PUTRAJAYA: Journalists may pose any question to Cabinet ministers as part of their job scope and in return, they should respond with decorum and openness, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic).
The government spokesman said this was conveyed to all ministers during the Cabinet meeting yesterday, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fahmi was referring to a viral video of Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming telling off a reporter from Utusan Malaysia for asking a question during a press conference on Thursday.
The Communications Minister also said that he personally feels Nga should meet representatives from the Malay daily to resolve the matter.
“I am seriously looking into the issue as raised by journalist groups, namely National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Geramm.
“I have contacted him (Nga) and he has provided an explanation.
“During the Cabinet meeting, I have made it clear that the stand of the government is the media can pose any question to all ministers as part of their duty,” Fahmi said this during his weekly post-Cabinet briefing to reporters yesterday.
He said any response from the ministers should be with “decorum, respect and openness”.
“I leave it to the minister to follow up on his actions,” said Fahmi when asked if Nga should apologise to Utusan Malaysia.
Regarding any directive for ministers not to threaten reporters by contacting the upper management of media organisations, Fahmi said no such directives were issued during the Cabinet meeting.
“Even the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) was asked all kinds of questions,” he added.
On Thursday, Nga drew brickbats for reprimanding a reporter at the pre-launch of the “I Lite U” project after he was purportedly asked why the name of the programme was in English instead of Malay.
Following this, NUJ said it was unethical for the minister to rebuke a journalist during a press conference, calling it an “attempt to intimidate the media”.
On other matters, Fahmi said the Cabinet also discussed the possibility of licensing online games such as Roblox.
“I have met their representatives based in Australia and South Korea and told them that the government is seriously looking into the matter, especially after a recent case of a seven-year-old slashing his younger brother over allegations of being addicted to the game.
“I have barred my own child from playing Roblox.
“We will consider views from all parties, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is also monitoring online games and looking at safety features for online apps on gadgets.
“We do not want to take a knee-jerk action on one online game.
“For now, Roblox has stated that AI will be used for identification purposes,” he said, adding that there are 80 million Roblox players worldwide and a significant number is in Malaysia.
The minister said online games are currently not licensed but the authorities are looking into age verification to keep minors safe.
Fahmi said the ministry is also looking into the OMI app, following a report from a 12-year-old girl, who claimed she was mistreated by an older man she met through the platform.
“MCMC will summon the developer of the OMI app soon to explain.
“This app must come under a regulatory oversight because we cannot allow such an incident to recur,” he said, adding that MCMC is currently reviewing the app.
Separately, the Housing and Local Government Ministry, in a statement, said offering courteous corrections to ensure factual accuracy and mutual understanding is a form of cooperation used to achieve the objective of government policies and programmes.
It said those responding to questions should also be given the space to provide answers to each query raised.
“The ministry always respects media freedom and appreciates the role it plays in delivering accurate information to the people.
“We appreciate the contributions of local and international media for the coverage given and respects the freedom for reporters to ask questions during press conferences,” it added.
