“I remember in 2020 when Al Jazeera reporters were expelled from Malaysia, I didn’t hear him say anything.
“Where was he when those reporters were taken in, investigated, and subsequently their permits were withdrawn and (they were) unceremoniously expelled?
“Where was Wan Saiful when I was attacked in Parliament for my stance in defending the reporters? He was nowhere,” Fahmi told a press conference here today.
Yesterday, New Straits Times quoted Wan Saiful as saying that Malaysia was witnessing a “slow murder” of all reforms related to media freedom under Fahmi’s leadership.
Wan Saiful, who holds the communications portfolio in Perikatan Nasional’s shadow cabinet, also described Fahmi’s comments stating that a media card is not a licence to practise journalism as “disappointing”.
In August 2020, police raided Al Jazeera’s Kuala Lumpur office and seized two computers following the government’s announcement of an investigation against the international news agency for sedition, defamation and violation of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The investigation was related to a “101 East” programme that aired on July 3 the same year, which examined the government’s treatment of undocumented migrant workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Four of Al Jazeera’s journalists from the “101 East” team had their work permits cancelled and were told to go home.
Separately, Fahmi said the Cabinet has given his ministry the green light to conduct a review of the Communications and Multimedia Act.
He said his ministry will engage with various stakeholders, including the telecommunications industry, to look at aspects that may require improvement under the Act.
“This is a continuation of the policy decided around August 2022 before the dissolution of Parliament, so today, the Cabinet agreed in principle that this ministry can examine the relevant Acts to see what aspects need to be improved, corrected, and strengthened,” he said.
Fahmi also said he and his deputy, Teo Ni Ching, had met with representatives from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) during the NGO’s five-day visit to Malaysia.
“It was a good opportunity to understand their (RSF’s) perspective, what they are working towards, as they see Malaysia as one of the most forward-looking in terms of media freedom,” he said.