Complaint against RTM not on my instruction – Loke

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook has denied instructing his aide to issue a statement on an allegation that Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) had not broadcast a report on the minister during the live telecast of the 2019 Chinese New Year Open House in Seremban recently.

He said the statement made by his press secretary Lim Swee Kuan was Lim’s personal view and he ( Loke) left it to Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo to investigate the matter.

“It is just a personal complaint. I’ve spoken to him (Lim) after the incident,” he told reporters after the ground-breaking for the Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) Central Tower (Menara Sentral RAC) here yesterday.

Gobind has asked RTM to submit a report over the allegation that the government broadcasting station attempted to sabotage the minister.

Asked whether Lim’s statement was seen as an infringement of media freedom, Loke said: “It is not a question of infringing media freedom. It is a question that we want to understand. It was a live event but why were certain portions of the live event taken out?”

He said an official letter would be sent to Gobind.

Commenting on the incident where a woman was attacked and robbed in a lift of the MRT Taman Mutiara station in Cheras last Thursday, Loke said the ministry would discuss with Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to identify possible improvement of safety measures at all stations.

“We will discuss the matter at the post- Cabinet meeting tomorrow, and immediate measures will be taken by the Prasarana management,” he said.

At 6.45am last Thursday, a man tailed a 48-year- old woman as she entered the lift alone and repeatedly punched and kicked her mercilessly before fleeing with her belongings.

A 57-second CCTV recording of the incident went viral on social media, and a suspect was caught on Monday.