The media is a primary estate for turning out the educated generations with correct attitudes and ideologies to be able to lead the State’s future as part of efforts for ensuring peace, stability and development of the future country, said Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the ceremony of the affirmation of the members of the Myanmar Press Council, at the office of the SAC Chairman yesterday morning.
First, the chairman, the vice-chairpersons and members of the MPC, the secretary and the joint secretary took affirmation in the presence of the Senior General.
In his speech, the Senior General said that today is a significant day not only for the news and media arena but for the State as those elected as the members of the Myanmar Press Council took affirmations.
The press council can be seen in various forms in most democratic countries. It is a character for the development of the media arena as well as press freedom.
In reviewing the aim to form the MPC, everybody generally understands that the council shall protect the press freedom and rights and interests of the media personnel. Actually, the theme of forming the MPC is to protect the freedom of media and the interests and rights of media personnel and the people. On the other hand, the Myanmar Press Council needs to help media personnel cover and publish the information in a free manner and is responsible for disseminating the correct and accurate information to the people.
For the citizens from the independent and sovereign country, the legislature, executive and judicial estates need to righteously focus on serving the interests of the entire people. Qualified and righteous media shall monitor three estates to perpetually straighten these three estates and support these estates by pointing out, criticizing and suggesting with goodwill. It is the primary duty of the media which is the fourth estate. Hence, the Senior General, since he has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services, expressed his recognition over the media as the fourth estate of the State.
… needs to help media personnel cover and publish the information in a free manner and is responsible for disseminating the correct and accurate information to the people.
It can be reviewed that the Senior General’s meetings with the Myanmar Press Council showed his keenness to develop the media arena while emphasizing the role of the Myanmar Press Council. In retrospect, the Senior General met with the Myanmar Press Council two times in 2014, three times in 2015, two times in 2016 and two times in 2018 to enhance the relations between the Tatmadaw and the media personnel.
As Myanmar is building the Union based on democracy and federalism, emphasis is being placed on the role of the media. The News Media Law was enacted for the development of the media arena and its role in 2014 when the first term of the democratic government was elected by the people. The theme of the law openly expresses “for ensuring the media to clearly stand tall as the fourth estate”. It showed the respect and trust of the State over the media arena.
The Senior General said that he himself is very interested in the role of media and fulfilled the needs for the development of the media arena as much as possible. The Senior General affirmed that he would try to continuously fulfil the needs of the Myanmar media arena to contribute to the improvement of socio-economic life of the people in accord with the media ethics, to improve the news and media technologies on a wider scale and to be able to grasp the opportunities for pursuing the modern media technologies meeting the international standards and ethics.
The media, the fourth estate of a country, plays a crucial role in the enhancement of the rights of expression for the democracy and can improve the transparency of the government by disseminating the deserved knowledge to each people, showing the importance of the knowledge accumulation of media personnel.
If media personnel understand all situations of the country and global issues including the religions, literature, culture and history, these will contribute much to their profession. Hence, they need to always do reading and studies for having the capability to share their knowledge with people. In this regard, they should stand in accord with the media ethics to be free from racism, dogmatism, party attachment, personal cult and political influence. As such, they can stand tall with prestige as reliable media personnel of the government and the people.
If media personnel understand all situations of the country and global issues including the religions, literature, culture and history, these will contribute much to their profession. Hence, they need to always do reading and studies for having the capability to share their knowledge with people.
Currently, some media personnel commit fuelling the conflicts and diverse attitudes without easing the tensions. Such situations can be seen in the countries in transition of democracy and developing countries.
Veteran journalist U Tun Pe said that media personnel are “shoulders and eyes” of the State, serving the heavy-duty of the country. At present, the Myanmar Press Council needs to necessarily steer the media arena as many media personnel are committing bias in news writing, without media ethics setting aside the State and the people’s interests.
Although global countries are implementing various forms of democratization processes, Myanmar’s democratization process is based on the actual situation of the country, socio-economic development, and political progress along with the history and the multiparty democratic system in conformity with the actual situation of the country, the people aspire, was realized in accord with the provisions of the 2008 Constitution.
