MELAKA: Local media practitioners have expressed their disappointment over a statement made by a state exco member in front of a group of South Korean investors and a local company that they feel have degraded them.
Melaka Media Practitioners Club (Pendika) president Amir Mamat (pic) called out Melaka tourism committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis for making the remarks at an event at a hotel in Ayer Keroh here on Tuesday (Nov 15).
Amir said it was disappointing to hear Muhammad Jailani tell one of the guests that “they (the local media) have a communication problem and can’t speak English fluently, they can understand but cannot converse”.
Amir said Muhammad Jailani had said this when the media did not pose questions to one of the South Korean officials at the end of the press conference that was presided by him.
The journalists said they did not ask questions as they felt that the event to announce a mega project in the state was without proper information and was not organised accordingly.
“The local media have played their role in giving positive publicity to the Melaka government all this while and shouldn’t be treated in such a manner,” Amir said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said that after the comments by Muhammad Jailani, the reporters and cameramen present then made a collective decision to leave the function.
“Pendika hopes that such statements are not repeated in future,” he added.
The programme was covered by various media agencies.
Later, Muhamamd Jailani said he had no intention of insulting the media during the event.
“There are a lot of good people out there who deserve coverage, I don’t need it (coverage),” he wrote in a WhatsApp group that was set up with the media.