17 appointed as Malaysian Media Council pro tem committee members

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 16): The formation of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) received a major boost today with the appointment of 17 representatives from the print, electronic and online media, local and foreign media, journalist associations, and non-governmental organisations as members of its pro tem committee.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced the appointments at a meeting on the MMC which he chaired at the Ministry here today.

Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran has been appointed the pro tem committee chairman.

“The pro tem committee was formed following the decision of the Cabinet on Dec 6 which agreed with the proposal to set up the media council as a self-regulatory body,” he said at a press conference after the meeting.

Gobind said the appointment of the 17 members was the first step taken in line with a promise in Pakatan Harapan’s 14th general election manifesto to form the media council comprising leading members of the media fraternity.

“The decision is a major step as now efforts to set up the MMC have started moving after being postponed for so long. I understand that the idea for the council was first brought up and discussed 45 years ago,” he said.