Suhakam chief: Time to review laws that impinge on press freedom
The government should review all laws that curtail freedom of expression to determine if they are still applicable today, said Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairperson Abu Talib Othman.
"In these days of free flow of information and the growing concern for the observance of human rights, perhaps, the time has come for a review of all the laws affecting freedom of expression," he said, citing the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) in particular.
The PPPA prohibits, among others, any form of judicial review over its licensing provisions and the right of individuals to be heard if their publishing permits or printing licences were revoked by the Home Affairs Ministry.
Speaking at the opening of a press freedom workshop organised by Suhakam, Abu Talib said that, in addition to the PPPA, several other laws such as the Official Secrets Act 1972, the Internal Security Act 1960 and Sedition Act 1949 also restrict press freedom in the country.
"Such laws are also said to have encouraged a tendency by members of the press to engage in self-censorship.
"Even more unfortunate is the allegation by certain members of the press of severe restrictions imposed by overly cautious senior editors who lack the will to test the law to its limits," he said.
Abu Talib added that the media should also be vigilant in ensuring that freedom of expression is not used to arbitrarily attack the honour or reputation of others.
"The [Declaration and Rights and Obligations of Journalists] stresses the need to refrain from unfair methods to obtain news and, importantly, to respect the right to privacy."
Important role
The Suhakam chairperson said the media has an important role to play in enabling the right of freedom of opinion and expression to be exercised.
"The media also plays an important role in the system of checks and balances which have been put in place to ensure fair governance of society," he said.
Meeting reporters later, Abu Talib said several memorandums received by Suhakam on press freedom have not been acted upon because the memorandums asked for an action to be taken by the body.
"This is hard to do. Suhakam has no enforcement powers. We can only say what is right or wrong and whether the laws are appropriate or not and recommend it to the government," he explained.
When asked to comment on Suhakam's stand on press freedom, Abu Talib said it would be premature for him to make any comments before the conclusion of the workshop.
Resolution on press freedom
"The purpose of the workshop is to obtain the views of those directly involved with media freedom and based on the discussions, Suhakam will come up with an appropriate resolution to be handed to the authorities," he said.
In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day on May 3 this year, a group of journalists calling themselves Inisiatif Wartawan submitted a memorandum to Suhakam, urging the human rights watchdog to act on the state of media freedom. The group also gave a copy of a previous memorandum to the Home Ministry, signed by some 900 members of the press who had asked for the repeal of the PPPA.
On another development, Abu Talib confirmed that two new commissioners have been appointed to the human rights body effective July 27, increasing the total to 15.
The two new commissioners are retired Court of Appeal judge KC Vohrah and former judicial commissioner of the High Court, Ranita Mohamed Hussein.
However, both commissioners have yet to report for duty with Suhakam.
Under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999, members of Suhakam are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, on the recommendation of the prime minister.
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