The people of Malaysia will be confused and the country in chaos if all the laws relating to the media are abolished, according to some media specialists.

They said slander, libel and antipathy would be the order of the day if there were no laws to restrain disemmination of information, journalism ethics would cease to be meaningful and foreign agents with malicious intent towards the country would have unbridled control over the mass media.

NONE Hence, said Malaysian Press Institute chief executive officer Chamil Wariya ( right ), the opposition’s promise in its manifesto to abolish media laws was not practical.

“Laws are crucial to support national aspirations including those that are definitive and not to gag the mass media, and they have moulded Malaysia into a country that is orderly and harmonious, peaceful and prosperous,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur recently.

“Even the United States, Europe and Britain have their laws. The British government wants to establish a new legal system to ensure that the media do not abuse their freedom,” he said.

He said there must necessarily be press freedom in the country, as contained in the federal constitution, but it must not threaten security, peace and tolerance in a plural society.

“Article 10 in the federal constitution does provide for freedom of expression but it is restrictions where it concerns the country’s stability and peace... so what’s the logic if there are no laws,” asked Chamil, who has been in the journalism field since 1971.

He said the mass media in Malaysia enjoyed press freedom, for if they did not, there would not be any news portals, blogs, opposition newspapers which were mainly critical of the government’s efforts to prosper the people.

Chamil regards the opposition’s pledges (to away with press laws) a gimmick as the government had for instance, already revised the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 by abolishing the compulsory annual press licence renewal requirement.

The opposition, he said, refused to recognise positive developments in the mass media industry through the various amendments and they never tired of attacking the government and mainstream media which they had failed to influence with their propaganda and antipathy.

Chamil said the opposition were now giving sweet promises to abolish the Acts which they claimed gagged press freedom as stated in their manifesto, but they themselves had ignored the mainstream media and instituted legal actions “here and there”.

More gravely, he said, the opposition-ruled states themselves did not practise press freedom, as getting information from them was a “tough call”.

“In Selangor the state government offices are prohibited from subscribing to mainstream newspapers... this is also a form of media gag by the opposition themselves... prove first that they have not silenced the press in the states they rule,” he said.

NONE Utusan Malaysia assistant editor-in-chief Zaini Hassan ( left ) looked at the proposed media law abolishment in the opposition’s manifesto as a laughing matter.

“We are facing various legal actions, restrictions on the freedom of journalists to move, to do coverage, obtain information in press conferences... Does this not raise a question as to what they really mean by press freedom?” he asked.

According to him, press freedom had existed, “since the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was introduced in 1998, especially with regard to the social media”.

‘Media freedom in the country far wider’

He said the media freedom in the country was far wider when compared with other developed nations.

“Singapore and China also have their restrictions, but this does not happen in Malaysia... we should be thankful. Unfortunately the opposition usually resort to the social media to attack and take legal action when they are unhappy with the facts published about them.

“As we observed, they also constantly condemn the present government but the latter has not retaliated, as they had done. So my question is, what are their designs?” said Zaini, who has been involved in journalism for 25 years.

Expressing regret over the opposition’s attitude, he stressed that criticism was one of the components in journalism and it should be accepted with an open mind by all parties.

“If we cannot even criticise then I dont know what model they would follow if they governed the country,” he said.

He said the manifold pledges in the opposition’s manifesto had not been implemented because they were merely empty promises to win votes and sympathy.

Asked on the opposition’s legal counterblasts against Utusan Malaysia, he replied “too many, almost totalling RM1 billion as one legal suit involved RM30 million to RM40 million... they know that newspapers are very influential. that’s why they sue”.

Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Media Studies and Communications senior lecturer Dr Siti Zabedah Mohd Shariff said the media must be subject to certain limitations for the good of the country and society.

“We cannot publish news without ‘gatekeepers’ because some of the news could undermine unity among the races. So what is promised by the opposition will probably not become a reality.

“If the opposition rule, surely they would not like the society to go against them,” she said, citing a number of organisations such as Unesco and the United Nations which also have their respective guidelines for the media.

- Bernama