COMMUNICATIONS and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil today told parliament that no journalist had been arrested or media firms forced to close since the Anwar Ibrahim administration took office almost a year ago.  

He said the government would continue to uphold media freedom. 

“In the current administration, no journalist or media personnel has been detained or arrested by the police.  

“And not a single newspaper or media company was forced to close by the authorities,” the Lembah Pantai lawmaker told Dewan Rakyat.  

He was responding to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Pasir Mas-PN), who asked the minister to state the government’s stand on press liberty and freedom of speech. 

Fahmi said the government supported media freedom and guaranteed people their rights to freedom of expression as per Article 10(A) of the Federal Constitution.  

“However, freedom of speech does not mean that an individual can make accusations, slander, utter abusive or hateful words against the royal institutions, nor disparage religion or say anything racist,” he said. 

Fahmi said the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) carried out its responsibilities and functions based on the provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588).  

“Actions taken by MCMC are in line with Act 588 and are not to restrict media freedom.  

“But (it is) to ensure the dissemination of information is done responsibly and without spreading slander or inaccurate information, hateful speech, as well as protecting the integrity of the constitutional monarch and democratic institutions with respect from any attempt to incite hatred or insult,” he said. 

Fahmi urged media practitioners as well as news channels to refer to the content code, which provides clear guidance on content standards in line with Act 588. 

“By adhering to this content code, media practitioners can ensure responsible reporting while avoiding overstepping the bounds of freedom of expression,” he said, adding that the code could be downloaded from MCMC’s website.  

As a commitment to media freedom, Fahmi said the government has agreed to the proposal to establish the Malaysian Media Council as a self-regulatory body through the relevant act.  

“The proposed establishment of this council takes into account the role of the council to defend the freedom of the media in this country in conveying information.  

“To date, a total of eight meetings have been held with the pro-tem committee since January 2020,” he added. – November 9, 2023.