SHAH ALAM, 28 Dec: The Central Government should repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, for the establishment of an Independent Media Council.
The Malaysian Bar Council President, Christopher Leong, in a statement, said that the act should be repealed because it is an archaic piece of legislation that no longer holds any relevance in a modern democracy.
He said that the Act has been used and abused to influence, bully, intimidate, threaten and punish the press.
“The repeal of the act does not mean that publishers are at liberty to publish anything with impunity. However, on the current situation, the country should instead move to independent regulation of the media, with complaints on press stories and material dealt by an independent media council made up of journalists and civil society representatives.
He said that the Bar Council condemns the suspension of the weekly newspaper The Heat by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) because it tarnishes Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.
“To date, the suspension has raised questions, apart from the lack of solid explanation. The authors were not given a chance to defend themselves and this is against Act 13 of the Federal Constitution.
“Freedom of press is the symbol of democracy, because of that Malaysia and its people need it and are entitled to this freedom,” he said.
