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Malaysia’s leader makes pledge to protect press freedom
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob unveiled a journalist fund of RM 1 million (US$228,366) to help maintain relationships between Malaysian and Indonesian news media.
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alaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Sunday that his government would make efforts to protect press freedom and shield the media from outside interference.
Speaking during the celebration of the fourth National Journalist Day (Hawana) in the state of Melaka, Ismail Sabri called on journalists operating in the country to step up their fight against hoaxes and disinformation.
“The journalist profession should at all times be free and should function without outside interference so that freedom of speech can be guaranteed. The government has never made any efforts to block the media from broadcasting news that could lead to law enforcement agencies taking actions,” he said.
Ismail Sabri then pledged that his government would continue to be transparent and accountable. “I can guarantee that there’s nothing that we can hide in terms of information aimed for the public,” he added.
The prime minister’s speech came in response to the so-called “Melaka Declaration”, a five-point pledge made by representatives of Malaysian media during the Hawana celebration on Sunday.
Five senior journalists from major news outlets in the country that include The Star, state-run Bernama and Utusan Malaysia, issued the statement with a commitment to uphold freedom of speech and press freedom “to ensure the survival of a healthy and vibrant democracy”.
“In developing countries like Malaysia, journalists and media play a vital role as the eyes and heart of the people besides being the voice of the masses, and also act as a check-and-balance, as well as being the conscience of a nation state,” the declaration reads.
The declaration also calls for the government to recognize journalism as a national institution. “Trustworthy and responsible journalism is an important asset in the development of this nation state,” the journalists said.
With regards to disinformation and fake news, the declaration calls on established media organizations to work together to combat the spread of fake news.
“Social media can be misused to spread fake news...and this can tarnish the good name of individuals, organizations and the government,” it reads.
Over the past few years, Malaysia has been making great strides in press freedom. Under its first democratically elected government for decades, repressive laws were repealed, giving the country’s media more space to do their job.
Since 2020, however, there have been efforts to roll back freedom, with the government targeting journalists using anti-fake news regulations, implemented especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Malaysia recorded an 18-point decline on the annual World Press Freedom Index, released by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The index ranked Malaysia 119 out of 180 countries.
In the Hawana celebration, Ismail Sabri also announced that he would provide funding to support efforts to improve collaboration between journalists and media outlets in Malaysia and other ASEAN countries, especially in neighboring Indonesia.
To the surprise of members of the Malaysia-Indonesia Journalists Association (Iswami) who joined Sunday’s celebration, the premier said he had set aside RM 1 million (US$228,859) to pay for projects and programs designed to promote exchanges of journalists between the two countries.
“Just let me know if you need more,” he said in an off-the-cuff statement.
A large delegation of editors from Indonesian news outlets attended the Hawana celebration over the weekend, which was led by the Communications and Information Ministry’s Public Information and Communication Directorate General, Usman Kansong.
Ismail Sabri himself extended the invitation for Indonesian journalists to join the Hawana celebration during his maiden visit to Jakarta in late 2021.
Responding to the prime minister’s move, senior journalist Asro Kamal Rokan said it was only natural that journalists in the two countries should have closer cooperation.
“The roots have gone deep in the relationships between the two countries and had it not been for some colonial powers, we could have been in a closer union,” Asro said.
