KUALA LUMPUR – Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil has defended enforcement actions by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) against a local website.
While he has not been briefed by the commission on the matter, Fahmi said all action taken by MCMC, including its call for MalaysiaNow to amend or take down its articles, is within legal boundaries.
“I believe whatever MCMC does is within the boundaries of the law. They don’t refer every (issue) to me before taking action.
“In fact, sometimes (MCMC’s enforcement actions) are in collaboration with police investigations or complaints received from the public,” the minister said during a press conference after launching the Malaysian Digital Expo 2023 here today.
Commenting on criticism from a group of veteran journalists over MCMC’s actions, Fahmi said he “respects the views of all journalists, whether veteran or junior”.
“Press freedom is something that is very important to the government. At the same time, being factually correct is also very important.
“Sometimes, in our pursuit of news, it is not only important to be the first (to get the news out), but also to be factually accurate.”
In addition, the Lembah Pantai MP said his ministry is aiming to table the Malaysian Media Council Bill in Parliament sometime next year.
“For the deputy minister (Teo Nie Ching) and myself, we believe that perhaps the Malaysian Media Council will be a good avenue to mitigate, discuss and resolve a number of issues.
“We hope that by next year we can bring the Bill to Parliament and pass the law so media organisations can have their internal monitoring (mechanism).”
Yesterday, a group of senior journalists had taken MCMC to task for allegedly pinning the blame on MalaysiaNow over its reports relating to the ruckus in Parliament on September 19 when the opposition staged a walkout after Bersatu’s Putrajaya MP Datuk Radzi Jidin took offence with a statement from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The criticism came after MCMC said the articles in question had reported parliamentary proceedings out of context with the intent to “spread hatred or incite provocation”.
Previously, MCMC had called for cooperation from news outlets and individuals in contributing to a more informed and balanced public discourse devoid of misleading information and manipulation. – September 25, 2023