Bernama-Antara Ties To Be Enhanced With Stronger Collaboration - Fahmi

From Anas Abu Hassan

TOKYO, May 31 (Bernama) -- The close relationship between the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and Indonesia's Antara News Agency will be elevated through stronger cooperation, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

He said that through a bilateral discussion with Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Meutya Viada Hafid, both parties agreed to further the Bernama-Antara relationship in delivering news.

He added that this was important to ensure both parties remained relevant and credible as well as capable of delivering accurate and balanced information to the people in both countries.

“The discussion with Minister Meutya was mostly regarding our efforts to strengthen ties between Bernama and Antara, two renowned and important news agencies for both countries.

“What we can do is strengthen the relationship through Ikatan Setiakawan Wartawan Malaysia-Indonesia (ISWAMI), which fosters closer ties between media organisations in Malaysia and Indonesia,” he told Bernama in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Ministerial Meeting (APT-MM) here today.

Fahmi said that Malaysia also offered assistance to Indonesia in several matters, including aspects of social media regulation in that country.

He added that the discussion with Meutya also touched on various important aspects of bilateral cooperation, particularly communication, media and digital infrastructure, in line with the current information landscape that is increasingly challenging and interdependent at the regional level.

“Minister Meutya said that Indonesia is indeed facing a complicated and acute situation, particularly involving online gambling issues, which are widely advertised on social media platforms and in need of stern actions.

“I see that we have some experience in implementing regulatory frameworks that we can share, along with the capabilities, obstacles or challenges in implementation, with the Indonesian side,” he added.

The two-day APT-MM 2025, themed “Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Digital Transformation in the Asia-Pacific” and which began yesterday, brings together 31 member countries and 19 affiliates comprising governments, regulators and private agencies from the Asia-Pacific region.

-- BERNAMA