COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY TO CONTINUE PRIORITISING WELFARE OF MEDIA PRACTITIONERS - FAHMI

KOTA BHARU, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- The Communications Ministry will continue to prioritise the welfare and needs of media practitioners, including by extending donations and necessary assistance to those facing life’s difficulties.

Minister Fahmi Fadzi said this includes ensuring that all part-time journalists or stringers could also enjoy the benefit of the Bernama-Socso social protection scheme for self-employed persons.

“InsyaAllah, we will help where appropriate,” he told reporters after breakfast with members of Kelantan Media Club here today.

On Aug 15 last year, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and the Social Security Organisation (Socso) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend protection to part-time media practitioners under the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme. The MoU is a government initiative to improve social security protection, especially for media practitioners who face various challenges in their line of work. 

The scheme will benefit 493 registered part-time media practitioners or stringers from 45 media organisations nationwide, with each receiving Socso contributions for one year, totalling RM232.80 per person, from July 1, 2024.

On another development, Fahmi said the Malaysian Media Council Bill will be tabled for the second reading in the next Parliament session.

“I hope that we will be able to elevate the status of media in our country, besides making the media sector an industry that is not only sustainable but also capable of exercising self-control on certain matters,” he said.

Fahmi said it was important to ensure that the freedom of the media, as well as journalistic ethics and professionalism always at a good level.

During the breakfast, the minister also presented an allocation of RM10,000 to the Kelantan Media Club to organise their activities.

-- BERNAMA