Gov’t reps in Malaysian Media Council will be from Bernama or RTM, says Fahmi

PUTRAJAYA, Mar 1 – Government representatives in the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) will be media practitioners from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) or Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet press conference on Friday, Fahmi, who is also the spokesperson for the MADANI government, emphasised that representatives in MMC would not include politicians.

“Many councils, not just the media council (MMC), have government representatives. So this is not an issue, and we have discussed the matter with the pro tem committee that drafted the proposal.

“They must be media professionals, such as those from Bernama or RTM. So I do not see this as unusual. The intention is to facilitate the process if there is any feedback,” he said.

Reports indicate that at least 10 media-related organisations support the establishment of MMC but oppose the inclusion of government representatives on its board.

This concern has been voiced by the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), ARTICLE 19, Gerakan Media Merdeka (GERAMM), Justice for Sisters (JFS), Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Sinar Project, Amnesty International Malaysia, Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR), National Union of Journalists Peninsular Malaysia (NUJM) and KRYSS Network.

Other supporting organisations include the North South Initiative, Pusat Komas, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), SIUMAN Collective, and the Selangor Community Awareness Association (EMPOWER).

On Feb 26, the Dewan Rakyat passed the Malaysian Media Council Bill 2024, aimed at ensuring media freedom and guaranteeing that the public receives accurate, credible and fair information.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, when winding up the debate on the bill, said the provision for two government representatives in the MMC board was made because it is a statutory body established under government legislation and falls under the Ministry of Communications.