PUTRAJAYA: Media practitioners in Malaysia and Indonesia should make optimal use of the new platform to reach out to the millennial generation to ensure that the good bilateral ties between the two countries will continue to persist, said former chairman of Media Prima Berhad Tan Sri Johan Jaafar.
He said today’s media practitioners could no longer depend solely on the conventional media platform, but instead had to adopt the use of the new media to get closer to the millennials.
“In the context of Malaysia-Indonesia relations, we need the new platform ... because the millennials can see beyond geographical and political limits,” he told reporters after attending a dinner in conjunction with the Indonesian media practitioners’ goodwill visit to Malaysia, here yesterday.
Also present at the event organised by Malaysia-Indonesia Journalist Friendship Alliance (Iswami) Malaysia were Iswami Malaysia deputy president Datuk Zulkifli Hamzah, Iswami Indonesia president Asro Kamal Rokan, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) editor-in-chief Datuk Zakaria Abdul Wahab and Karangkraf Group Media Adviser Datuk Abdul Jalil Ali.
Meanwhile, Zakaria said Iswami was the only media initiative that had been effective in promoting mutual understanding between media practitioners of Malaysia and Indonesia and it was proven by the fact that there was no major issue between the two countries over the last eight years.
“I have attended four meetings with the Indonesian National Press and found that the relationship and understanding between Malaysian and Indonesia key media players were so close to the extent of inviting each other for a family feast or paying a visit to those who are sick. This is not possible if not because of Iswami,” he said.
However, he said it was important for Iswami to further strengthen the ties between the two countries, especially in matters involving the millennials.
He added that Bernama and the Indonesian news agency would continue exchanging news, pictures and news videos as they had been doing for all these years. — Bernama
