment companies (GLICs) to help fund development.

“Some have proposed reintroducing the Goods and Services Tax, while others have suggested reviewing subsidies or the Sales and Service Tax. However, the broader taxation framework must be considered, alongside the need to identify appropriate revenue sources for the country,” he said.