By: ISAIAH AIDIL IBRAHIM
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Minister of Health of Malaysia, Khairy Jamaluddin shared his experience delving into the broadcasting industry as a prior political figure, as well as his concerns regarding regulation of the industry in Malaysia.
Being in politics for more than 2 decades, he noted that the “pivot towards media is natural for politicians,” and that radio was not only about “stepping into an existing space but was also about creating his own emerging platform.”
As the fourth member of Hot FM’s breakfast team and host of the podcast, “Keluar Sekejap,” Khairy emphasised that the shift from discussing the often-serious world of politics on his podcast to the lighter tone of radio has been rather complicated, as “podcasts fall under the unregulated media in Malaysia”.
“Radio and podcast have given me a second lease on life,” he said, noting how the move has allowed him to remain in the public eye, much to the dismay of his former political opponents.
“Now I get paid to be broadcasted, and I can imagine my ex-party boss being not too happy about it.”
On the topic of regulation, Khairy mentioned that, “in media we don’t like things to be highly regulated, but there needs to be certain guard rails to combat certain issues,” following a question that was asked by Steve Ahern, CEO, RadioInfo.com regarding Khairy’s opinion on broadcast regulation in Malaysia.
Khairy noted that because companies don’t like regulations, compliance training should be encouraged before “they come knocking on the door,” for media platforms to avoid “stepping out of the line,” and potentially facing legal repercussions.
He also underscored that social media platforms should work further on enhancing their censorship of content by working with ministerial bodies to combat the issues present in Malaysia.
