CENBET issues statement after Home Minister slams The Edge

Home Minister Datuk Seri Zaid Hamidi's assurance that the Home Ministry will be working closely with the Thai authorities and ASEANPOL following the arrest of former PetroSaudi staff, Xavier Andrea, is laudable, as it may throw some light to the ongoing controversy of 1MDB's questionable investment in PetroSaudi and assist the current investigations into 1MDB by the relevant authorities and Public Accounts Committee.

However, CENBET views with grave concern the remarks by the Minister in respect of the possible revocation of the publishing licence of business daily The Edge.

The remarks could be construed as a veiled attempt to stifle press freedom and reeks of heightened media intimidation.

The remarks also runs contrary to the spirit of greater freedom behind the amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984 three years ago, which had done away with several restrictive provisions.

Even if the allegations of tampering of emails and data are correct, the disproportionate vociferous response of the Minister stands in stark contrast to his silence over the many successful defamation suits brought by some politicians and activists against a few mainstream media for defamatory or false news.

Such successful suits show that these few newspapers are guilty of the wrong which the Minister is levelling against The Edge.

Professional journalistic ethics must be upheld at all times. No one is above the law.

On the other hand, we must also bear in mind that the authority or stakeholders in 1MDB have other avenues if they feel that the nation or other stakeholders have been wrongly maligned by The Edge or other publications, whether print or online.

In the spirit of rules of law and good governance, the authority or any aggrieved party must first exhaust their remedies via due legal process to keep law and order or to ventilate their grievances, rather than resorting to administrative discretionary power readily for an alleged wrong in the absence of grave national threat of upheaval and violence.

The Edge and other media, have over the months, raised many valid questions on 1MDB controversy that have met with unusual silence by the responsible parties up until PM's pledge and PAC 's efforts to investigate into the matters . 1MDB controversy is a matter of grave public interest. The Minister's remarks is, in the circumstances, wholly unnecessary. It is equally alarming, as it has come on the heels of the arrests or questioning of five journalists in April.

The Fourth Estate should be allowed to carry out their duties responsibly, without any threat or intimidation. Malaysia has a long way to go in media freedom, given it is ranked 147 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index this year.

Media freedom is a cornerstone of democracy on which this country is built. Any attempt that could be construed as veiled threats to stifle a healthy and open debate on any issue in this cyber age will be futile and counterproductive.