Ucapan Presiden MPI, Datuk Yong Soo Heong pada majlis Networking Luncheon with Editors bertempat di Hotel Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur pada 11 Ogos 2025.
- Adalah tanggungjawab saya sebagai
Presiden MPI untuk menyampaikan ucapan.
- Saya mengalu-alukan kehadiran anda semua ke majlis ini yang dianjurkan oleh Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) atau lebih dikenali sebagai MCMC.
- Menerusi dana MCMC, industri media tempatan telah menerima banyak manfaat dalam beberapa siri kursus kewartawanan yang dikendalikan bersama MPI.
- Suntikan dana dari MCMC amat dihargai dan kami di MPI serta kalangan industri media berharap MCMC akan terus membantu memperkukuhkan industri media tempatan dengan bantuan mereka yang banyak memberi hasil dan faedah.
Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan, - Tidak ada seorang manusia yang serba lengkap. Ada saja yang kurang dan masih perlu meningkatkan keperluan-keperluan tertentu.
- Kalau kita tidak usahakan peningkatannya, kita akan terperap dalam keadaan yang sama. Kita akan rugi apabila keadaan sekeliling mula bertukar dan menjadikan keperluan kita bertambah, menyempit dan mula menyengat.
- Oleh itu, maka peranan utama MPI, dengan bantuan daripada pertubuhan seperti MCMC, adalah untuk mempertingkatkan mutu kewartawanan tempatan.
- Kita tidak boleh berpegang kepada keadah seperti dalam peribahasa ‘SI JAHIL ENGGAN BELAJAR UMPAMA SI BUTA MALU BERTONGKAT.’ Erti kata, kita tidak boleh puas hati dengan pencapaian kita selama ini.
Ladies and gentlemen, - You may wonder that it is easy for me to talk about upgrading skills and other related matters but then you may also wonder whether I realise that you are fighting a big battle on eyeballs, circulation, advertising revenue and getting journalists with the right calibre and mindset. At MPI, we are with you on this and we hear you.
- As a result, we are expanding our collaboration with academia and other bodies, locally and from abroad, to bring about better broadcasting, writing, presentation and dissemination skills amongst us. Recent examples were MPI’s collaboration and coordination with Google on Project Sigma for half a dozen media organisations to track media trends and another was a “train the trainers” workshop to help journalists to keep abreast of various new AI tools but I believe more can be done in that area in time to come.
- When we run our training courses, we hope that the media can spare both an editor and a reporter, or at least a dynamic reporter who thinks like an editor.
- This is because we don’t want to hear comments like: “Thank you very much as you have taught me something new and useful but my editor won’t accept such things lah”. That’s some food for thought about investing for the future.
- One area MPI would also like to do is help our local media organisations to become KOL or Key Opinion Leaders or Influencers through new ways of presentations.
- Since we take pride with our accurate and verified information, let us claim the centre-stage instead of letting some other obscure people take over the credit from our work.
- The other thing that I feel strongly about is that we should spare a little thought about promoting our beloved country to international audiences now that Malaysia is in the constant spotlight, being the Chair of ASEAN.
- There are still people out there who think we live on trees or under trees.
In this regard, we certainly need to project that we do have many useful trees, not for sleeping on top or under, but are major contributors to the global economy.
- Things like rubber tyres (don’t forget the exciting Formula 1 races), vibration dampeners for aircraft and motor vehicles, and of course, rubber gloves to name a few.
- We do have plenty to shout about palm oil that find its way into the factories and laboratories of food and cosmetics giants that make non-dairy creamers, longer shelf-life stabilisers for noodles and vitamin supplements for the brain and heart.
- Or producing lipsticks, foundations and skin creams to make people more attractive and desirable, or even lighting up smokeless candles.
- And with all that, Westerners are still saying we plant bad trees!
- Let’s work together lah. Thank you.
