GEORGE TOWN: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil criticised the statement of Bersatu supreme council member Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan who blamed him for Malaysia’s decline within the Press Freedom Index for this yr.
Fahmi questioned the actions of the Tasek Gelugor MP for issuing a statement concerning the rating of the index by evaluating Malaysia and Israel.
“Israel killed Gazans. Why do you (Wan Saiful) need to examine Malaysia with Israel? Wan Saiful Wan Jan stated we’re worse than Israel.
“We didn’t kill anybody. So far, no journalists have been arrested or thrown in jail and never even a single newspaper has been closed,“ he stated after visiting the Ministry of Communications’ stall together with the MADANI Rakyat 2024 North Zone Programme on the Sungai Nibong Pesta web site close to right here right now.
The 2024 World Press Freedom Index report revealed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) yesterday confirmed that Malaysia’s place within the Press Freedom Index fell 34 locations in contrast to 73 final yr, with a rating of 52.07 factors.
Wan Saiful was reported to have stated that Malaysia’s rating of 107th within the Press Freedom Index is worse than Israel’s rating of a hundred and first, in addition to blaming Fahmi for the decline within the rating.
In relation to that, Fahmi who can be the spokesperson of the Unity Government urged Wan Saiful to think first before making a statement as a result of Malaysia had skilled a darkish democratic interval through the earlier Perikatan Nasional (PN) authorities.
“If you need to propagate brother Wan Saiful, I hope brother Wan Saiful thinks about what occurred through the PN period (as authorities). Parliament is closed and this isn’t propaganda, that is reality. It will not be the newspaper that’s closed however the Parliament itself is closed.
“So, before Wan Saiful wants to say extra, he (Wan Saiful) ought to realise that the darkest period of democracy in Malaysia was through the time of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who’s the chief of his social gathering,“ he stated.
