GEORGE TOWN – Malaysia’s latest position in the World Press Freedom Index is still considered “good” compared to the previous government, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said that although Malaysia was ranked 107th based on a report published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) yesterday, the position “was not that bad”.
“Being 107th (in the Press Freedom Index), for me, is still an unsatisfactory achievement but it’s not too bad either. In 2021, we are 119th while in 2022, we were ranked 113th.
“However, the current position is still good compared to the previous administration,” he told reporters after visiting the Communications Ministry’s premises in conjunction with the Madanu Rakyat 2024 programme at the Sg Nibong Pesta site, near here today.
Fahmi was commenting on Malaysia’s press freedom ranking which fell 34 places to the 107th position compared to 73rd last year, with a score of 52.07 points.
Commenting on the strategy to improve press freedom, Fahmi said he and RSF agreed to hold a series of meetings and discussions to deal with fake news or the spread of false information in the country.
“They (RSF) have given this commitment. So, god willing, in the near future we will have a follow-up meeting. I am taking the report with an open heart.
“There is a lot that needs to be examined because not all of them match the eastern values or manners we practise in Malaysia, but we will carefully implement the improvements (press freedom) that we want to see and practice here,” he said.
Fahmi, who is also the spokesperson of the unity government, reiterated that the government will not compromise with any party that abuses the concept of press freedom by touching on the 3R issue (race, religion and royalty) besides spreading slander and fake news.
He said this was because there were some parties who deliberately played on such issues after the unity government’s formation.
“Some of those websites have been taken action and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also informed that these websites are actually spreading fake news and touching on 3R issues,” he said. – May 4, 2024