Wong: Press freedom will lead to country being better run

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/23/parliament/17229528&sec=parliament

Parliament
Friday March 23, 2007

AN MP has called for the setting up of a select committee to promote freedom of the press and to reform laws that restrict them.

Wong Nai Chee (BN-Kota Melaka) said the committee’s role would be to see the extent of press freedom in the country, rationalise existing laws that overlap with other laws and review the provision that allows the minister to revoke the permits of media firms.

In supporting the motion of thanks to the King for his royal address, Wong cited the Printing and Presses Act, Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act as having overlapping provisions and restricting the media.

“These laws create a situation of media self-censorship. Too many of these laws also cause a situation where the newsroom can receive calls from people, including politicians, advising them to do something or face having their permits revoked,” he said.

Wong added that the time had come for there to be a direction for press freedom in Malaysia and said he was not calling for absolute freedom but for the media to project the real situation in the country, without fear or favour.

“The acid test for media freedom is in the reporting of political and economic news, which tend to be more controversial and can paint a less favourable picture of the Government,” he said.

Media freedom, he said, would create an open society and allow accurate information to be disseminated, so that the country could be better administered.

At this point, Mohd Said Yusof (BN-Jasin) stood up and said that a major English newspaper was the only paper that did not report the opening of the Parliament meeting by the King on Monday but instead highlighted a lock-up report.

“I am perplexed because this paper did not respect the event in the August House that was officiated by the King,” Mohd Said said.

In response, Wong said: “This is part of media freedom, for the newspaper to freely choose its news item. There is no problem as long as the report is accurate.”

On the right to information, he said that public documents such as Environment Impact Assessment reports and toll agreements should be open to public scrutiny.

However, he said, this should not include documents on national defence, national security, international relations, Cabinet and state exco documents, enforcement of law and public order and personal data.