PUTRAJAYA: Members of the media have the right to question Cabinet ministers as part of their job, and in return, ministers should accept queries and respond with decorum and openness, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The government spokesman said that this was conveyed to all ministers during the Cabinet meeting on Friday (Oct 31) after a video of Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming telling off an Utusan Malaysia reporter for asking a question during a press conference went viral.
At his weekly post-Cabinet briefing to the media here, Fahmi also said he personally felt that Nga should meet Utusan Malaysia representatives to clear the air.
"I am seriously looking into the issue of the action of a minister, as raised by journalists' groups, namely the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Geramm.
"I have contacted the said minister and he has explained.
"During the Cabinet meeting, I have made it clear that the stand of the government is that the media has a right to question all ministers as part of their duty.
"Any response from the ministers should be with decorum, respect and openness.
"I leave it to the minister to follow up," he added.
Fahmi said that while no specific Cabinet directive was issued to ministers not to threaten journalists, the government's stand is that the media can ask any questions in their line of duty.
"Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gets asked all kinds of questions," he said.
Nga drew brickbats on Thursday (Oct 30) for reprimanding an Utusan Malaysia reporter at the pre-launch of the "I Lite U" project in Kuala Lumpur after he was apparently asked why the programme's name was in English instead of Bahasa Malaysia.
Nga then responded by asking the name of the reporter's media company and saying he would "call your chief editors because this concerns national interests".
The NUJ then stated that it was unethical for the minister to reprimand a journalist during a press conference, calling it an attempt to intimidate the media.
