KUALA PILAH: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hopes that Malaysia's media coverage during its Asean chairmanship will effectively reach media organisations across the region.
He said this includes news reports from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), which serve as the official media and broadcaster for Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship.
"In terms of news coverage, I see that Bernama is fulfilling its role well as the official media coordinator, while RTM is carrying out its duties effectively as the official broadcaster. Coverage is progressing smoothly, with our focus now on the Asean Summit.
"Our first event, the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on Jan 18 and 19, alhamdulillah, was successfully conducted,” he said after visiting Kampung Tebat Kering here, which he has adopted under a community initiative.
Fahmi, who is also Lembah Pantai MP, said there is a need to strengthen media relations between Malaysia and other Asean countries, not only among government media agencies but also with other media organisations across the region.
"That is why I believe we should organise a gathering of Asean media representatives in conjunction with National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) this May.
"I hope this media gathering will foster stronger ties and facilitate wider dissemination of news and reports across Southeast Asia,” he said.
On Jan 23, Fahmi, who also serves as the unity government spokesperson, announced that this year’s Hawana will serve as a platform to bring together media organisations from across Asean to enhance collaboration and address current industry challenges.
He said media practitioners from Asean countries will be invited to participate in several programmes held in conjunction with Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship.
Meanwhile, Fahmi expressed his hope that the adopted village programme will continue in the future to help address various issues faced by participating villages, particularly those related to socio-economic development and infrastructure.
"Each ministry has been asked to adopt a village, and even government department and agency heads are encouraged to do the same. The focus will be on improving infrastructure and addressing local needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kampung Tebat Kering Village Development and Security Committee chairman Raja Azhar Raja Aziz, 53, described the selection of the village, which has over 1,200 residents, as a "valuable opportunity" for the local community.
"With this selection, we hope to see significant improvements, especially in terms of infrastructure development that will benefit our residents,” he said.
In October last year, Fahmi announced Kampung Tebat Kering as his adopted village under the "One Leader, One Village" programme, also known as Santuni Madani, to ensure that various community needs are well addressed. - Bernama
