Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said this followed a change in J-Kom’s vision and mission to ensure that the department could “fulfil current needs and take on future challenges”.

“Among the department’s new functions is ensuring that information related to government policies is effectively communicated at the community level.

“J-Kom will also function to strengthen the relationship between races through various programmes and activities. This is important to ensure social stability and alleviate conflicts that may arise due to differences in opinion,” he said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply.

Fahmi added that the department’s new direction was aimed at focusing on inclusive and effective communications in view of the nation’s diverse society.

Former PKR senator Ismail Yusop was appointed as J-Kom director-general last month, replacing former Paya Jaras assemblyman Khairuddin Othman who was removed in September 2024.

Khairuddin had replaced Agus Yusoff, who resigned in November 2023 amid controversy surrounding an alleged lewd conversation between him and another man.

There were previously calls for the government to abolish the department or overhaul its operations, particularly since some of its functions seemed to overlap with that of other agencies.

In 2020, Pakatan Harapan MPs claimed that J-Kom was essentially a rebranded Jasa (special affairs department), which in the past was deemed Putrajaya’s propaganda arm.