The purpose of Jabatan Komunikasi Komuniti (J-Kom) was never meant to be political combat.

When it was revived as J-KOM after the dissolution of JASA, the expectation was clear: move away from the old model and build a communications agency that explains government policy to the rakyat, not one that picks fights online.

JASA, or Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas, traces back to 1959 when it was set up as Badan Hal Ehwal Khas (BHEK) under the Ministry of Information after the Malayan general election.

It was upgraded to Cawangan Hal Ehwal Khas (CHEK) in 1960, reorganised as Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (JHEK) by the Cabinet in 2000, and the acronym was officially changed to JASA in 2004.

The agency was dissolved in 2018 after GE14, and in November 2020 it was rebranded into the Department of Community Communications (J-KOM).

The rebranding of the agency was announced by former Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

J-KOM officially began executing its operations to establish two-way communication between the government and the public in February 2021.

The department was moved from the Communications Ministry (MCMC) to the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) in May 2021 to centralise strategic government messaging.

After GE15, the agency was transferred back to MCMC under Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadhil.

RM16 million has been allocated to J-KOM under the current budget.

Budget scrutiny meets public spats

Recent events, however, raise serious questions about whether that promise is being kept.

The public spat between J-KOM’s newly appointed director-general (DG) Mohd Hisyamuddin Ghazali, known as Syam Ghaz, and influencer Eric See-To, also known as Lim Sian See, over a now-deleted Facebook post, followed by threats of legal action from both sides, has shifted attention away from policy and onto personalities.

Posts such as the one by Syam Ghaz from MCMC’s lobby with the caption about “benam” critics only reinforce the impression that the DG is more focused on settling scores than communicating policy.

That defeats the very purpose of J-KOM.

Taxpayers are funding an agency meant to bridge government and the public.

If the DG’s public profile is dominated by Facebook clashes and legal ultimatums, then the question posed by Sian See about the necessity and effectiveness of J-KOM’s budget becomes a fair one.

Perception matters in governance

The optics of J-KOM being drawn into personal disputes while under scrutiny for its allocation hand ammunition to those who warned that the agency would simply become Madani's propaganda tool.

That is not a narrative the Madani administration can afford.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim built his political brand on reform and institutional accountability.

Appointments must reflect those values.

When an agency’s leadership becomes a distraction from the government’s message and fuels accusations of “abuse of power”, it is time for a review.

J-KOM should be explaining policy to the grassroots, not trading barbs on social media.

For the sake of public trust and taxpayers’ money, Anwar should reconsider Syam Ghaz's appointment.

Editor's note: R. Muralitharan writes on governance, public policy and civil liberties in Malaysia. The views expressed are his own.