In the “Freedom of Information – Your Right to Know” forum, you have the chance to ask Members of Parliament and renowned academics about the current state of freedom of information in Malaysia. This forum is the first in a series of public fora entitled “MPs in Conversation” featuring Members of Parliament and commentators, and is conducted by the Bar Council Constitutional Law Committee in collaboration with The Nut Graph and with the support of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. The “MPs in Conversation” series is held in conjunction with the release of The Nut Graph’s book “Understanding the Dewan Rakyat” in March 2011.
Date: 29 July 2011 (Friday)
Time: 8pm to 10pm
Venue: Auditorium, Bar Council, Level 1, No 15 Leboh Pasar Besar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.
Speakers
Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament (Klang)
Professor Abu Bakar b Munir
Khairy Jamaluddin, Member of Parliament (Rembau)
Moderator
Masjaliza Hamzah (Centre for Independent Journalism)
Admission is free.
To register, please download the registration form.
The banning of books. The censorship of news. Restricted access to public records. Control over what the media can print and air. Are these restrictions justified?
Article 10 of the Federal Constitution states that, subject to certain conditions, “Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression”.
However, access to public information and records in Malaysia is restricted by laws such as the Official Secrets Act 1972, Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, Sedition Act 1949 and Internal Security Act 1960. The free flow of information through the media, particularly the mainstream media, is also restricted by legislation.
Should the Government police what we write, read, view and disseminate?
The coverage of the BERSIH 2.0 rally of 9 July 2011 demonstrates how reporting on the same event by the mainstream media on the one hand, and by the Internet and social media on the other, can be contradictory: Were there 5,000 or 50,000 protestors in the streets of Kuala Lumpur? Were the protestors violent? Were the security forces violent? Which is the truth, and do you have a right to know?