Greater Press Freedom In Malaysia Now, Says Deputy PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Press freedom in Malaysia now is much better today, without any restriction or preset agenda, especially after the era of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, said Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister said that during that era, the agenda of media organisations was largely set by a “certain someone” and not the owners of the companies. “Coincidentally, in my doctorate dissertation, I made a comparison of (reports published by) Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia (Malaysia’s national newspapers) in the past five general elections in Malaysia during the leadership of the country’s longest-serving leader. “When I look back at the facts of my research, if they are still relevant, they show that agenda setting was done by someone,” he said here Monday. Without mentioning any name but apparently referring to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Ahmad Zahid reminded the “longest-serving leader” that his era was over and that he should acknowledge that the country was doing much better after his retirement. Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid also called on government-linked and Finance Minister Incorporated-owned companies to help media organisations to remain in the ever-challenging and competitive media world. He said the media companies could not depend solely on the sale of newspapers and advertisements to ensure their survival and to continue disseminating news and information to the people. -- BERNAMA