State Media Clubs Receive RM10,000 Each, GKMM RM30,000 - Fahmi

BUTTERWORTH, June 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Communications is contributing RM10,000 to each state media club that is a member of the Malaysian Media Clubs Association (GKMM), while the association itself is getting RM30,000 to carry out activities and programmes related to the welfare of journalists.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil hopes that the contributions would be utilised as best as possible for the benefit of media practitioners.

“For every state media club that is currently a member of GKMM, I am announcing a contribution of RM10,000, and for GKMM, this year I am giving RM30,000. Use it as best as possible for activities and programmes.

“GKMM is an important platform in raising media practitioners’ concerns, highlighting welfare issues and conveying their hopes regarding the future of the country’s journalism industry,” he said when speaking at the Malaysia Media Retreat Programme 2.0 here today.

Also present were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and Bernama editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.

Fahmi said journalists play a crucial role as witnesses to events, gathering information from primary sources and processing it into news through discipline, experience and skills.

“Journalists cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). Without journalists, there is no news. So, that is my commitment as well as that of the Communications Ministry: to ensure that journalists’ jobs can be preserved,” he said.

Fahmi said that although GKMM is not a workers’ union, it can still play a role in communicating the issues faced by media practitioners so that the government can consider appropriate forms of assistance.

He added that the government will also continue to seek the views of media practitioners in formulating policies, as was done during the drafting of the Malaysian Media Council Act, which was largely formed based on the suggestions and views of the media industry.

-- BERNAMA