Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said he took the matter seriously and stressed that the government’s position is that reporters have the right to ask questions as part of their responsibility to the public.
“Every response given must be delivered with courtesy and openness. There must be mutual respect between the media and the government,” he told a post-Cabinet meeting press conference here today.
Asked whether an apology was necessary, Fahmi only said that Nga and his team would address the matter.
Earlier today, UCSI University’s Tajuddin Rasdi advised Nga to apologise, stating that he saw no harm in the minister saying sorry over what he described as “a misunderstanding of intentions” to quickly put the matter to rest.
Nga drew brickbats for reprimanding an Utusan Malaysia reporter at the pre-launch of the “I Lite U” project in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after he was purportedly asked why the name of the programme was in English instead of Malay.
The DAP minister responded by asking the name of the media company the reporter was from, and said he would “call your chief editors because this concerns national interests”.
He said the project was aimed at attracting tourists ahead of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, and the English name would give foreign visitors a “sense of belonging”.
Engagement with Omi app’s operators
In a separate development, Fahmi said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has been instructed to review and summon the operators of the Omi app in the near future.
He said this was to seek clarification following a report involving a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly molested by a man after getting acquainted through the app.
“We need an explanation on what measures, mechanisms, and age verification systems are currently in place.
“Moving forward, we will also consider implementing electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification using government-issued documents such as MyKad, passports, and MyDigital ID to verify users’ age and identity,” he said.