KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has urged the government to repeal laws that restrict freedom of expression after the country dropped 34 places in the World Press Freedom Index this year to 107th place.

Its director Wathshlah G. Naidu said the government has made little progress on repealing and amending laws that restrict media freedom despite promises made by Pakatan Harapan during its general election campaign in 2022.

"The government continues to suppress journalists from critical and unbiased reporting as archaic values remain true in political institutions. As the Reporters Without Borders posits, draconian legislation continues to be prominently used in the government to both uphold their agenda of the day and said archaic values.

"Malaysia sees the press living under a culture of threat and fear due to not only these draconian laws but also the government’s unilateral ability to use several other methods to suppress voices as they revoked the media passes of PAS mouthpiece, Harakah, and blocked the alternative media outlet websites of MalaysiaNow, Malaysia Today, Wee Choo Keong’s blog, TV Pertiwi, and UtusanTV.

"Online censorship continues to persist in Malaysia even amidst the move to online platforms, further perpetuating the prevalence of the taboo of 3R and the ability of journalists to speak on important issues related to public interest,” she said in a statement today.

Wathshlah said laws like the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984, Sedition Act 1949, Official Secrets Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, while not directly used against media in 2023, promoted self-censorship due to fear of legal repercussions and institutional red tape.

The CIJ urged the government to amend or repeal the laws, as well as Section 203A, 298A, 500, 504 and 505(b) the Penal Code.

"A moratorium should be in place whilst working on reform using these laws while undergoing reform initiatives,” she said, while also urging the government to expedite the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) which has been approved by the Cabinet.

She said it was a positive move that the MMC had been approved, but that it must be free from government intervention, including its decision-making mechanisms, and adequately resourced.

"2023 was a year where the new unity Madani government had its first full year in power. Though this brought expectations for reform and a sense of optimism, it is salient that Malaysia still faces many challenges and has shown not only stagnancy when it comes to media freedom but also a level of regression.

"Malaysia and its government must seek to improve its bleak RSF World Press Freedom Index ranking.

"It is clear there is still much work to be done, change needs to happen and Malaysia cannot remain stagnant,” she said, adding that CIJ will be releasing a Media Landscape report soon with views on how to better arm the public with the knowledge needed to enact this change.