Still no apology from Nga as media warned against falling victim to 'photo-op' PR stunt

Embattled DAP leader Nga Kor Ming insists that he still "respects media freedom", short of an apology to a journalist whom he threatened for asking a question about the use of the national language in a project under his housing and local government ministry.

Instead, Nga said "there could have been mistakes" during the press conference on Oct 29, adding that he wanted to meet the party concerned "so that this matter can be resolved properly and in an orderly manner".

"My objective is simply to build together a multi-racial Malaysia that is inclusive, progressive and always elevates the country's prestige internationally," he said.

A senior journalist told MalaysiaNow that the move is likely a "face-saving" PR stunt being hatched by Nga's media team, and warned the media outlet involved against being used for a "photo-op".

"There should be an unconditional public apology from Nga. Nothing less. Journalists should snub any attempt at a photo-op," he said.

This comes as Nga comes under pressure to apologise to Utusan Malaysia journalist Hasif Idris, whose question on the choice of the phrase "I Lite U" for an urban lighting project angered the minister, who later told him that he would "speak with your chief editor".

"Which media you come from?" he asked Hasif, who had questioned the use of the national language for the "I Lite U" campaign.

"I will remember, I will call your chief editor," Nga said, as Kuala Lumpur mayor Maimunah Mohd Sharif, who was seated next to him, made no attempt to caution the minister about his behaviour towards the media.

Nga then went on to talk about diversity and called on the Malaysian public to "come out of the comfort zone" to make Visit Malaysia Year 2026 a success.

At the press conference, the DAP deputy chairman, who had previously sparked Muslim anger with various statements seen as insulting to Islam, later tried to lighten the mood by uttering the Islamic phrase "Astaghfirullahil Azeem" (I seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah).

The incident went largely unnoticed for more than 24 hours until a MalaysiaNow video of the press conference went viral, with its TikTok version garnering more than 1.3 million views at press time.

Following the public outrage, Nga was condemned by press groups and politicians, with calls for journalists to boycott all media events involving him unless he apologises to the reporter.

They include veteran journalist Johan Jaafar, who said Nga should apologise.

Johan, the former chairman of the country's national language guardian Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, also criticised the use of English for the "I Lite U" slogan, saying it was unnecessary and misplaced.

Nga's threat to the reporter is seen as a symptom of a larger problem faced by media practitioners since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim came to power in 2022, with news portals and social media platforms subjected to restrictions and censorship.

In May 2023, MalaysiaNow reported complaints from several newsrooms about political interference in their reports.

"A source from a local media organisation said his newsroom had been contacted by a representative from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) over a report on Anwar. They asked for the report to be reangled because of the headline," the report said, quoting a source.

This came after Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil expressed anger at Berita Harian for quoting analysts' prediction of a hike in the overnight policy rate (OPR), and said he would meet with the management of the Malay daily.