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“There is no fixed policy to reduce or increase the number of newspapers,” added the deputy minister.

Under Mahathir, it was about quantity like the number of tall buildings. Under Pak Lah, it is about quality. —Rehman Rashid of the New Straits Times

It’s all a far cry from just three months ago, when senior mainstream editors, perhaps sensing that the new administration might be more amenable to press reforms, publicly urged the government to liberalize press laws. The editors’ unexpected call for liberalization came at a May 2 World Press Freedom Day forum entitled “Testing the Limits”, organized by the conservative National Union of Journalists, which is dominated by journalists from the pro-establishment media.

Wong Chun Wai, deputy group editor of the top-selling English language daily, The Star, raised eyebrows then when he urged the government to repeal the 1984 Printing Presses and Publications Act, or PPPA.

Critics say this repressive legislation deters press freedom by making it mandatory for both publishers and printers to apply for a new license each year.

Wong pointed out that if the PPPA was not repealed, it would become obsolete one day with the advent of new technology such as the Internet.

Another prominent editor, Zainon Ahmad, the group chief editor of Malaysia’s second-largest English-language daily, The Sun, proposed that the licensing requirement be scrapped.

Alternatively, he suggested that it could be replaced by a one-off license—with no renewals needed—that could be revoked if any rules were flouted.

But the editors’ calls have led to nowhere and it seems that strict controls on the press enforced through virtual one-party rule, crony ownership of most media outlets, and a pervasive climate of self-censorship are set to remain in the country.

Over the years, the Malaysian government has reminded the mainstream media of their social responsibility as partners with the government in collective nation-building.

Media analyst Mustafa K Anuar points out that the “politics of developmentalism”, which promotes material well-being, and the increasing commercialization of the media industry have eroded the rights of citizens.

Increasingly, he said, the Malaysian media is focusing on consumers with purchasing power rather than citizens with a broad range of rights.

“The only Malaysians who seem to matter these days are those with purchasing power,” argues Mustafa. “But the rights of those who are marginalized have been unfortunately overlooked.”

Inter Press Service (IPS)