Wahai Najib, Bebaskanlah Media!

Hari Kebebasan Media jatuh pada tanggal 3 Mei setiap tahun. Bersempena dengan perlantikan Datuk Seri Najib Razak sebagai Perdana Menteri baru, kita mungkin tertanya-tanya apakah halatuju media di mata beliau.

Dalam sebuah Negara yang berpegang kepada demokrasi yang digembar-gemburkan oleh kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN), amalan media yang bebas menjadi pegangan.

Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, Malaysia mempunyai akta khusus bagi mencengkam kebebasan tersebut. Akta Percetakan dan Penerbitan menjadi kekangan dalam perihal ini. Sebarang penerbitan termaktub dalam akta ini termasuk pihak kerajaan mempunyai kuasa bagi menetapkan syarat-syarat penerbitan tersebut.

Semasa pilihan raya umum yang lalu, pengundi telah member isyarat yang agak kuat bahawa mereka mahukan media yang lebih bebas. Mengikut beberapa kajian yang dijalankan, tujuh hari sebelum pemilihan, New Straits Time memaparkan 17 halamannya mengutuk parti alternatif khususnya Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Ini mendatangkan impak yang disebalik kerana kecaman-kecaman yang berlebihan tersebut bukan hanya telah menimbulkan rasa marah pengundi malah telah mendatangkan rasa belas kepada bekas Perdana Menteri itu.

Baru-baru ini semasa persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri di Perak 7 Mei, had telah diberikan kepada media maya. Sekatan tersebut diberikan oleh kerajaan BN Perak. Pendekatan tersebut amat bertentangan dengan konsep “1 Malaysia” yang diperkenalkan oleh Perdana Menteri.

Sekurang-kurangnya, bekas Perdana Menteri, Abdullah Badawi telah mula member kelonggaran kepada media maya dalam menghadiri majlis-majlis rasmi kerajaan. Tetapi, sekarang nampaknya tahap media kembali selangkah demi selangkah ke belakang.


Selain itu, kerajaan pusat juga mengguakan Akta Multimedia dan Kumunikasi dan Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) bagi member ugutan kepada blogger dan pihak yang turut serta dalam memberi komen di dalam beberapa laman.

Semasa kemelut perampasan kuasa kerajaan perak, Kementerian Multimedia dan Komunikasi telah mengambil tindakan yang tidak diplomatik dengan mendakwa blogger.

Pada September 2008, satu lagi penghakisan dalam kebebasan media apabila Raja Petra Kamarudin (pengendali laman Malaysia-Today ), Teresa Kok (anggota exco negeri Selangor) dan Tan Hoon Cheng (wartawan) dikenakan tindakan di bawah ISA. Raja Petra kini sedang dalam perlindungan kerana khuatir akan dikenakan di bawah akta yang sama buat kali ketiga.

Apa yang diharapkan di bawah pimpinan Najib, langkah pertama yang beliau perlu ambil ialah dengan menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Pemilihan parlimen bagi mengkaji semula undang-undang yang mencengkam media di Negara ini.

Labels: Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, Anwar Ibrahim, Barisan Nasional, BN, freedom of information act, ISA, malaysia today, media, najib tun razak, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, perak, PKR, raja petra, teresa kok

Anonymous merepek ... permalink ... 5/02/2009 08:43:00 pm ... 1 blast off

 

 

Freedom of Information Act - A Proposal

Last night (19 Mar), I was invited by a group who called themselves CSI-Parliament (Civil Society Intitatives).

I was at the meeting representing MP for Kelana Jaya, Loh Gwo-Burne who is now in Shanghai settling his backlog businesses in that country.

Besides me, other MPs attended the session were from Serdang and Subang. State Assemblymen from Bukit Gasing and Bukit Tunku were also present.

Among other things we discussed were the draft bill of Information Act. I found it very interesting but it is contradicted to Official Secrecy Act (OSA).

Before we can implement this Bill, we need to make sure that draconian laws like OSA to be abolished.

The Act

Freedom of nformation Act is an act to promote maximum disclosure of information in the public interest, to guarantee the right of everyone to access information, and to provide for effective mechanisms to secure that right.

Recalling that the right to access information held by public authorities is included in the right to seek, receive and impart information, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

Stressing that public bodies hold information not for themselves but on behalf of the public;

Recognising the fundamental importance of open and transparent government, and the right to access information to participatory democracy, in controlling corruption, in promoting public accountability and good governance, and to promoting personal dignity.

It also includes:

PART II
THE RIGHT TO ACCESS INFORMATION HELD BY PUBLIC BODIES
4. Freedom of Information
5. General Right of Access
6. Legislation Prohibiting or Restricting Disclosure
7. Public and Private Bodies
8. Records
8. Request for Information
9. Time Limits for Responding to Requests
10. Notice of Response
11. Fees
12. Means of Communicating Information
13. If a Record is Not Held
14. Vexatious, Repetitive or Unreasonable Requests

PART III
MEASURES TO PROMOTE OPENNESS
15. Guide to Using the Act
16. Information Officer
17. Publication Schemes
18. Maintenance of Records
19. Reports to the State Information Commission

PART IV
EXCEPTIONS
20. Public Interest Override
21. Information Already Publicly Available
22. Severability
23. Personal Information
24. Legal Privilege

25. Commercial and Confidential Information
26. Health and Safety
27. Law Enforcement
28. Defence and Security
29. Policy Making and Operations of Public Bodies
30. Time Limits


PART V
THE INFORMATION COMMISSION
31. Appointment of the Information Commission
32. Independence and Powers
33. Salary and Expenses
34. Staff
35. General Activities
36. Reports
37. Protection of the Commissioners

PART VI
ENFORCEMENT BY THE COMMISSION
38. Complaint to the Commission
39. Decision on the Complaint
40. Direct Implementation of Decision
41. Commission’s Powers to Investigate
42. Appeal from Commission’s Decisions and Orders
43. Binding Nature of Commission’s Decisions and Orders

PART VII
WHISTLEBLOWERS
44. Whistleblowers

PART VIII
CRIMINAL AND CIVIL RESPONSIBILITY
45. Good Faith Disclosures
46. Criminal Offences

PART IX
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
47. Regulations
48. Interpretation of Provision by Court

Labels: freedom of information act

Anonymous merepek ... permalink ... 3/20/2008 01:21:00 pm ... 3 blast off