THE Institutional Reforms Committee (IRC) today held another meeting with media representatives, discussing, among others, the role of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), said Premesh Chandran, CEO of independent news site Malaysiakini.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Premesh said he was asked to explain about the blocking of the portal’s sister site undi.info, a live election results site, on the election night.

“We were asked about how MCMC regulates the Internet, in particular how our sites Malaysiakini, live.undi.info and undi.info were blocked on the election night.

“We explained how it happened. We felt the blocking was very unjust and unfair. So we hope the IRC will investigate the occurrence,” he said after the meeting at Ilham Tower in Kuala Lumpur.

MCMC recently said the blockade was issued due to complaints received.

Premesh said he also put forward some recommendations to review laws governing the media industry like the Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which was used against the media.

“We definitely need some sort of regulatory environment but at the moment MCMC seems to have become more of a political tool under the previous government,” he said.

The committee was established on May 15 and will present its findings and recommendations to the Council of Eminent Persons, which will then present its report to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The five members of the committee are retired judge of the Court of Appeal K.C. Vohrah, Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai, National Patriots Association president Brigadier-General (Retired) Mohamed Arshad Raji, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president S. Ambiga and Universiti Malaya law professor Shad Saleem Faruqi. – June 1, 2018