Chua: Review printing laws

Saturday February 19, 2011

By LEE YEN MUN

yenmun@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: A panel should be set up to review the Printing Presses and Publications Act to ensure fairness towards media owners who have invested hundreds of millions in machines and human resource development, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

“This panel should also look into ways to make it easier for investors to obtain permits to publish.

“This is something the MCA will support,” Dr Chua said in his speech at the MCA media night held at the party headquarters here yesterday.

“Perhaps, a review of the Act is necessary, so that it does not give absolute power or discretion to the Home Minister in granting, refusing, suspending or revoking printing permits,” he said.

Under the Act, all printing presses in the country must have their printing licences renewed yearly.

The Home Minister is empowered with absolute discretion to grant, revoke or suspend the permits under the Act.

Dr Chua also urged the media to be balanced in their reporting and play a constructive role in nation-building.

Rejecting the notion that the media should be a mouthpiece of the Government, Dr Chua said being constructive meant criticising and exposing the faults of the Government when it deserved to be criticised.

“But at the same time, the media must be prepared to explain and defend government actions and policies that are good and also highlight the achievements of the government of the day,” Dr Chua said.

He noted that some journalists refused to acknowledge the Government’s achievements, believing that their job was to be adversarial.

“I think that is not fair journalism,” he added.

Addressing the vernacular media, Dr Chua said race-neutral reporting was necessary to promote the interest of all Malaysians.

“Until and unless the majority of the media adopt this attitude, it would be difficult for the country to forge ahead, because tremendous pressure would be put on the Government to cater to individual groups rather than the greater good of the nation,” he said.