The government does not have plan to set up a Press Complaints Commission aimed at exerting controls over publication and writing ethics by the print and electronic media.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum told the Dewan Rakyat this today after a backbencher said the current system did not grant sufficient protection to those 'humiliated or ridiculed' by the media.

During the question-and-answer session, Dr Rahman Ismail (BN-Gombak) asked whether the government planned to set up the commission similar to the one in the UK.

The UK's press complaints commission is an independent body which deals with complaints from the public about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines. All complaints are investigated under the editors code of practice, which binds all national and regional media.

The code - drawn up by editors themselves - covers the way in which news is gathered and reported. It also provides special protection to particularly vulnerable groups of people such as children, hospital patients and those at risk of discrimination.

Responding, Johari said the government had no plans to set up such a commission for the time being as his ministry encouraged the growth and development of the media industry.

"The print and electronic media have been encouraged to deliver their news and information in a dynamic, transparent and responsible way as long as it does not threaten public order and national security.

"The government also encouraged and made the effort to hold dialogues and meetings with media practitioners, journalist groups, publishers and printers," he added.

In a supplementary question, the Gombak MP said although he believed in press freedom, he wanted to know if the 'minority' could be protected without the commission.

"The punishments provided under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) sometimes is not equal to the humiliation faced by a person," he added

Replying, the deputy minister said there were no shortcomings in the present system as aggrieved parties can initiate legal action.

Media 'gone overboard'

In another supplementary question, Mat Yasir Ikhsan (BN-Sabak Bernam) asked who was in control of the media, which he claimed, had recently 'gone overboard' with photos and news.

"For example, the New Straits Times had an excellent story about the SPM exam results recently but at the same time there was a photo of an exposed thigh next to it.

"What was the purpose of publishing this photo?" he asked.

Johari said a guideline has been drawn-up to regulate the content of the press. For example, photos of nude people are prohibited, he added.

"If any newspaper breached the law, we would take action accordingly but I think until today there had been no problems with the news or photos published," he said.

Early last month, backbencher, Zaid Ibrahim (BN-Kota Baru) announced his plan to table a Private Member's Bill for the setting up of a press council in this parliamentary sitting.

However, he has yet to do this.

Zaid's proposal, which was silent on the restrictive PPPA, had elicited criticism .

Journalist groups have long called for the repeal of the PPPA and in return offered voluntary self-regulation via the council as an alternative governing structure for the industry.

Open and liberal

In another development, Prime Minister and Internal Security Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said his ministry never instructed for the removal of two top editors from China Press over the nude-squat scandal.

He said this in a parliamentary written reply to opposition leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor).

Lim had asked Abdullah about the actions taken against China Press , Sarawak Tribune and Guangming Daily , saying they had a 'chilling effect' on press freedom.

Sarawak Tribune and Guagming together with another paper were slapped with suspension orders for reproducing images of the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.

In his reply, Abdullah said: "The ministry practiced an open, liberal and responsible policy to ensure press freedom, in particular the print media, to be in line with the democratic principles and multi-racial social structure of Malaysia."