KUALA LUMPUR: Several lawmakers today called for the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) to be further empowered to become a global news agency and Malaysia’s voice on the international stage.
Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang), for one, said Bernama, as a news agency, has an important role in reporting accurate news not only domestically, but also at the ASEAN and international levels.
“If the Minister of Communications can initiate this change, it would be good...so that Bernama can play on a broader level, at the ASEAN level, at the global level,” he said when debating the BERNAMA (Amendment) Bill 2024 at the Dewan Rakyat today.
In fact, Hassan said that if Bernama’s role is strengthened, Malaysia’s voice as 2025 ASEAN Chairman, including in addressing global humanitarian issues such as the conflict in Gaza, could be clearly heard by the world community.
He also cited the example of Doha-based Al Jazeera and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which had become global news references.
Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah), on the other hand, expressed hope that Bernama could play a more active and proactive role in digital media today.
He said the government needed to look at improvements to make Bernama’s social media platforms the people’s first choice because the news agency played an important role in tackling fake news.
Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baharu) also agreed that Bernama should be prepared to face the digital transformation trend and fierce competition among media organisations in this country in delivering authentic news that the people trust.
“I welcome the government’s efforts in improving the quality of Bernama towards becoming a leader in publishing more authoritative news and content,” he said.
The bill to amend the BERNAMA Act 1967 (Act 780), the first to be made since the act was enacted in 1967, was then passed with a majority voice vote from the Members of Parliament.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil when tabling the bill for the second reading earlier, said that it was aimed at making the media industry more inclusive and ensuring a new, more dynamic composition in line with the current developments and needs of the media industry.
He said the bill does not just offer reforms to the media and digital landscape, but will also make the government’s communication aspects more effective in facing current challenges.
The bill seeks, among others, to amend Section 2 of the principal Act by inserting the following definition of media organisation as “any entity carrying on the activity of dissemination of news or news material through newspapers, publications, radio, television, or any other forms of mass communication, including electronic or digital platforms”.
