Only political will needed to make long-awaited media council a reality: Rocky

KUALA LUMPUR – The communications and multimedia minister should not use the current pandemic as an excuse to delay the formation of the long-proposed Malaysian Media Council (MMC), said veteran journalist Datuk Ahirudin Attan.

Ahirudin, fondly known as Rocky, said its stakeholders have put in much effort to solidify the proposal, which has been in the works for some 40 years.

“Journalists are hoping that we can end the wait because this media council can do a lot of things,” said Ahirudin, who is also Petra News executive director.

“We have sent reports; I think it is a matter of (the government) having the political will to just push this proposal through.”

Ahirudin said this during a televised phone interview with Bernama TV’s Mid-Day update this afternoon in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, which falls today.

Programme host Jessy Chandal asked Ahirudin about his thoughts on the country falling 18 spots to 199 in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

In admitting to not being the biggest fan of RSF’s rankings, he said while the index is indicative of the current situation, it is “in no way definitive”.

He cited the RSF once ranking Brunei as the Southeast Asian country with the highest level of press freedoms as one example of its “blunders”.

Instead, Ahirudin suggested that Malaysia come up with its own rankings, and that the proposed media council could be one way of doing so. 

He said Malaysia’s rankings on the RSF index can be improved if the government takes two steps.

“First is to abolish the draconian laws that have been governing the press and, secondly, is to lift the emergency ordinance. I think things should be brighter for everyone then.”

‘A miss is as good as a mile’

In an interview on radio station the BFM Morning Run segment, Ahirudin, who is also National Press Club president, said he and his cohorts were unable to get the council up and running under the Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan government.

However, he said former communications and multimedia minister Gobind Singh Deo had helped the proposed council set up a pro tem committee while the latter was in cabinet.

“But a miss is as good as a mile because we didn’t get that going. And now, under the current Perikatan Nasional government, we just don’t seem to be moving at all.

“I think what we need is for the minister involved, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, to walk the talk, because I know him personally as someone who believes in press freedom.

“But he needs to walk the talk, and come out to sit and talk with us as we’ve done so much work on the MMC. This is the last mile (and) that political will can make a difference.”

On being asked in the Bernama TV interview how he perceives journalists are being treated in the country, Ahirudin said those in power, especially politicians, are the ones who mostly landed pressmen in trouble.

“Politicians today are increasingly thin-skinned, and even some members of the royalty are coming after journalists. And our friends at PDRM are getting over-sensitive about what journalists and broadcasters do.”

Politicians today are increasingly thin-skinned, and even some members of the royalty are coming after journalists. And our friends at PDRM are getting over-sensitive about what journalists and broadcasters do.

Ahirudin pointed to a recent case in which a broadcaster was roped in by police over a remark made on the “curious” RM50,000 fine slapped on a burger seller in Kelantan for breaching standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government to contain Covid-19.

“I’ll admit that, in the media, we are in the business of making mistakes because of the work we do. But my hope is that politicians, members of the royalty, and others in power should understand that we have a job to do, and we are doing it as responsibly as we can.”

Just before the interview ended, Ahirudin was asked for some words of encouragement to the some 3,000 media workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic and digitisation of the workplace.

“To those who lost their jobs, please don’t give up, we have to keep it up and continue the struggle,” he said, adding that those in need could also contact him.

Ahirudin ended the interview with a message to the media’s “partners” in democracy who stand among those in power.

“I hope they don’t treat us like the enemy. We are not the enemy. Let’s work together, talk with each other to improve and to make this country better.” – The Vibes, May 3, 2021