Despite the recent nation’s ‘openness’ to freedom of information, Malaysia has failed to get out of the ‘not free’ status as it is still placed 141st sharing the spot with Cameroon and Liberia compared to 150th last year.

According to Freedom House survey report on Global Media released on April 29, the country has ranked for four consecutive years among the world's bottom 30 per cent countries in respecting press freedom.

This year's survey also indicated that press freedom declines outnumbered advances two to one last year, with declines seen in authoritarian countries and established democracies, including Malaysia.

dap study book launching 070507 wong chin huat Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) chairperson Wong Chin Huat described this development as “shameful” and immediately called for efforts to be made on media freedom.

“We stress that media freedom must be made among the top priority in the post-March 8 democratisation agenda”, he said today.

“Ironically, such ranking emerged despite Malaysia voted in 2004 a prime minister who pledged ‘listening to the truth’ with a 64 per cent electoral mandate and a 91 per cent parliamentary majority,” he added.

In the latest ranking of 195 countries, Malaysia is placed behind East Timor and Mongolia in the Asia Pacific region.

The rank was analysed from three different environments - legal, political, and economic which Malaysia scored 65 points that made it fall under ‘not free’ status.

The report stated that the constitution that provides the citizens with “the right to freedom of speech and expression” comes with limitations.

Freedom House noted that the 1984 Printing Presses and Publications Act requires all publishers and printing firms to obtain an annual permit and gives the prime minister the authority to revoke licenses at any time without judicial review.

The freedom restriction however does not end there. The report indicated that the 1988 Broadcasting Act allows the information minister to decide who can own a broadcast station and the type of television service suitable for the Malaysian public.

This also comes with Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act, and harsh criminal defamation legislation used to impose restrictions on the press and other critics where they are all punishable by several years in prison.

Media law reform

Following the release, Wong suggested a parliamentary select committee will be the best vehicle for deliberation of the nation’s press and that media law reform must be decided through dialogues and consultations.

“A road map and a time table for media law reform must be decided involving the Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Rakyat and the civil society”.

world press freedom day 2006 The reform must also remove the threat to journalists and the barriers of entry in media industry laid by the draconian PPPA, he added.

Clearly disappointed, Wong said Malaysia is constantly behind her poorer neighbours like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) tomorrow, he called upon the prime minister to announce the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee and the plan to enact a Freedom of Information Act.

“Such announcement would be the best WPFD present for this year,” he added.

The survey, released annually since 1980, assess the degree of press freedom in every country in the world, saw Iceland and Finland grabbed the top spot while North Korea held the bottom.