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35 laws need to be altered to widen media freedom in Msia

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has to abolish or amend 35 laws that impinge on the blossoming media freedom in Malaysia following the 14th General Election.

This process could take more than five years due to the current political landscape, believes Malaysiakini’s Steven Gan.

The online news portal’s editor-in-chief said these laws include the Anti-Fake News Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, as well as the Communications and Multimedia Act.

“These 35 laws directly and indirectly impinge on media freedom in Malaysia. There is a need to repeal or amend these laws.

“The (proposed) media council in Malaysia is not getting anywhere as the previous government was not serious on proposals to repeal or amend these laws.

“Until you remove these laws, there is no need to talk about a (Malaysian) media council,” he said.

He was addressing a forum titled “Media Reforms: Opportunities and Challenges for Malaysia, Lessons from Southeast Asia” at the University of Nottingham, here today.

He was touching on whether there is an urgent need for Malaysia to have a media council like the one in Indonesia, which self-regulates the media sector there.

Gan said it is more important to deal with these laws first in order to prevent stifling of media coverage.

He also cautioned that the situation in Malaysia differs from the flowering of media freedom in Indonesia following the political revolution that ousted the country’s then dictator Suharto in 1998.

Gan said that unlike Indonesia which had a completely new people helming the administration following the revolution there, in Malaysia still see similar people from the same political landscape coming to power.

He alludes to concerns over certain parts of the new administration such as Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whom he said had conceded to the need for media freedom while also saying there is a need for media control.

“Institutional reform promised by him (Prime Minister Dr Mahathir) is key.

“If institutions here can be strengthened and made strong like in Indonesia, institutions like the Election Commission, anti-graft agency (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission), the judiciary, the police, and the media, then we would be on the right track (to spur widening media freedom).

“Therefore, even if new people come into power (in future general elections), then they would not be able to inflict too much damage (on media freedom),” he said.

Gan conceded though that the government and other stakeholders need to approach media freedom carefully as there is a need to reach consensus in a country with diverse faiths and ethnicities like Malaysia.

“In order to bring change (in Malaysia), there is a need to achieve a level of consensus (among Malaysians). This may result in a slower pace of change,” he said.

He added that consensus can be achieved over a period of time via the traditional and new media playing their role as platforms for debates and discussions on major issues.

Among those on the panel are The Jakarta Post editor-in-chief and Indonesia Press Council member Nezar Patria, magazine Mawkun editor and Myanmar Press Council exco member Zayar Hlaing, and Southeast Asian Press Alliance executive director Tess Bacalla.

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