PARLIAMENT | An opposition MP and a government backbencher today shared similar concerns in seeking a guarantee from Fahmi Fadzil that the re-launched Information Department media ethics code will not be used to crack down on press freedom.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) said the communications minister’s statement that the department will use the code as its basis to issue official media accreditation could open up room for government control of the media.
“The minister must recognise there are a lot of concerns surrounding the state of press freedom in our country.
“I seek the minister’s reassurance that, firstly, when the media council has been formed, it would be best for the code (by the department) to be abolished.
“Leave it (code of ethics) for the council to draft and self-regulate,” said Wan Saiful in his supplementary question to Fahmi during the Minister’s Question Time today.
The former Bersatu information chief also wants Fahmi’s assurance that the department’s decision to issue or revoke media accreditation will not be influenced by a partisan agenda.
Need to review code
Fahmi, in response, said the department had issued the first media accreditation pass in 1995 based on the original Malaysian Press Institute media ethics code drafted in 1989.
He reiterated that there was a need for the department to review the code based on consultations with various stakeholders, for example, to remove an outdated reference to threats of communism in Malaysia.
“The department issues media accreditation tags to journalists specifically to facilitate government agency’s identification that they are from recognised media organisations when covering official government events.
“Also for journalists covering parliamentary proceedings, they need an identification document, and Parliament refers to the media accreditation tag,” he said.
Meanwhile, RSN Rayer (Harapan-Jelutong) said he had listened to the questions and Fahmi’s response, adding, “this time, I can support Tasek Gelugor”.
He reminded Fahmi how previous administrations had imposed restrictions against reporting major scandals, including on 1MDB which was exposed by Sarawak Report.
“There is a perception among journalists that the (new) media code of ethics is (also) drafted to restrict them, disallow reporting on issues that can expose any scandal.
“As a backbencher, I support this current code of ethics but there needs to be an assurance from the minister that it will not at any point be used to prevent any exposes of a scandal if it happens,” said Rayer.
Last Thursday, the department revealed new terms for the issuance of media accreditation tags, following backlash from various quarters including local and regional press freedom advocates.
The department said the terms will see government and local media practitioners, including online journalists, get the pass for two years.
Malaysians working for foreign media outlets will also be eligible for the two-year validity compared to the previous one-year pass. - Mkini
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