KUCHING: Journalists have the freedom to carry out their duties with integrity without facing pressure or interference from parties with certain interests, said Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi said that he takes this matter seriously and upholds the right of journalists to report in order to ensure the public has access to accurate and transparent information.
“I do not agree with and I condemn any actions to threaten the safety of journalists. We must always maintain ethics, while also recognising the very important role of journalists.
“Even if we disagree with a particular report, there are proper ways to respond, and we should use those channel to express our views… we must not resort to actions that are beyond the law,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters after paying a courtesy call on Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, at the Astana Negeri Sarawak here on Friday.
This matter was addressed concerning allegations from the President of the Malaysian Indian Journalists Association (MIJA), Gunalan Maniam, who said that several Tamil portal journalists were victims of defamatory attacks by leaders and politicians.
“I have not yet received full information about the incident, but I have requested some information to be forwarded to me.
“I am prepared to meet with both parties, the journalists who are alleged to have been threatened and the parties accused of making threats.
“So, I want to clearly understand what actually happened and will seek the best possible resolution,” he added.
