Housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming has responded to criticism over his remarks to a journalist during a recent press conference, saying the incident may have been a misunderstanding.
In a statement today, Nga said he was aware of the feedback directed at him and accepted it with an “open heart”. He reiterated his respect for media freedom and denied any intention to offend journalists.
“As a leader, I would like to emphasise that I have always respected media freedom and never intended to offend anyone, especially journalists, who serve as the backbone of the government’s information network,” he said.
“With humility, I am willing to meet with the media organisation involved in the near future so that this matter can be resolved properly and amicably,” he said.
Nga drew brickbats for reprimanding an Utusan Malaysia reporter at the pre-launch of the “I Lite U” project in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Nga was purportedly asked why the name of the programme was in English instead of Malay.
He responded by asking the reporter which media organisation he was from and said he would “call your chief editors because this concerns national interests”.
Nga also said the project was aimed at attracting tourists ahead of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, and the English name would give foreign visitors a “sense of belonging”.
Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil has questioned the manner in which Nga responded to the reporter, adding that the administration is of the view that reporters have the right to ask questions as part of their responsibility to the public.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) has hit out at a minister’s “unethical” reprimand of a journalist during a press conference, calling it an attempt to intimidate the media.
While NUJ did not name the minister involved, the union warned that any action that restricts media freedom would only damage the government’s credibility and erode public trust.
