Teach Nga A Lesson Bersatu Youth Urges Media To Boycott Minister

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Bersatu Youth has called on news agencies and online portals to “teach Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming a lesson” by withholding coverage of him.
This follows his response to a reporter from Utusan Malaysia who had asked about the use of English for a tourism-related programme.
“We strongly condemn Nga’s actions, which demonstrate a lack of respect for media practitioners and an apparent intent to punish the journalist for asking what we consider a very relevant question,” said the wing’s information chief Harris Idaham Rashid.
He said Nga’s remarks “reflected the arrogance” of a cabinet member in the Madani government and questioned the minister’s defensive tone.
“It appears as though the minister does not wish to strengthen the use of the national language. It should be remembered that Article 152 of the Federal Constitution establishes Bahasa Malaysia as the national language and the official language of Malaysia,” Harris (above) added in a statement.
Nga earlier drew flak from press groups when he told the Utusan Malaysia reporter during the pre-launch of the “I Lite U” project - held in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 - that he would contact the journalist’s chief editors over the question.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming“I don’t want you to come here and highlight something that will spoil the whole thing. I will call your chief editors,” Nga said.
The minister also explained that since it was a tourism event, it was more appropriate to use English to appeal to international visitors.
‘Take pride in BM’
Describing the explanation as “illogical,” Harris said tourists come to Malaysia to experience its unique identity, cultural richness, diversity, and eastern values.
“As a nation, we should take pride in our national language, especially when naming tourist attractions.
“For example, France uses names such as Champs-Elysees and Musee du Louvre for iconic sites, and yet millions of tourists from around the world visit them despite not understanding the meaning of the names,” he noted.
Yesterday, National Union of Journalists Malaysia secretary-general Teh Athira Yusof reminded that as public servants, ministers must respect the media’s role in disseminating information rather than pressuring journalists for asking difficult questions.
She added that by saying he would call the editors, Nga had sent a “wrong and dangerous message,” implying that journalists should be punished for simply doing their job. - Mkini

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