THERE is a need to set up an independent media council to ensure that their freedom is not stifled, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The former youth and sports minister said there must be political will to do it so that there is media freedom.

“Like newspapers won’t need to apply for a permit from the authorities or have their permits revoked.

“A free media will definitely help develop society to become more mature,” he said after a forum at Universiti Malaya today. 

In July, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said Putrajaya is focusing on two areas to encourage better media freedom in the country.

He said they have to do more to push ahead with their reform agenda when it comes to press and media freedom. 

“Two of the main areas that I am looking at is to ensure that all those laws that are required to be amended and abolished are acted on as soon as possible, and also the setting up of the media council,” Gobind said. 

Earlier at the forum “Freedom of Speech in Malaysia Baru, Sembang or Reality?”, the Rembau MP said regulating the media should be done through an independent commission and not through the federal government.

“We need to move away from the Home Ministry or Communications Ministry,” he said.

Khairy also said the decline in the fortunes of newspapers was in tandem with the decline in their credibility.

Khairy claimed the erosion began in the 1990s, “that was when the number one newspaper was not The Star but The New Straits Times”.

NST’s credibility began to decline after a change of ownership around 1992, where the editorial team were interested only to serve the political interests of their paymasters, he said.

Later, former prime minister Najib Razak made some efforts to liberalise the political system some time in 2009, said Khairy. 

“At the time I was not a minister but a youth leader and I know that Najib was a liberal, at the time. He was someone who wanted to abolish the Internal Security Act and Sedition Act and he was quite serious about it.

“However, he U-turned and Najib part two was more authoritarian.”

Khairy said the change was due to the exposure of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd case, which led to the sacking of former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“He was at a pre-council briefing and his mood was very hostile. There were talks that he must show something now to show he is committed to the old way of Umno, otherwise his position would be in danger.

“He later told (the Umno AGM) that the Sedition Act would not be abolished and the cheers were deafening. He basically saved his job. That was exactly what happened.” – October 11, 2019.