Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has criticised Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming for allegedly threatening to report a reporter to their superiors over a question at a press conference. Dr Akmal called the minister’s actions hypocritical, pointing out that Pakatan Harapan had previously criticised the Barisan Nasional government over media freedom.
The incident occurred at the pre-launch of the “I Lite U” project in Kuala Lumpur, where an Utusan Malaysia reporter asked why the program name was in English instead of Malay. Nga reportedly asked for the reporter’s media affiliation and warned he would “call your chief editors because this concerns national interests.” He defended the English name, saying it was intended to attract tourists ahead of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign and give foreigners a “sense of belonging.”
The National Union of Journalists Malaysia condemned Nga’s actions as unethical, saying they belittled and pressured journalists. MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong also weighed in, stating that the minister’s conduct was inconsistent with the Madani government’s principles of transparency and accountability, and called on him to respect the media’s role as a government watchdog.
