He said the commission should review the legislation passed in Parliament, including the laws on fake news which may be tabled next month.
“Our laws need to be checked with a fine-tooth comb. Throw out restrictive acts or amend those that need to be amended.
“Laws should empower freedom and facilitate the freedom that we have,” he said during a forum last night titled “GE14: Battle of Fake News”.
Other panellists included DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, DAP lawyer Michelle Ng and journalists R Nadeswaran and Zul Sulong.
Syahredzan said restrictive laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Official Secrets Act should be abolished to allow people to seek information from the federal government.
He added that Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act involving additional offences and penalties on the improper use of network facilities or network services should be amended.
Once the commission goes through the laws, he said, it should present its recommendations for change to the government.
“The government should then be compelled to make the necessary changes.”
Free press
Speaking to the audience at USJ Summit here, Syahredzan said the media should be free to report news as the industry had its own ethics and defamation laws to ensure checks and balances.
He added that he had no problem if a media outlet was held by a political party.
“As long as it is transparent, people will know their slant.”
Instead of fake news laws, he said, the PH government should set up a National Media Council to check on news that may have departed from journalistic ethics.
“We should allow the media to decide themselves,” he said, adding that fake news should be battled through discourse.
The government is expected to table the laws against fake news when the Dewan Rakyat sitting begins this month.
Nurul Izzah told the forum that PH would implement Syahredzan’s suggestions, adding that she had drawn up a bill on the commission which would be implemented if PH wins GE14.
She added that MPs should be given more time to check on bills before they are tabled at the Dewan Rakyat.
“Normally, we are not given enough time. There is no transparency at the moment,” the Lembah Pantai MP said.