Stakeholders worry over greater scrutiny on online media

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

PETALING JAYA: The online media and social network space is anticipated to come under more scrutiny following last month’s changes to the laws.

Centre for Independent Journalism director Sonia Randhawa said the Sedition Act had raised concerns that even online media would face greater scrutiny and the free space for discussion would be constricted.

She cited the addition of “religion” in the Act and the courts being empowered to stop someone from accessing an “electronic device” as examples of making reporting difficult.

The amendments to the Sedition Act were passed in the Dewan Rakyat on April 10.

In view of World Press Freedom Day which took place on May 3, the stakeholders were concerned about the tightening of laws.

Sonia said the Act did not address concerns over the state’s role in administrating legislation that claimed to be founded directly on religious texts.

The Act made it almost impossible for journalists to facilitate these conversations in a respectful and peaceful fashion, she said.

Penang Institute Fellow Dr Mustafa K. Anuar expressed concern that the Act would drive media practitioners to extreme self-censorship.

“Social media users will also come under intense surveillance by the authorities because the definition of ‘sedition’ itself is too vague,” he said.

University of Nottingham Malay-sia Campus media and communication studies associate dean Prof Zaharom Nain said the mainstream media was already tightly regulated through ownership and current laws.

“The net is now being cast further, or at least there is an attempt to do so, to bring online media to its knees,” he said.

He also said the amendments to the Act provided for harsher sentences – no fines but heavier prison sentences.

“In a democracy, you discuss and debate differences of opinion. You can’t talk about ‘moderation’ especially on the world stage, and then provide all these immoderate controls,” he said.

CIJ calls on MCMC to rethink fine decision over BFM radio interview

The STar
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) wants the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to rescind the fine imposed on BFM radio over an interview with an Islamic scholar.

Its director Sonia Randhawa claimed the RM10,000 fine had been wrongly imposed on BFM radio as it was onerous to require broadcasters to submit all their content for pre-approval by the regulator.

“This is an infringement on the freedom of expression and damaging to media freedom, in particular,” she said in a statement issued together with CIJ co-director Jac SM Kee yesterday.

BFM’s interview with Islamic scholar Reza Aslan was aired on Oct 21 last year and the latter made comments disputing the Court of Appeal’s decision which barred Catholic newsletter Herald from using the word “Allah” to refer to God.

On Tuesday, the Malaysian Insider reported that MCMC had deemed it to be in breach of the conditions under their Individual Content Applications Service Provider (CASP-I) broadcast license, which required the regulator’s approval before any live or delayed telecast.

CIJ urged the MCMC to ensure that any such conditions imposed be subjected to the Federal Constitution, in particular Article 10, which guarantees freedom of expression.

Sonia said discussions on ethnicity or religion should not be curbed simply on the notion that the feelings of a particular religion’s adherents might be hurt, as it was harmful to a proper discourse.

She maintained that the government and the MCMC should have made their own arguments against them, rather than shut a down healthy debate.

She said MCMC should review the conditions imposed on broadcasters and remove any requirement for the pre-approval of all content.