FEB 17 — Reporters Without Borders published the latest global press freedom index which puts Malaysia at a historical low of 147th out of 180 countries and territories. Since the index was first published in 2002, we have only managed an under-100 ranking once, in 2006. We were 145th among 179 countries last year, falling to our lowest showing in 12 years this year, behind regional countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and even Myanmar.

Everyone knows that Myanmar has only implemented democratic reforms less than three years ago. Although the government repealed the 48-year-old pre-publication censorship in 2012, which does not mean media censorship has become a thing of the past. Press reports, literature and even artistic works will still need to go through government censorship while news of newspaper closure and reporters thrown into prison are still heard on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, Myanmar’s ranking has improved from 170th in 2008 to 151st last year and 145th this year, showing that the country is indeed making steady progress. As for Malaysia which has been practicing democracy for more than half a century, a ranking below even Mynamar's is seen as a crying shame.

However, if this poor showing could awaken our government to the reality that we need to do something about press freedom, it is not so much a bad thing after all.

To be frank, we are not literally going downhill where press freedom is concerned. Compared to Mahathir's time when media organisations were constantly smothered or even ordered to cease operation, restrictions applied on the press have been visibly reduced in recent years. At least, the authorities do not call up so often to intervene how we should run the news or issue warnings over what they don't like to read on the papers. The abolition of the Internal Security Act and Emergency Ordinance in 2011 has to some extent reflected the government's will to further liberalise the press.

The poorer ranking instead of improvements made on press freedom could be attributed to several factors: Other countries have made more pronounced improvements than we, and the obviously pro-government stand of local media, in particular some English and BM newspapers under the government's control.

If we really care about how the international community looks at us, we should accord more freedom to the press and allow the public to have full access to information.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.