He also called for a review of several laws, including the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and several sections of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

In a Facebook post, Ismail said the media should not be muzzled and should be allowed to report independently.

Ismail said he had emphasised on this aspect last year to guarantee freedom of expression.

“Journalists should remain independent and work without any interference from any party.

“I also believe that media practitioners exercise self-censorship when it comes to sensitive issues.”

On Monday, it was reported that Malaysia jumped six places to 113 in the World Press Freedom Index 2022.

Malaysia was also ranked the highest among Asean countries out of the 180 nations in the index.