KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 – The Ministry of Communications has prepared a draft Cabinet Memorandum (MJM) regarding the bill to establish the Malaysian Media Council (MMC), said its Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said the MJM which contains proposals as well as policies related to the bill will be tabled to the Cabinet, and the ministry will then inform the MMC pro-tem committee regarding the Cabinet’s decision.
“If the pro-tem committee agrees with the direction of the bill, we will send the draft MMC bill to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for approval,” she said after attending a special briefing at Wisma Bernama on Thursday
“Once approved by the AGC, the draft will be presented again to the Cabinet and once approved, and we (the Communications Ministry) can take it to Parliament.”
Previously, Teo said the ministry expected the bill for the establishment of the MMC, which among other things outlined the regulatory mechanism of the media industry, to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat sitting this March.
When asked whether the bill could be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat sitting from Feb 26 to March 27, Teo said the ministry was optimistic the bill could be presented according to the expected timeline.
“The process is still ongoing…there is a small window for us to present it this March. I cannot deny that there may be delays here and there, if we do not have time to present it this March, we will present it at the sitting in June, ” she added.
