KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) has officially appointed members to its founding board, marking a major step forward in establishing the country’s first independent self-regulatory body for the media industry.
The 12-member board, announced today, comprises representatives from media owners, journalism professionals, and civil society.
It includes figures such as Phyllis Wong (Utusan Borneo), Ashwad Ismail (Astro Awani), Radzi Razak (Gerakan Media Merdeka), and Gayathry Venkiteswaran (University of Nottingham Malaysia). Premesh Chandran, co-founder of Malaysiakini, has been named interim chairperson ahead of a full board election later this year.
In a statement, the board expressed gratitude to the Communications Ministry for its support in establishing the Council, which has been decades in the making.
First proposed in the 1970s, the push to form a media council gained momentum in 2019 under then-minister Gobind Singh Deo, and was revived in 2024 under current minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and his deputy Teo Nie Ching. Parliament unanimously passed the Malaysian Media Council Act in February this year.
The Act mandates gender parity in leadership and requires at least 25% board representation from Sabah and Sarawak—milestones for media governance in the country.
The MMC will begin accepting membership applications in early August via its official website http://www.majlismedia.my, with a nominal fee of RM10. Membership is open to media owners, professionals, individuals, and organisations within the media ecosystem, as well as those representing public interest. Applications close at the end of September.
The Council’s first annual general meeting will be held on November 7 in Kuala Lumpur, where a new board will be elected and key matters such as the media code of ethics, complaints mechanism, and membership structure will be finalised.
“This Council will only succeed with active and committed participation,” said Chandran. “We call on all stakeholders to take ownership of this institution.”
Wong said the Council’s formation marked “the beginning of a collective voice for responsible journalism in Malaysia,” while Wiki Impact’s Terence Ooi described it as “a historic opportunity to rebuild trust between media and the public.”
The MMC aims to promote ethical journalism, enforce industry standards, investigate complaints, support legal reforms for press freedom, and strengthen professional development across the media sector. — July 15, 2025