Does Malaysia need absolute media freedom for developed status?

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Malaysia's Developed Nation Status Does Not Necessarily Require Absolute Media Freedom

Malaysia's journey towards developed nation status does not hinge on achieving absolute media freedom, according to Multimedia and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek. The government views curtailing press freedom as a necessary measure if it leads to religious insults, citing examples from European countries where such incidents have occurred. The minister suggested that a high ranking in media freedom does not automatically correlate with a nation's level of development, pointing to several countries as evidence.
Media Freedom and Religious Insults

Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek stated that the government is prepared to curb press freedom if it results in religious insults. He referenced European nations such as Sweden, Denmark, and France, where he indicated that cartoons have been used to insult religion. The minister implied that allowing such freedoms could lead to negative societal consequences, suggesting that the intention behind advocating for absolute press freedom might be to permit religious insults, a stance the government opposes.
Correlation Between Media Freedom and Development

The minister argued that the degree of media freedom does not always align with a country's developmental progress. He pointed to Singapore, which he claimed ranks lower than Malaysia in the World Press Freedom index but is considered a developed nation. Furthermore, he mentioned that some African nations, despite having higher media freedom rankings, lag behind Malaysia in overall development. These examples serve to illustrate his point that a high media freedom index is not a prerequisite for achieving developed nation status.
International Rankings and Developed Nations

Ahmad Shabery Cheek also highlighted Turkey as another instance of a developed nation with a lower media freedom ranking compared to Malaysia. He questioned the necessity of absolute media freedom for a country to attain developed status. It is understood that he was referring to the 2015 World Press Freedom rankings compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which placed Malaysia at 147th out of 180 countries. This ranking suggests that other nations considered developed may operate with different levels of press freedom.

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Does Malaysia need absolute media freedom for developed status?

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