PARLIAMENT | The Communications and Multimedia Ministry has formed a task force to scrutinise a Malaysian Media Council Bill drafted and submitted by a pro-tem committee comprising industry stakeholders.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa in a written reply to Gobind Singh Deo (Harapan-Puchong) said the task force was formed to finalise several related policy matters.
"After a series of discussions, the task force has identified several policy matters involving the purview of other ministries.
"Therefore, the ministry will hold engagement sessions with stakeholders to get further feedback on the draft bill, before it can be finalised," said Annuar.
The pro-tem committee was formed in January 2020 during Gobind's tenure as communications and multimedia minister, led by former Malaysiakini CEO Premesh Chandran.
As a self-regulating body for the media industry, Gobind at the time said the council - modelled after existing bodies around the region and beyond - would also be empowered to act on public complaints against the media.
At the time it was decided that the 17-member committee would examine matters including whether existing media laws should be abolished or amended when the council is set up.
Annuar said further scrutiny was needed to ensure that the Malaysian Media Council - if formed in the future - will complement existing laws.
"Aside from that, the impact of its implementation must also take into account safeguarding aspects of national sovereignty, security and harmony, in line with the current scenario," he added. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.