KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai has been reappointed as chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Board of Governors.
At the same time, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid was appointed as the new president of the news agency’s Supervisory Council.
Their appointments, effective September 1 2025, to August 31 2027, were made with the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
Wong, 64, a prominent media figure and National Journalism Laureate, was first appointed as Bernama Chairman on September 1, 2023.
He has over 40 years of experience in the media industry and has served as a member of the news agency’s Board of Governors from 2004 to 2010 and its Supervisory Council from 2010 to 2014.
The Penang-born Wong graduated from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), where he studied political science and history in 1984.
Wong has also served as an adjunct professor at the Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and is currently an adjunct professor of media at UKM’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.
He has also undergone leadership and financial courses in various prestigious universities in the United States, including the University of Southern California and the University of Stanford.
In 2003, Wong won the prestigious Best Journalist Award for news features from the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) for his investigative article on Malaysian terrorists and their arms training in Afghanistan.
In the same year, Asia Inc., a regional business magazine, named him in a list of Asia’s top 50 young movers and shakers.
He was also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Media Industry by the World Chinese Economic Forum in Chongqing, China, in 2014, and won the media leader title in 2015 from McMillan Woods, a renowned accounting firm.
The Board of Governors, made up of one Chairperson and 20 members representing both the government and Bernama’s media clients, is tasked with overseeing policy implementation and agency procedures.
The Board is also responsible for fulfilling Bernama’s mission, which includes seeking and delivering comprehensive, objective, and fair news on matters of public and national interest, both domestically and internationally.
Meanwhile, Azhar replaces Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin, also a High Court Judge whose term ended on August 31.
Azhar, 61, holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
A native of Batu Pahat, Johor, Azhar began his judicial career in 1989 as a Magistrate in Pahang before being appointed Senior Assistant Registrar of the Temerloh High Court.
He has held a number of key legal and administrative roles, including deputy public prosecutor at the Kuala Lumpur Prosecution Unit, General Manager of the Legal Division at the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Head of the Prosecution Unit in Kedah, State Legal Advisor for Terengganu, and Head of Prosecution and Appeals Division at the Attorney General’s Chambers and State Legal Advisor for Terengganu.
The Supervisory Council, comprising five members in total, is responsible for ensuring that Bernama consistently complies with the Bernama Act 1967 in carrying out its objectives and roles. — October 8, 2025