Majlis media bimbang tindakan berulang terhadap wartawan Malaysiakini / Media council concerned over repeated actions against Malaysiakini journalist

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Majlis Media Malaysia (MMM) memandang serius laporan bahawa kediaman wartawan Malaysiakini, B Nantha Kumar, telah digeledah polis berhubung laporan mengenai cadangan sistem pengambilan pekerja asing.

Perkara ini lebih membimbangkan kerana ia menyusul siasatan terdahulu terhadap wartawan sama, yang sebelum ini telah dipanggil memberi keterangan berhubung laporan berkaitan isu sama di bawah Seksyen 203A Kanun Keseksaan dan Seksyen 233 Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia.

MMM menghormati kuasa pihak berkuasa untuk menjalankan siasatan.

Namun, apabila tindakan penguatkuasaan berulang dikenakan terhadap wartawan berhubung laporan berkepentingan awam, ia menimbulkan persoalan serius mengenai kesan menakutkan terhadap kerja kewartawanan, khususnya pelaporan penyiasatan.

Isu pekerja asing, tadbir urus sistem pengambilan pekerja, kos industri dan kebajikan pekerja migran adalah perkara berkepentingan awam. Wartawan tidak wajar dilayan seolah-olah melakukan kesalahan jenayah hanya kerana melaporkan perkara yang tidak selesa kepada pihak tertentu.

MMM juga mengambil perhatian bahawa Nantha sebelum ini pernah berdepan tindakan berkaitan laporan mengenai sindiket pekerja migran, termasuk kes pada 2025 yang turut menimbulkan kebimbangan kumpulan media terhadap tekanan ke atas kewartawanan penyiasatan.

Dalam hal ini, MMM menegaskan bahawa pertikaian terhadap kandungan berita sepatutnya terlebih dahulu ditangani melalui hak jawab, pembetulan, saluran aduan organisasi media dan mekanisme kawal selia kendiri – bukan serta-merta melalui pendekatan jenayah atau tindakan yang boleh dilihat sebagai intimidasi.

Menjelang Hari Kebebasan Akhbar Sedunia pada 3 Mei, kes ini menjadi peringatan bahawa komitmen terhadap kebebasan media tidak boleh hanya dizahirkan melalui slogan atau acara rasmi. Ia mesti diterjemahkan melalui cara negara melayan wartawan ketika mereka menjalankan tugas, terutamanya dalam laporan berkepentingan awam.

MMM menyeru pihak polis dan semua agensi penguatkuasaan supaya menghentikan pendekatan yang boleh menekan wartawan dalam menjalankan tugas sah mereka, memastikan siasatan dijalankan secara berkadar dan telus, menghormati perlindungan sumber, serta menjelaskan keperluan tindakan penggeledahan terhadap kediaman wartawan.

MMM bersedia memainkan peranan sebagai ruang rujukan dan penyelesaian institusi bagi pertikaian media. Kebebasan media bukan lesen untuk bertindak tanpa tanggungjawab, tetapi tanggungjawab media juga tidak boleh dijadikan alasan untuk menjenayahkan kerja kewartawanan. – MMM

English version

MMC concerned over repeated actions against Malaysiakini journalist over news reporting

The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) views with serious concern reports that the residence of Malaysiakini journalist, B Nantha Kumar, was searched by the police in connection with his reporting on a proposed foreign worker recruitment system.

This development is particularly troubling as it follows an earlier investigation involving the same journalist, who had previously been called in to provide a statement regarding reports on the same issue under Section 203A of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

The MMC respects the authority of enforcement agencies to carry out investigations. However, when repeated enforcement actions are taken against a journalist in relation to reporting on matters of public interest, it raises serious concerns about the chilling effect on journalistic work, particularly investigative reporting.

Issues relating to foreign workers, the governance of recruitment systems, industry costs and the welfare of migrant workers are matters of public interest. Journalists should not be treated as though they have committed a criminal offence simply for reporting on issues that may be uncomfortable to certain parties.

The MMC also notes that Nantha had previously faced action in relation to his reporting on migrant worker syndicates, including a case in 2025 that raised concerns among media groups regarding pressure on investigative journalism.

In this regard, the MMC emphasises that disputes over news content should first be addressed through the right of reply, corrections, internal media complaints channels and self-regulatory mechanisms rather than immediate recourse to criminal measures or actions that may be perceived as intimidation.

In the lead-up to World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, this case serves as a reminder that commitment to media freedom cannot be expressed solely through slogans or official events. It must be reflected in how a country treats journalists in the course of their duties, particularly when reporting on matters of public interest.

The MMC calls on the police and all enforcement agencies to cease approaches that may pressure journalists in the discharge of their legitimate duties, to ensure that investigations are conducted in a proportionate and transparent manner, to respect the protection of sources, and to clearly justify the necessity of search actions involving journalists’ residences.

The MMC stands ready to play its role as an institutional platform for reference and resolution of media-related disputes. Media freedom is not a licence to act without responsibility, but neither should responsibility be used as a pretext to criminalise journalism. – MMM

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