Media freedom should not be constrained

By TAN KENG LIANG
Youth Chief PGRM KedahVice Chairman PGRM Kedah

We refer to the recent 3 months suspension on the newspaper Harakah and Suara Keadilan.

We are of the view that our country need to seriously consider amendments to the Printing Presses & Publication Act 1984 (“the Act”) so as not to affect the “media freedom” in our country. There are sufficient civil laws in our country which provides for recourse against defamatory statements, such as award of damages or injunctions against the publisher.

Article 7 of the Act

If the Minister is satisfied that any publication contains any article, caricature, photograph, report, notes, writing, sound, music, statement or any other thing which is in any manner prejudicial to or likely to be prejudicial to public order, morality, security, the relationship with any foreign country or government, or which is or is likely to be contrary to any law or is otherwise prejudicial to or is likely to be prejudicial to public interest or national interest, he may in his absolute discretion by order published in the Gazette prohibit, either absolutely or subject to such conditions as may be prescribed, the printing, importation, production, reproduction, publishing, sale, issue, circulation, distribution or possession of that publication

The wordings, in particular Article 7 of the Act is too wide in its definition and is widely viewed as the source of erosion of “media freedom” in our country. This is also contrary to the provision in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which provides for “freedom of speech & expression”.

Furthermore, Malaysians are now better equipped to determine the accuracy of reporting in publications, with the existence of so many media channels, such as the internet, radio and televisions (with both local and foreign publications).

Any publications which is filled with inaccurate reporting would eventually “run out of business by natural death” as no Malaysians would want to buy its publications.

As such, we hope that our soon to be Prime Minister, Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, could, as soon as he takes office, set up a committee to review the contents of the Printing Presses & Publication Act 1984.

Thank you.

- MSTAR