The National Union of Journalists yesterday resolved to take an active role in the campaign for the setting up of a self-regulatory media council.

NUJ president Norila Mohd Daud said today that delegates at the biennial conference had agreed for the union to take greater initiative and play a bigger role in the proposed media council.

However, due to time constraints, the meeting was unable to discuss plans on how the union would inform members of its role in the media council, should one be set up.

"We still have not discussed this, so we have to set a meeting later. We just had the conference yesterday, so we need a rest before we do this," said Norila when contacted.

She declined to provide a date for the proposed meeting, saying only that it would be arranged sometime "around the corner".

NUJ to work alone

It is learnt, however, that delegates had given the union exco a deadline to reveal its proposals by the end of next month.

"We want the NUJ to organise something along the lines of a seminar by October," said a delegate who declined to be named.

Norila also said the NUJ was likely to be working on the media council issues on its own as it was unaware of related initiatives taken by other groupings.

"We are only working on the NUJ platform as the NUJ is the only recognised body (to represent journalists)," she said.

She said there was presently no link between the work of the NUJ and that being carried out by Inisiatif Wartawan, a journalists' collective, as the latter "had not informed the union" of its activities.

"We don't know anything about the group. For all we know, they secretly went to journalists for support," Norila said when asked why the two groups were not working together on the matter.

However, a spokesperson for Inisiatif Wartawan clarified that work in relation to the proposed media council had been carried out openly in various newsrooms, and that the union's representatives and members would have been aware of this.

"Details of the grouping and current projects were discussed at a meeting of media and civil society organisations in mid-August, at which an NUJ representative was present. We invited the union to join in our activities," the spokesperson said, when contacted.

Inisiatif Wartawan carried out an awareness campaign toward a voluntary and independent media council and repeal of the annual licensing provision of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. The two-month campaign ended in August.

No contest

Norila also said the delegates had agreed to continue working for the repeal of the PPPA and the Official Secrets Act.

"[Ever] since the union was set up, the NUJ has been continuously working for the repeal of these laws. The issues were discussed at the conference, but we have not decided on any [specific] campaigns," she said.

Other resolutions that were passed called for the NUJ to review its constitution and to provide more funds to train members on trade unionism and collective bargaining.

However, delegates to the conference rejected a motion by the New Straits Times branch to set up a 'Journalists' Defence Fund' in view of escalating costs incurred in union management and legal developments involving members.

The union's national elections were carried out last week. Hong Boon How of The Star was returned to his post as general secretary for a third term after winning 687 of 909 votes.

Hong's contender, S Ramaguru, also from The Star , obtained 163 votes while 59 votes were spoilt.

Incumbents Norila from Utusan Malaysia (president), Rupa Damodaran from New Straits Times and Chin Sung Chew from Sin Chew Jit Poh (vice-presidents) and Tauhid @ Hayat Sueet from

Utusan Malaysia (general treasurer) were returned uncontested.

The new committee members are deputy general secretary Ang Chia Ling from

Nanyang Siang Pau and deputy general treasurer Habhajan Singh from the New Straits Times .