Top 5 at 5: Heading Toward An Independent Media Ecosystem

Parliament has finally passed the Malaysian Media Council Bill, which aims to establish an independent body to oversee matters within media like censorship and ethics. We speak to Premesh Chandran, the pro tem commitee chairperson of Malaysian Media Council about the process to get here, compromises along the way, and why this move is significant in the path to media freedom.

Other stories we covered:

• Missing teens in Malaysia: Over the past decade, more than 20,000 people have been reported missing in Malaysia, with nearly 14,000 of them being children under 18, and most of them being female. We heard thoughts from Anujah Pulanthiran, a senior lecturer at HELP University’s Department of Psychology.

• Return of the African Swine Fever: Over 70,000 pigs have been infected with the virus, and this has resulted in an order to cull the pigs on these farms. Virologist Prof Dr Chee Hui Yee from Universiti Putra Malaysia weighs in.

• Safe spaces for the Bornean pygmy elephants: Sabah's state government has announced a new elephant sanctuary in Lower Kinabatangan last month, aimed to protect elephants and boost eco-tourism. Not everyone is on board, with concerns over profits being prioritised over elephant welfare. We speak with Dr Nurzhafarina Othman, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Director of Seratu Aatai.

• Popek Popek Parlimen: Today's focus was on latest developments to Kuala Lumpur, including plans to elevate street performers and congestion management.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Presenter: Lee Chwi Lynn, Dashran Yohan

Producer: Alia Zefri, Dashran Yohan, Juliet Jacobs, Lim Sue Ann, Sneha Harikannan

missing teens african swine fever press freedom media freedom animal welfare kl infrastructure busking parliament dewan rakyat missing cases

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