Dennis Ignatius
~ Provoking discussion, dissent & debate on politics, diplomacy, human rights & civil society.
Is the government getting paranoid about the media?
06MondayMay 2024
Posted in Politics, press freedom
[1] Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has lashed out at the foreign media for reporting that the government is planning to cut fuel subsidies in the coming weeks as part of its economic reform measures. He called the report “unethical” and hinted that it could be part of a wider conspiracy to undermine him because of his strong support for Palestine.
[2] For months, the PM and other ministers have talked about the need to reduce petrol subsidies. Wasn’t that one of the big reasons why PADU was rushed through? So why get so hot under the collar about something that is already widely known and expected to happen soon?
[3] According to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, it is because the media pre-empted an announcement by the government on the issue. “Don’t announce before it has been announced. Or rather, don’t report before it has been announced,” he said.
[4] So it would appear that the report itself is not wrong; it’s just that the government wanted to announce it at a time of its own choosing and with perhaps the right spin. It may be that the government is also worried that it might not play out well with Kuala Kubu Baharu voters who will head to the polls shortly.
[5] Whatever it is, it certainly does not justify lashing out at the media. A government that claims to be democratic, that claims to support press freedom must accept that the media will pursue stories as they unfold instead of at the convenience of the government.
[6] The government – and particularly the Communications Minister – must do a better job in dealing with the media. Getting paranoid or resorting to anti-democratic legislation to threaten and intimidate the media is counterproductive. But what can be expected from a minister who dismisses Malaysia’s precipitous 34-point drop in the world press freedom index as “not too bad”?
[Dennis Ignatius | Kuala Lumpur | Monday, 06 May 2024]
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