Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) today invited the media to set up a regular plan of action for the two to work together towards greater press freedom.

Suhakam commissioner Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan who accepted a memorandum submitted by a group of journalists calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day, said the commission is committed to finding out ways to increase press freedom as it is well aware of the restrictions faced by journalists here.

The media, whose role it is to be a watchdog, has instead become a lapdog. There was [once] creativity in the media in their coverage but this has been affected by media laws, he said in reference to the culture of self-censorship made prevalent by the fear of running afoul of press laws.

Hamdan conceded that the PPPA allows too much power to the home affairs minister to close down any media deemed unsatisfactory.

Sadly there is also no need for these cases to go to court. This in itself is in violation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and should be a reference to Suhakam itself, he added.

Article 19 states that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.

With regards to other initiatives to increase press freedom, Hamdan said there is no point for a media council if it is not allowed to be independent.

In addition, he suggested that the media and Suhakam should consider setting up a special committee to monitor press freedom in the country while promoting it.

Hamdan also said it is important for such an initiative to highlight that the media has a role to play in promoting human rights culture.

Enabling environment

In the memorandum submitted to Suhakam today, some 1,000 journalists from the traditional and new media, urged Suhakam to create an enabling environment for media freedom, which is consistent with provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of expression and the right to information.

On May 3, 1999, the home affairs minister was presented with this memorandum, signed by 581 reporters and editors, which called for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

In April 2000, the minister was presented with the signatures of another 370 journalists who had endorsed the memorandum, read the three-page document.

The journalists suggested self-regulation, in the form of an independent media council, as an alternative to the licensing provision under the Act that has resulted in self-censorship being practised in most editorial floors.

We continue to reject statutory control of the media and we urge the commission to intervene to ensure that any media council or media complaints commission that is set up is an independent body that does not serve to further muzzle the media.

Suhakam has been asked to intervene as no action has been taken since the memorandum was submitted three years ago.

In the interests of building an informed democracy, we urge the commission to recommend to the government to repeal all laws, rules and regulations which restrict freedom of expression and the right to information, and that a Freedom of Information Act be put in place.

Educate the public

Earlier, a panel representing the Journalists Initiative spoke briefly on the restrictions faced by journalists due to the PPPA.

The Star journalist Shaila Koshy said it is the watchdog role that the media should play had raised the hackles of bureaucrats who are concerned that the press will highlight issues relating to corruption and inefficiency.

The public has forgotten that their only means to information is via the press. They seem to forget that projects run on public money, and therefore, they need access to information to expose the shortcomings and corruption in the government, she said.

As such, the burden is now on Suhakam to be more vigorous in educating the public of their rights to information and to remind the government to hold to its promises, said Shaila.

According to another journalist, Padma Padmaja, Suhakam should also be responsible for ensuring that the government keeps to its international commitments.

Padma was referring to the endorsement by Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of the Coolum Declaration which upholds the freedom of expression as a principle.

The declaration was signed during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Australia in March.

The panel also included former Nanyang Siang Pau journalist Chou Z Lam who stressed that the takeover of the Chinese daily by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) last year had led to a clear erosion of editorial independence.

Before the takeover, the Chinese press had enjoyed relative freedom compared to other newspapers but now Chinese readers are denied their right to information on important issues affecting the community, such as the Damansara school issue, vision school concept and Nipah virus issue, said Chou.

Some 40 journalists were present at Suhakams office in Kuala Lumpur this morning to witness the handover of the memorandum.