KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has been asked to look into a television channel’s broadcast about recommendations of job cuts in the civil service.
Communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil, who had complained about the broadcast yesterday, told reporters today: “MCMC will update me on the status (of its investigation) in the near future. We will wait for MCMC’s report on its probe.”
The investigation is into a commentary on Awesome TV broadcast on its Berita 7:57 programme.
Fahmi said in a tweet yesterday that Berita 7:57 had reported that “observers” had supposedly made recommendations to reduce the number of civil servants. He then responded: “The government strongly denies allegations that (the number of civil servants) will be reduced.”
He demanded that Awesome TV give an explanation of its actions. The channel broadcasts via Freeview and Astro.
A video clip of the broadcast posted online shows two presenters discussing the need for civil service job cuts, with one presenter saying “It’s not just that the government needs to reduce the number of civil servants, from 1.6 million to 800,000 people as reported by Berita 757 many times” while going on to suggest reductions in the wage bill.
Fahmi said today the channel had been reprimanded several times over material that breached the rules and regulations.
Awesome TV had also faced criticism in the past for reports that were allegedly racially-tinged.
He also reminded the media against publishing news that was defamatory in nature. “Media freedom does not mean the right to publish fake news or lies,” he said.
Separately, Fahmi said his ministry was looking into Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, which some claimed was opened to abuse.
On Thursday Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan of Pakatan Harapan had called for amendments, arguing that the provisions of Section 233 were so wide that it could, and had been, abused by those in power.
Section 233 criminalises online content that is “obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person”. - FMT
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