There has been an increased opportunity for media freedom and freedom of expression to climb higher on the national agenda following the political changes after the March elections. Legislators have formed a Parliamentary Caucus on Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Information but civil society clamours for a Parliamentary Select Committee on Media Law Reforms.

Believing that experiences from the region can contribute toward resolving this dilemma, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), a not-for-profit organisation promoting free expression in Malaysia, and its regional partner, the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), are organising a roundtable of regional and local legislators, media activists and civil society groups with the objectives of:

identifying the core issues related to freedom of expression in the current political climate;
exchanging views and experiences on media law reform initiatives in the region; and
recommending a strategy for law makers and civil society to push the initiative forward.