BANGI – Former Community Communications (J-Kom) Department director-general Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff said he ensured the agency served the government and not political parties.
Defending his performance at the department following criticism of its ineffectiveness, Agus said he judged his work based on the changes he had made during his short, nine-month stint, which ended yesterday when his resignation was confirmed.
“(Under my watch), J-Kom was a tool for the government. Some understand J-Kom as a party tool,” he told reporters in Bandar Baru Bangi last night.
“All you reporters do not understand the role of J-Kom and strategic communications. That is the biggest problem I face,” he said at the press conference to address his resignation following a viral clip of him in a video call purportedly making lewd remarks to a junior J-Kom staffer.
Agus said that his task of answering media queries was not the actual role of J-Kom.
“Differentiate strategic communications and J-Kom first, and only then will you understand the challenges I face,” said the former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) professor.
Agus added that he had organised programmes to educate the people about politics and the government’s policies, as well as to help them understand patriotism, nationality, and the current administration’s “Madani” slogan and framework.
Even if he was seen as underperforming, Agus said he found gratification in helping the people and promoting unity through his role at J-Kom.
However, Agus said that while he was happy with the job, he faced pressure from quarters who perceived him as unfit for the role.
“I know when I accepted this role, people’s expectations were high for J-Kom.
“I tried to truly make J-Kom a part of government machinery. Some agreed, some didn’t – that is normal when leading an organisation.”
“Whatever criticism or comments were made about J-Kom under my leadership at the time, I faced them with an open heart,” he added.
Agus was appointed by the unity government as J-Kom director-general at the Prime Minister’s Office in February. The department was previously known as the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) before it was rebranded as J-Kom in 2020.
During the Barisan Nasional (BN) era in the federal government, Jasa was said to have functioned as its propaganda unit, helmed by figures who were from the BN linchpin, Umno.
J-Kom’s rebranding was aimed at creating two-way communication between the government and the people by channelling accurate, authentic, and reliable information to the masses.
Agus has been facing criticism for leading J-Kom ineffectively, and opposition lawmakers have called for its disbandment to save RM13 million in budget allocations.
In the midst of this, the clip of his video call went viral earlier this week, followed by his resignation on Thursday.
Agus last night maintained that he has plans to seek a new career path and wanted to resign from J-Kom with a “soft landing”, even before the clip emerged.
He said while the video call with a J-Kom assistant officer, Abdul Wahab Abdul Kadir Jilani, did take place, the conversation in the clip was not what they spoke about as it had been manipulated.
Wahab, meanwhile, admitted that he had been “used” by another J-Kom official he called “Mr H” to record the video call as entrapment. Wahab, too, denied the conversation, which he said was fabricated by “irresponsible parties” seeking to tarnish Agus’ reputation.
In his previous career at UKM, Agus taught at the School of History, Politics, and Strategy Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, besides publishing numerous papers analysing Malaysian politics and was frequently sought after by the media for his observations.
Yesterday, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil confirmed his resignation from J-Kom, saying that a replacement would be found soon. – November 18, 2023