KUALA LUMPUR – The government will not abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA), said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He also said the ministry has no objections to having a media council to self-govern the industry, dismissing allegations that his ministry was against its creation.
“In principle, the ministry has no objections (to the media council). When it is established, we just want to see if there is an overlap with the enforcement and regulation roles, as we have our own. We just want to see where we can harmonise this.
“Are we moving towards (abolishing the PPPA)? No. Will it have amendments? Only minor matters, such as the quantum of compounds, are on our radar.
“The amendments are not to control online media, but it is a matter of compounds,” Saifuddin told a press conference at the ministry today.
Calls for the PPPA’s repeal have been made by media advocacy groups as part of establishing a media council to self-govern local journalism.
The law has been used oppressively in the past by previous administrations to silence media which have reported critically, by either suspending or revoking their publishing permits.
It also grants the Home Ministry discretion to restrict or ban publications that could endanger national security interests or create social unrest.
The bill on the creation of a media council is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon.
Media advocacy groups have previously warned that the media council’s formation would be futile if the PPPA is still in effect.
They said it would defeat the purpose of advocating for a self-regulating council to monitor media standards if the government still had the power to exert control – such as revoking licenses, summoning those in the industry, and sending show cause letters. – March 1, 2024