Repeal PPPA, don’t extend it to online news portals, govt told

 

Academic Gayathry S Venkiteswaran (left) called for the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 to be repealed, while CIJ director Wathshlah G Naidu urged the government to expedite the formation of a media council.

PETALING JAYA: The government should repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) instead of extending its provisions to online news portals, says an academic.

Gayathry S Venkiteswaran, an assistant professor on communications at Nottingham University Malaysia, said expanding the PPPA’s purview would further strengthen the state’s control over the media.

She said “legalised censorship” under PPPA would not only hinder the media’s freedom of reporting but could also impede design and creativity.

“We should be enhancing the rights and freedoms of the media, not further curtailing them.

“Malaysia already has a highly regulated media environment that is politically influenced. Any additions to regulation or licensing will only increase the risks faced by media and information providers,” Gayathry told FMT.

She cited the Sedition Act, the Penal Code, and the Communications and Multimedia Act as existing laws that already imposed constraints on media freedom and expression.

Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that government stakeholders were considering expanding the PPPA to online media, citing a home ministry report on public consultations on proposed changes to the law.

The ministry’s report said the publishing industry had “evolved” with technological changes, presenting bigger “challenges” for the government to control publications with non-printed content widely available online.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) reportedly said it agreed with this as it currently did not regulate news portals.

However, this was opposed by news editors from Bernama, RTM, Makkal Osai, New Straits Times and Sinar Harian, who suggested that the government focus on setting up a media council.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said the PPPA provisions would be redundant with the existence of a media council.

CIJ director Wathshlah G Naidu believed the only thing the government needed to hold newsrooms accountable was to prevent disinformation and defamation.

Wathshlah said there were many overlapping provisions under different laws which could be harmonised to ensure media freedom was not abused.

“This would remove the arbitrary powers of the minister, as charges under the Penal Code will have to abide by strict criminal procedures and decisions made by the judiciary through a more effective natural justice process,” she said.

She also urged Putrajaya to move forward with establishing a self-regulated media council, saying it would promote transparency, accountability, and professionalism, thus ensuring a responsible press free from government interference. - FMT