The new government should move to prevent any political party from holding a majority stake in any media organisation, said the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ).

NUJ president Mohd Taufek Razak told Malaysiakini that the proposal was one out of four which he submitted during a meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

"We are asking the government to come up with a regulation so that a political party will not be able to 'control' a media organisation.

"The intention (of this proposal) is so that media organisations will be fully managed by the media (owners) themselves," said Taufek when contacted after the meeting held at Ilham Tower in Kuala Lumpur. 

Taufek argued that a more independent media would also translate to a better future for its staff as their "survival" would depend on the company's business strategy rather than a political party's fate.

At present, Taufek noted that the government could move against Umno and MCA as majority stakeholders in Utusan Malaysia as well as The Star.

"They (parties) can hold shares but our recommendation is for them to only have a minority stake," he added. 

'Set up media council'

During the meeting, Taufek (below) said he also reiterated calls by various local media groups for the government to set-up an independent media council.

"In the event of any mistakes are made by any media, they can be called before the media council in order to resolve the issue," he explained.

He added that this must be done together with the repeal or amendment of existing laws including the Printings Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).

In terms of its members, Taufek said he had proposed for it to comprise NUJ representatives, local media groups such as the Institute of Journalists and Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm), the Bar Council, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) representatives, academicians, as well as editors from all major media organisations.

The idea to set-up an independent media council in Malaysia has long been debated but it is finally close to becoming a reality after newly minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo stated today that his ministry is in the midst of drafting a proposal on the matter, to be discussed in Cabinet in two week’s time.

Under the new Pakatan Harapan government, Gobind also pledged greater media freedom and to repeal or amend repressive laws, including the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 and the PPPA.

On the role of the NUJ, Taufek said he had recommended to the council that the latter be recognised as a "media centre" to provide training for new journalism recruits.

"At least when they (recruits) officially start working, they would already be trained in areas including journalism ethics," he explained.

The 30-minute meeting today was attended by council members - former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas president Mohd Hassan Merican, economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram and a representative of business tycoon Robert Kuok.