Published on: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 |
Kuala Lumpur: The Home Ministry has suspended the publishing permits of Harakah and Suara Keadilan, the party organs for PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) with immediate effect.
Home Minister Datuk Sri Syed Hamid Albar said the action was taken because they had violated the conditions of their permits.
He said they often published articles which questioned Royalty and sensationalised news that were defamatory and aimed at causing confusion and disharmony in society.
"This action does not mean the Government is curbing press freedom but to preserve peace and harmony in our multi-racial society," he said.
He added that the Government never restricted political parties from propagating their philosophies and ideologies through their party organs but would not tolerate the writing of lies which could cause serious conflicts among the people.
He added that Harakah and Suara Keadilan had been warned many times but had chosen to ignore the warnings and also kept selling copies to the public though they were meant for only party members.
It is understood the suspension notice for Harakah was sent to PAS Secretary-General Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar while for Suara Keadilan, to PKR President Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The opposition said they fear it is the start of a media crackdown under incoming Premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Malaysia is entering a period of intense political activity, with a leadership transition, a critical ruling party conference, and three high-profile by-elections all to take place in the next few weeks.
"We fear that this action by the Government is a prelude to a general clampdown on press freedom in Malaysia," he told AFP, adding that they would defy the ban and continue publishing despite the threat of legal action.
PAS Secretary-General Kamaruddin Jaafar said the party would appeal against the decision.
"This is a violation of the freedom of media and a violation of a political party's right to have its official organ published freely," he said.
"This is another sign of a new era of repression with Najib coming into power."
Najib is due to replace Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the ruling party Umno holds its general assembly which begins Tuesday.
Malaysia's mainstream media are largely government-linked, and the opposition relies on its own press, as well as Internet news sites and blogs, to convey its message to the public.
