KUALA LUMPUR – The Community Communications Department (J-Kom) will remain under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) purview until further notice, according to Communication and Digital Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching (Kulai-PH).
In her reply to Lim Lip Eng (Kepong-PH) at the Dewan Rakyat today, Teo said the decision to put the department under the Prime Minister’s Office’s purview was made in 2021, when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was the prime minister.
“However, if in the future, the Prime Minister’s Office wants to put J-Kom under the Communication and Digital Ministry’s purview, then we’ll do so accordingly,” she said.
On November 22, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Pasir Mas-PN) suggested that the government appoint somebody qualified and credible to lead the department or scrap it all together.
Ahmad Fadhli made the call following a video call scandal that surfaced on November 17, involving former J-Kom director-general Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff and J-Kom assistant officer Abdul Wahab Abdul Kadir Jilani.
Meanwhile, Bersatu MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor-PN) also suggested that J-Kom be placed under the Communications and Digital Ministry’s purview, since he deemed that the department has failed to carry out its function.
Wan Saiful said that such a move would ensure that the department can more efficiently and effectively perform its duties, also referencing the alleged scandal between Agus and Wahab, dubbed ‘A&W’. – November 27, 2023