LETTER | We refer to remarks made the Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, who had reportedly said that a proposal on the formation of a media council in Malaysia could be presented to the cabinet in the next two weeks.

While we laud the swift move by the new government to reiterate its commitment for press freedom and also push for the formation of a media council, we would like to remind and urge the ministry that any such proposal should be drawn up with active consultation with the stakeholders, including media groups.

The Institute of Journalists Malaysia had repeatedly called for the formation of a media council in Malaysia to minimise government interference in the operation of media entities in the country, but we would like to stress that the media council structure must be one of self-regulation.

The idea of a media or press council is to allow the media industry to regulate itself without government interference, and any alternative structure that does not guarantee such freedom and self-regulation would be counterproductive for its intended purpose.

Earlier this year, the Wan-IFRA Media Freedom Committee of Malaysia organised a roundtable with media editors, who subsequently agreed to form a Press Ombudsman in Malaysia.

While forming a council would be a much larger step forward for the media here, the notes, ideas and challenges that were relayed in such discussions should also be taken into consideration by the government before it proposes any framework for the council.

A self-regulating media council can only function effectively if the framework is drawn by media stakeholders themselves - from publishers, editors and journalists.

We hope the ministry will conduct engagement sessions with media groups in the coming weeks and look forward to working with the ministry in making the media council formation a reality.

THE INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISTS MALAYSIA (IoJM) is a professional organisation representing journalists in Malaysia.

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