Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim has called upon private television and radio stations to change by putting national interest above commercial value.

rais yatim interview 160409 02 He told Bernama today that he would be meeting the management of private TV and radio stations soon to bring about changes as they had failed to deliver the government's aspirations resulting in the BN’s poor performance at the general election last year.

"People will not blame the private TV and radio stations if they had complied with the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

"This will not arise if the Act is followed. There are stations that do not carry messages good for nation-building," he told reporters after a cultural function at Simpang Pertang near Jelebu today.

Rais, however, said he did not totally blame the media as they had been very helpful to BN over the years, adding that the changes to be made by the private TV and radio stations would not affect them commercially.

"I will be looking at the role of television and radio stations in nation-building. There are 34 radio stations under the government,” he told Bernama.

New restrictions on TV stations

Asked about the decision to return the Bahasa Malaysia news on RTM1 to its 8pm primetime slot, Rais said it was done after a lot of complaints were received when it was shifted to 9pm.

The new minister's message came in the wake of a Malaysiakini report that four private TV stations have been told by their top management to restrict their news coverage of the controversial Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

The TV stations have been ordered not to name political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who was Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s close confidant, when reporting on the grisly murder case.

The television stations were also ordered not to show visuals of Razak Baginda in previous trials and after his release.

It is learnt that the management of Media Prima Bhd - the owner of the four TV stations - had issued a directive on the matter last week.

Unhappy with change of news slots

Meanwhile in a related matter, the decision by RTM to change the time of its news programming has come under fire from several quarters, especially from the viewers of the Mandarin and Tamil news broadcast.

Under the revamped schedule effective tomorrow, Mandarin news will be aired at 6.30pm instead of the popular slot of 8pm. As for the Tamil news broadcast, the 30-minute bulletin will now be at 6pm instead of 7.30pm. National prime news in Bahasa Malaysia will be aired on TV1 at 8pm.

vell paari vellpaari MIC Youth wing advisor S Vell Paari told malaysiakini that the youth wing will be submitting a memorandum to Rais soon, asking the minister to put back the Tamil news at its original 7.30pm slot.

"It is pointless to have the news bulletin at 6pm. Many people will still be rushing back from work at this time. How can they watch news at that time?" he asked.

"If the whole point is just to show everyone that RTM is also broadcasting Tamil news, then it is futile for us to ask them for anything. They might as well show it at any odd hour," he said.

"However if they are really interested in ensuring the Indian community get their daily dose of news in Tamil, then the news bulletin must be showed at a time when most of them can watch it," he added.

He also said that MIC secretary-general and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam has raised the matter with Rais.

Similarly Malaysian Indian United Party president KS Nallakaruppan also urged the information ministry to slot back the Tamil news at its original slot to that "more people will have access to the news".

"The government must be seen as doing more for the Indian community. It should not be making them to feel as though the government is ignoring them," he said.

Chinese community leaders have also expressed disappointment with the change in time of the Mandarin news bulletin.