Media rights groups were alarmed by Putrajaya’s purported proposal to amend the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984, which included imposing a licensing requirement for online media.

In a joint statement today, National Union Journalists Malaysia (NUJM), Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), and Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) condemned the move and labelled it another form of restricting press freedom.