Petaling Jaya (The Star/ANN) - Newspapers and other publications in Malaysia will no longer be required to renew their printing press licences and publication permits annually with immediate effect.
This is in line with the amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act - tabled by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Parliament on April 18 - to eliminate the need for the print media to renew publishing permits annually.
Home Ministry deputy secretary-general (security) Alwi Ibrahim said licences and permits that expired after July 15 would remain valid until cancelled by the government.
He said licences and permits that expired before July 15 would have to be renewed.
"New applications for both categories remain unchanged," he said in a statement yesterday.
He added that the holders would have to inform the ministry if they wished to make changes to the information related to their licences and permits.
In his Malaysia Day address last September, Najib had promised to do away with the requirement for annual renewal of publishing permits.
Other reforms introduced by the government include rescinding the Emergency ordinances, repealing the Restricted Residence and Banishment Acts and instituting new laws, such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) and National Harmony Acts to replace the Internal Security and Sedition Acts respectively.