Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia’s drop in this year’s World Press Freedom Index was influenced by several international assessment indicators, including enforcement actions taken against certain media organisations.
However, Anwar stressed that the actions were not aimed at curbing press freedom or suppressing differing political views, but were instead directed at content involving the 3R issues — race, religion and royalty — as well as matters affecting national security.
He said actions involving media organisations such as Sin Chew Daily over the publication of an inaccurate illustration of the Jalur Gemilang, and Sinar Harian over the publication of the Inspector-General of Police’s biography, had contributed to Malaysia’s ranking in the index.
“The action against Sin Chew was viewed as a major issue in the global media community because it was seen as a violation of press freedom. But when it comes to the national flag, we take the matter seriously. Other countries may not see it the same way.
“When action is taken against an established media organisation, it immediately affects the (press freedom) index,” he said during the Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.
Responding to a question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar said the government remains guided by the position agreed upon with the Conference of Rulers in addressing reports involving insults against the royal institution and content that could incite racial or religious tensions.
He stressed that action is not taken against content containing inaccurate facts or political criticism alone. Instead, the government prioritises providing clarification to the public, including through explanations in Parliament.
Anwar also said the government has strengthened the country’s legal framework through amendments to Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, under which satirical remarks directed at the Prime Minister or other leaders are no longer classified as criminal offences.
He noted that the methodology used by Reporters Without Borders assesses countries based on multiple indicators, including the political environment, legal framework, economic conditions, socio-cultural context and security.
The Prime Minister added that the index is also influenced by content moderation decisions made by social media platforms, which are often based on user complaints rather than government directives.
As an example, Anwar said one of his own social media posts relating to Hamas had previously been removed by a platform despite the government’s disagreement with the decision.
He added that actions taken by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission do not necessarily determine whether content is removed, as the final decision rests with the respective social media platforms’ policies.
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