Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi, a former journalist herself, cited how Malaysia was “among the worst” in the world in terms of press freedom, ranking 113 out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2022 report.

In a statement, she pointed out that the Pakatan Harapan government had come up with a report and draft bill on the formation of a media council, prior to the change of administration in 2020.

“The RSF report rightly pointed out that we are now in a new era of polarisation. Therefore, it is crucial for us to mitigate the impact of such polarisation in Malaysia’s multiracial society.

“The way forward is not to impede freedom of expression and media but to provide a safe space and encourage civil but frank conversations. Honesty and transparency are crucial for reconciliation, just as suppression and secrecy promote polarisation.

“As such, DAP calls upon the federal government to immediately form the long overdue independent media council as a self-regulating body to facilitate, protect and regulate responsible media freedom in this country,” she said.

Wong added that it was important to promote digital and media literacy so that members of the public could become “informed and intelligent” consumers of information.

RSF released its 2022 world press freedom index yesterday, with Malaysia reportedly ranking higher at 113 compared to 119 last year.

However, Malaysia’s press freedom score decreased from 60.53 in 2020 to 51.55 this year.