5 Principles of Media Freedom
the benefit of policy or act
The result is that freedom of the press and an open public sphere are almost non-existent in Malaysia.
Why the press in Malaysia being controlled?
The government has a full power to control the media and restrict the alternative or opposition media.
The policy to control the media in Malaysia is a way to deter dissent or criticism against the
government and this runs at odds with the principals of democracy.
Although the issue of racial harmony, is a determining factor in the policies that hinge media laws, the government manages to manipulate the system by controlling the media to strengthen its power and dominate the public sphere.
Actions
The 5th Prime Minister- Najib Tun Razak
About two weeks after Najib became premier, the four private TV stations under Media Prima (TV3, NTV7, 8TV and TV9) were ordered not to name political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib’s close aide, when reporting on the Altantuya murder case.
The 4th Prime Minister- Mahathir Mohamad
5 PRINCIPLES
- Freedom from prejudices and preconceived notions;
- Freedom from the executive control of government;
- Freedom from the influence of advertisers, or proprietors and pressure groups; and
- Freedom from want – freedom from dependence on others for financial assistance.
He implied that racial conflict and political instability were inevitable in a multiracial society unless protected by laws like the ISA, the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) and the SA.
The amendment of laws by Mahathir was presented as a preventative action starting from an operation named ‘Operasi Lalang’ (Weed Operation) on 27 October 1987.
Malaysian media however also flourished when Mahathir introduced a privatisation strategy through the
Malaysian Incorporated policy.
By the end of 31 December 1995, he also a Home Minister, approved 3,206 licenses for publications which constituted of 149 licenses for newspapers and 1,875 licenses for
magazines.
The press had become an institution protected for the government, not from the government. The presses were privately owned via proxy companies which held good relationships with political elites in the government.
The press was used as an obvious tool to instill the bourgeois public sphere through encouraging the
nationalist movements against the British. The British finally granted Malaya independence in 1957.
1.Freedom of illegal restraint-liberty that is to say, to publish any
matter without legal restraint or prohibition.
Freedom of the press was increasingly restricted under the Internal Security
Act (ISA), Sedition Act (SA), and the Printing Presses and Publications Ordinance.
The Perikatan government
recognised the enormous impact of the media on the community and its capacity to change people’s
perceptions of the government.
Therefore, the Perikatan government leaders, in securing its political power, had made the decision to take over the press.
For the first time, freedom of the press was practiced in the 1951,1952 and 1955 elections and later
institutionalised in the Federal Constitution in 1957.
The new government of Perikatan party realised the powerful influences of the press and decided to control it.
Group Member
Yau Bak Hoong
Nicole Loke Lai Hoong
Cheah Jun Tin
Ng Qiao Yi