PETALING JAYA – The decision to abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) does not lie solely on Pakatan Harapan (PH), as the federal administration is a unity government comprising other parties, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
When asked about the abolishment being PH’s election manifesto in 2018, he said the coalition and other parties make up the administration now, and it is not easy to abolish the act.
“It’s a unity government and not just under one party’s control, so we need to take that into consideration,” he told reporters after launching a programme at CelcomDigi headquarters here today.
Fahmi added that it is not mutually exclusive to abolish the act to form a media council.
“I don’t think that they are mutually exclusive. I don’t feel like one should be abolished (the PPPA) to have another (media council).”
Last week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government would not abolish the PPPA while dismissing allegations that his ministry was against the creation of a media council.
Calls for the PPPA’s repeal have been made by media advocacy groups as part of establishing a media council to self-govern local journalism.
The law has been used oppressively in the past by previous administrations to silence media that have reported critically, by either suspending or revoking their publishing permits.
It also grants the Home Ministry discretion to restrict or ban publications that could endanger national security interests or create social unrest.
The bill on the creation of a media council is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon. – March 6, 2024