World Press Freedom Day on May 3, has been celebrated worldwide since 1993 to highlight our right to freedom of expression.

Ironically, last year, Malaysia marked the day with the conviction of Harakah editor Zulkifli Sulong for sedition. And there has been little to celebrate this year's event too, despite a new leader at the helm.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in his first few months in power, has been dishing out one policy announcement after another - from declaring war against corruption to overhauling the education system. But press freedom is definitely not on his menu for reforms.

Abdullah has squandered two golden opportunities to state his stand on press freedom.

Three months after he took over from his ex-boss Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he was the keynote speaker at the Agenda Asia Conference organised by the Asian News Network - a coalition of 14 media organisations including The Star and the Sin Chew Daily from Malaysia.

In the presence of top editors from the region, Abdullah spoke at length about good governance - but nothing about press freedom.

And last month, Abdullah was at the Asia Media Summit, also held in Kuala Lumpur, to launch the event. He spoke fervently about the challenges of multicultural societies , but then again, not a word on press freedom.

Clearly, he has been a disappointment.

Double-edged sword

His spin-doctors argue that Malaysians are not quite ready for press freedom, that a free media would unleash racial riots in the streets, and that journalists could work against national interests.

But past incidences show that media censorship is not really aimed at protecting national security. Rather, it is there to protect the security of those in power.

Journalists are well aware that with freedom comes responsibility. The power we have is a double-edged sword - we can either slash down on graft or sell our souls to the highest bidder.

Which is why there must be a code of ethics that journalists should adhere to. A year ago, the Malaysian Press Institute - an organisation made-up of media owners and editors - drew up a detailed code of professional conduct for a proposed media council.

It states that journalists 'should not publish or present among editorial material something that is not motivated by journalism'. Given the close nexus between media organisations and big businesses in our country, the need to abide by this precept is clear.

The code also spells out the rules of reportage, editorial comment, concerns of privacy, use of pictures and sound, and methods of gathering information.

While the media council idea has since hit a brick wall - no loss as it will be yet another layer of control unless repressive laws are repealed - there is no reason why media organisations cannot put the code into practice, now.

Suhakam ignored

But what about Abdullah? What can he do?

We don't expect him to force the ruling parties to divest their shares in media companies. After all, if asked to so, they can easily transfer their stakes to proxies. But the least he can do is to stop molly-coddling party-controlled media by allowing others to compete against them.

He need not listen to us - those who campaign for press freedom. After all, we are often dismissed as rabble-rousers and the like. But he can and should dust off one of the many Suhakam reports sitting on his shelves.

The Malaysian human rights organisation last year recommended that publication licences be approved as a rule, and that laws affecting press freedom be reviewed. It also called for the enactment of a freedom of information act.

While we believe that such recommendations do not go far enough, surely the government should be more amenable to suggestions from an organisation which it itself set up.

But even Suhakam recommendations over the past five years - including those on press freedom - have been invariably rebuffed by the government.

Press freedom aside, Abdullah, not surprisingly, has fallen short on many of his promises.

Take for example his vow that his new cabinet would not include those tainted by allegations of corruption. Or his claim that all government contracts will be determined by an open tender system, with the exception of 'special cases'. But indications are that these 'special cases' are to be the rule when it comes to the awarding of government contracts.

As part of his new policy, Abdullah said he intends to issue report cards on the performance of his ruling coalition's members in parliament. Perhaps, Malaysians too, should issue the PM a report card.

The above has been compiled from a speech given at a forum, 'Testing the limits', organised by the National Union of Journalists in Kuala Lumpur on May 5 to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.