PKR MP calls on govt to cease media pressure, push ahead with media council
Expressing concern over perceived pressure on the press of late, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil has called on the government to cease such actions and to act swiftly to assure the media of its freedom.
In a statement, the PKR lawmaker (above) stressed that the media must be able to play its role by reporting freely. However, they “should not be free to report false or invalid news”...
Expressing concern over perceived pressure on the press of late, Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil has called on the government to cease such actions and to act swiftly to assure the media of its freedom.
In a statement, the PKR lawmaker (above) stressed that the media must be able to play its role by reporting freely.
However, he added, they “should not be free to report false or invalid news”.
“I regret the action in pressuring media personnel, including the recent (matter) involving Al Jazeera.
“[...] This check-and-balance requires not only the government to understand the role of the media in monitoring the administrations, (and) ethical media, but also the people who can evaluate information presented by the government and media.
“I urge (Communications and Multimedia Minister) Saifuddin Abdullah to act swiftly to assure reporters, editors and other media personnel that the government of the day is not anti-media or anti-freedom of speech, as well as give its commitment to immediately cease acts pressuring the media,” Fahmi said in the statement, uploaded on Facebook.
He also urged Saifuddin (below) to push forward with the media council, which formation remained uncertain with the installation of the new federal government.
This would allow issues surrounding the press to be systematically worked on, without affecting the perception held by international media and without turning local media into the government’s “yes men (pak turut)”.
“Minister must speedily meet with the pro-tem committee... failure to do so would mean he and the government are no longer committed to the principles of free media,” he said.
The media council pro-tem committee was set up under the former Pakatan Harapan government of which Saifuddin had been a part of prior to its collapse, fulfilling a promise as stated in the Harapan manifesto to set up a media council.
The committee, headed by Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran (pictured, far right), had worked on a draft bill since then.
The lawmaker’s statement came following government probe into the recently aired Al Jazeera’s 101 East documentary "Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” on the handling of migrants in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 25-minute report highlighted the alleged cramped conditions under which migrants were housed following the crackdown by authorities on undocumented migrants.
During the segment, the reporter questioned if the crackdown was the “practical reality of dealing with the pandemic or is it racism?”
However, the international news agency further claimed that requests for responses by Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin, and their deputies for comments were not entertained.
The allegations of racism and mistreatment have since been denied by the authorities, including Ismail, Hamzah and Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.
Prior to this, several media personnel have also been called in for questioning over their reporting and postings, including health news site CodeBlue editor-in-chief Boo Su-Lyn and South China Morning Post reporter Tashny Sukumaran.
Boo (below) was questioned over her coverage on findings from an independent inquiry into the 2016 Johor Bahru's Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) fire.
Tashny, meanwhile, was called in over tweets she posted when reporting on the May 1 immigration raid at Selangor Mansion in Kuala Lumpur. Her case was later classified as no further action.
According to Fahmi further, the actions taken by the new Perikatan Nasional government against the media could cause the country to slip in the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) press freedom rankings.
