SSIG Continues To Promote Good Relations And Cooperation Between South Nations

By Nabilah Saleh KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- A brainchild of former Malaysian prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the South-South Information Gateway (SSIG), which was set up during the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) in July 1999, continues to play a role as the facilitator of greater information flow among South nations. Although a small organisation, the agency, which comes under the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture (KPKK), plays a significant function as the depository and information exchange centre for these nations. SSIG Undersecretary Azman Abdullah said the agency, in sync with its role of providing news and transmitting information materials from the perspective of the South nations, is working on several strategic plans, especially on providing greater exposure to the public this year through the key services provided by the agency. NEWS PORTAL PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE The SSIG news portal was developed as a news exchange platform for the South nations, and till today, it has remained a focal point for the SSIG as it is a leading gateway and source of information for visitors to know more about the developments in the South-South nations from time to time. Azman said the existence of SSIG has also been made easier with the establishment of its website - http://www.ssig.gov.my "It is undeniable that the portal is the pulse of the daily operations of SSIG. More people know about SSIG through the portal rather than through the individuals behind its administration. "In the last eight years, the portal has become the focal point through its listings of shared news, transmission of media materials such as photographs, videos, talk shows and documentaries as well as information on business opportunities, trailers and many more," Azman said, adding that English is the portal's sole medium of communication. Azman said the content of the portal comes from a variety of channels, including those resulting from partnerships established with embassies of the South nations. "Among the countries who regularly give their input through emails include Syria, Myanmar, Cuba, Fiji and India. Apart from that, a joint cooperation contract was also signed with the national news agency, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), in 2008 to increase the news input," he added. He said the appointment of Bernama, an agency under KPKK with expertise in the writing and selection of news that does not encroach on government sensitivities and bilateral relations with foreign countries, is in line with the scope of news on SSIG's portal, which is aimed at the socio-economic and cultural aspects of the South nations. Meanwhile, broadcast materials for the portal come from the contributions of Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). Sometimes, some people are keener to watch a video rather than read information, and it is in view of this that the SSIG uploads video clips on its portal, Azman said. At times it also arranges for ambassadors from the South nations to be guests on TV2's television programme, "Hello On Two" (TV2), and also on the radio programme, "Voices From The South", to discuss topics encompassing tourism and socio-economy as well as the culture and activities of the people of their respective countries. CONFERENCES AND FORUMS Apart from regularly updating news and information on its portal in keeping up with current trends, the SSIG also organises seminars, dialogues, forums, international conferences, roundtable sessions, exhibitions, and briefings to promote and enable the sharing of a greater level of knowledge among the countries of the South. As part of this mission, SSIG organises two international level conferences in a year with the participation of other South countries. For example, in 2007, it organised the "Management of Information Pertaining to Health Crisis" in the city, and this was followed by a conference on "Youth on Terrorism" in 2009. It also organised a conference and workshop on "Free & Responsible Journalism" in 2012. This year, SSIG expects to organise a conference on "The Media Systems of Asia & Africa" in September. In order to successfully run a forum or a conference, the SSIG also collaborates with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including bodies like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which actively promote humanitarian missions and messages across several South nations where violence has erupted. Apart from that, in conjunction with the World Development Information Day, the SSIG is also supported with an allocation from the National Commission of UNESCO Malaysia to carry out conferences. The selected topics for the conferences usually deal with prevailing issues that require discussion and form part of SSIG efforts to help the countries of the South. DIPLOMATIC VISITS The number of developing countries that are currently members of SSIG has reached up to 80 percent or 79 countries that have their embassies in Kuala Lumpur. These include countries from South America, the Caribbean Islands, the Pacific Islands, East & Northern Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East, North America and Africa. Looking at the number of these members, the implementation of SSIG can be considered as having achieved positive results as these member countries have automatically become Smart Partners. This also reflects the higher level of confidence towards SSIG for being capable of playing a role in strengthening ties between SSIG members. Apart from its active online presence and consistent hosting of conferences, SSIG also believes that the continued anticipated visits of the ambassadors of the Southern nations will see SSIG continuing to play its function, Azman said. Besides providing SSIG a wider platform to provide and share the latest information, there could also be an avenue for the exchange of information with the visiting members towards improving SSIG's role. Such visits will also enable SSIG to further encourage greater participation from the diplomats such as through contributing articles, particularly for the publication of the bulletin, Gateway. This will further encourage other South nations to also participate in the exchange of information and news. Azman added that such participation, besides providing a database of information for the Smart Partners to share, will also boost the membership of the organisation and raise the number of members from year to year. RETAINING HARMONIOUS RELATIONS Apart from facilitating the exchange of information and news between the South nations, the SSIG has also indirectly taken the responsibility of ensuring continued cordial relations between Malaysia and other South nations. Hence, the ministry's Long Term Strategic Plan 2012-2015 has also called upon SSIG to take greater efforts to expand the number of Smart Partners and its publications as well as programmes to promote the sharing and exchange of information. "In line with the plan, the existing portal will be upgraded with the addition of more interactive sites, including a chat space as well as SSIG journals, to encourage more interactions between SSIG members. "It is hoped that such improvements, including in other SSIG services, will provide a clear impact in enhancing the harmonious relationship Malaysia has with the South countries," Azman said. The existing strategic cooperation between the government agencies and the private sector in the areas of information, news reporting and broadcasting, both in the country and overseas, also has the potential of generating other opportunities for the promotion of greater understanding and ties between the South nations. Every year, close to 22,000 pieces of information are disseminated through the SSIG portal while the number of hits reaches close to half a million. With the planned new improvements, the portal is expected to see the number of hits exceeding the figure of half a million. -BERNAMA