J-Kom was moved to PM’s Dept during Perikatan’s term, Teo tells Wan Saiful

KUALA LUMPUR: It was the Perikatan Nasional administration under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that moved the Community Communications Department (J-Kom) to the Prime Minister’s Department, says Teo Nie Ching.

“The decision to move it from the (then) Communications and Multimedia Ministry was made during the Cabinet meeting on May 19, 2021, when Pagoh (Muhyiddin) was the prime minister,” the Deputy Communications and Digital Minister said during her winding up speech on Budget 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 22).

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“The minister at that time was Indera Mahkota (Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah),” she added.

Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) had asked why the department was moved out of the ministry to the Prime Minister’s Department.

Given the history, Teo said, his question should have been directed to Saifuddin or Muhyiddin instead.

Wan Saiful also proposed during his debate that J-Kom should be moved back to the Communications and Digital Ministry, and questioned why Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had not commented on the ongoing scandal as the department was under his purview.

He said J-Kom had failed to carry out its role effectively, and the recent scandal involving its top leadership had worsened the situation.

“If we look at it J-Kom has failed to play its role, especially with the alleged wrongdoing which has come to be known as A&W (Agus and Wahab),” he said.

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A video clip said to show former J-Kom director-general Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff and J-Kom assistant officer Abdul Wahab Abdul Kadir Jilani engaged in an indecent conversation went viral recently.

Mohammad Agus subsequently claimed that the clip had been doctored to ruin his reputation, and alleged that an individual known as “Mr H” was behind it.

Bukit Aman recorded Mohammad Agus’ statement earlier this week and will call in the individual known as “Mr H”, who was named by the former director-general, on Wednesday evening.

J-Kom was rebranded from the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), which was previously touted as a government propaganda arm.