Chapter 1 - Report of the Education and Public Relations Group Government has taken the initiative to set up a Permanent Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights. This will provide an important forum for Members of Parliament to discuss the Annual Report and to address human rights issues raised by the Commission. The Commission lauds this as a positive step toward improvement of the human rights situation. It is hoped that the Permanent Parliamentary Select Committee will be established expeditiously so as to enable it to discuss the next Annual Report. The Commission will, nevertheless, continue to persuade the Government to table the Annual Report for parliamentary debate, consistent with the practice in many countries that have a NHRI. 3. FORUM ON MEDIA FREEDOM On 31 May, the Division organised a forum on media freedom in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, with the theme ‘New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies’. The forum in Kuala Lumpur attracted 60 participants consisting of media professionals and representatives of government agencies and NGOs. The main objectives were: • To create awareness among journalists and other media practitioners of their basic rights while on duty; • To assess the state of media freedom in Malaysia; • To provide a platform for exchange of thoughts and ideas on how to improve media freedom; and • To redefine the duties and responsibilities of media practitioners, as well as media ethics. Datuk Azman Ujang, former Bernama Chief Editor, moderated the forum at which four panellists shared their views and experience. They were Ms Masjaliza Hamzah, Executive Officer, Centre for Independent Journalism; Prof Dr Ahmad Murad Merican, Lecturer at the Department of Management and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS; Mr Fahmi Fadzil, Media Activist; and Mr Chin Sung Chew, President of the National Union of Journalists, Peninsular Malaysia. Questions from the floor raised such issues as: • The effect of laws, markets and dominant ideologies on media freedom; • Negative connotation of the meaning of ‘media freedom’, which is sometimes seen as a bid to overthrow the Government; 41