KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of the long-awaited Malaysian Media Council (MMC) is nearing fruition, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil (pic).
The Minister stated that the proposed Bill will be presented at this session of the Dewan Rakyat, pending Cabinet approval.
"The MMC draft has been mutually agreed upon and submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers for a final review before preparing the Cabinet papers.
Subject to the Cabinet's nod, we expect to table the Bill during the current Parliament sitting," he said in response to Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Perikatan-Pasir Mas) on Wednesday (Oct 16).
First proposed in 2001, the creation of the media council has seen several postponements.
The council is designed to establish and enforce a code of ethics for reporting, enhance journalism standards, and ensure responsible media coverage.
It also aims to facilitate dialogue between media professionals, the government, and the public, while supporting the professional growth of journalists and their organisations.
In March, pro-tem committee members of the council met with officials from the Home Ministry in Parliament to discuss its formation.
By May, the Attorney-General's Chambers had referred the Bill to the Malaysian Productivity Corporation for a Regulatory Impact Analysis.
As of July, applications for founding membership included 15 media companies, seven media associations, nine individual media practitioners, and seven non-media individuals.
The founding members will represent various sectors, including non-governmental organisations, media practitioners, and academics actively involved in the media field.
Fahmi added that the draft Bill is a collaborative effort between the council's pro-tem committee and the ministry before submission to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"A self-regulatory body for media practitioners is critical at this juncture to maintain journalistic standards and professionalism, as well as provide avenues for the public to voice complaints against the media," he said.
