(June 15): Having media freedom does not necessarily equate to achieving developed nation status, which is Malaysia's ambition for the year 2020, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said today.

"We need to see if we need media freedom to become a developed nation," Shabery told the Dewan Rakyat while wrapping up his ministry's debate for the 11th Malaysia Plan.

"Look at Singapore, they are a developed nation, but they are behind us in terms of media freedom."

Malaysia has ranked a lowly 147th in the global press freedom index out of 180 countries evaluated, while Singapore ranked 153 in the Reporters Without Borders 2015 World Press Freedom Index.

"Some African countries ranked better than us in media freedom, but they are behind us in terms of development.

"Some say that Turkey is a good example, but their media freedom ranking is worse than us."

Ahmad Shabery warned against emulating the levels of media freedom that exist in some developed nations, such as France, Denmark, and Sweden, saying that it might constitute freedom to insult religions.

"Do we want freedom to insult other religions? Then we will reap the same results as they did.”

In January this year, 11 people were killed when two men stormed the office in Paris of satirical weekly French newspaper Charlie Hebdo and started mass shooting.

The attack was in retaliation to the paper's alleged insults on Muslims and Islam. – The Malaysian Insider