B.Melayu and christmas

["ST chelvam" <tchelvam@hotmail.com>]

FORMULATE POLICY TO CHECK UNHEALTHY TV
PROGRAMMES, SAYS MP

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) -- The government should
draw up a National Communications Policy to ensure that only
television programmes in line with local values and culture are
screened, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN-Bagan Datoh) said such a policy
would provide satellite TV Astro with guidelines on airing of foreign
programmes.

"We hope the government will act fast through the Energy,
Communications and Multimedia Ministry and Information Ministry
because it is time to have a National Communications Policy for
monitoring and enforcement, including censoring foreign
programmes," he said.

This was necessary to safeguard national interests and integrity
although the country practised the open sky policy, he said when
debating the 2000 Budget.

Zahid, who is Education, Communications and Media chairman of
the Government Backbenchers Club (BBC), said the uncontrolled
entry of foreign television programmes could undermine efforts to
instil noble values in the younger generation.

Ahmad Zahid said Astro, with 310,000 subscribers and 1.5 million
viewers, was using its broadcasting licence to reap profits without
helping to mould a generation with good values.

This problem arose because the key personnel running the satellite
station were foreigners whose tastes and outlook on life were
different from those of Malaysians, he said.

"Regulations on the screening of foreign programmes by Astro
should be tightened to ensure the programmes have a positive
impact on the younger generation without ignoring the open sky
policy," he said.

A research body should be set up to identify the negative effects
of Astro's programmes on the people, he said.

He urged Astro to air programmes with elements of moral
education and patriotism and to give priority to locally produced
programmes.

Badrul Hisham Abdul Aziz (BN-Hulu Langat), in his debate,
questioned the standard of Bahasa Melayu used by the station's
Malay channel Astro Ria.

"The usage of Bahasa Melayu by this channel is hotchpotch," he
said.

He said when MPs visited the station in 1998, a key Malay staff
who was introduced to them had held the post of Astro Ria head
for two days but lost the post soon after that.

"This also contributed to the hotchpotch in Astro Ria to the
extent that one of its programmes was "Christmas Countdown",
that is counting the days to Christmas," he said. -- MORE
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