Malaysia’s latest position in the Press Freedom Index is still considered good compared to the previous government, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that although Malaysia was ranked 107th based on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index Report published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) yesterday, the position was not that bad.
“Being at 107 (in the Press Freedom Index), that for me is still an unsatisfactory achievement but it’s not too bad either. In 2021, we are on the 119th rung while in 2022, we were ranked 113th.
“However, the current position is still good compared to the previous administration,” he told reporters after visiting the Communications Ministry’s premises in conjunction with the Madani Rakyat 2024 North Zone Programme at the Sungai Nibong Pesta site, near George Town today.
Fahmi was commenting on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index Report which showed Malaysia's position in the World Press Freedom Index fell 34 places to 107th position compared to 73 last year, with a score of 52.07 points.
Commenting on the strategy to improve press freedom, Fahmi said he and RSF agreed to hold a series of meetings and discussions to deal with fake news or the spread of false information in the country.
“They (RSF) have given this commitment. So, God willing, in the near future, we will have a follow-up meeting. I am taking the report (RSF) with an open heart.
“There is a lot that needs to be examined because not all of them match the eastern values or manners we practise in Malaysia but we will carefully implement the improvements (press freedom) that we want to see and practice in Malaysia,” he said.
Fahmi, who is the government spokesperson, reiterated that the administration will not compromise with any party that abuses press freedom by touching on the 3R issue (race, religion, and royalty) besides spreading slander and fake news.
He said this was because some parties deliberately played on 3R issues after the formation of the coalition government.
“Some of those websites have been taken action and MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) also informed that these websites are actually spreading fake news and playing the 3R issue,” he said.
Pot calling kettle black
Fahmi then criticised the statement of Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who blamed him for Malaysia’s poor performance in the Press Freedom Index.
The minister questioned the Tasek Gelugor MP’s statement, in particular his comparison between Malaysia and Israel.
“Israel killed Gazans. Why do you (Wan Saiful) want to compare Malaysia with Israel? Wan Saiful said we are worse than Israel.
“We did not kill anyone. So far, no journalists have been arrested or thrown in jail and not even a single newspaper has been closed,” he said.
Wan Saiful reportedly said that Malaysia’s ranking of 107th in the Press Freedom Index is worse than Israel’s ranking of 101st, besides blaming Fahmi for the decline.
To that, Fahmi said the Bersatu politician should think before making a statement as Perikatan Nasional’s rule was a dark period for Malaysian democracy.
“If you want to propagate, brother Wan Saiful, I hope you think about what happened during the PN era (as government). Parliament was closed and this is not propaganda, this is fact. It is not the newspaper that is closed but the Parliament itself was closed.
“So, before Wan Saiful wants to say more, he (Wan Saiful) should realise that the darkest era of democracy in Malaysia was during the time of Muhyiddin Yassin, who is the leader of his party,” he said.
- Bernama
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