Media's role is to hold the govt accountable - CENBET

The Home Ministry's decision to suspend for three months, The Edge and The Edge Financial

Daily, is an abuse of power in an attempt to silence the voice telling the Rakyat of the abuses in

Government.

This suspension is reminiscent of the oppressive Ops Lalang in 1987 when the licences of three

newspapers The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Watan (which has ceased publication) were withdrawn, and

106 Opposition and Barisan Nasional politicians, academics and social activists were detained under the

Internal Security Act.

The Ministry's grounds for suspension – “prejudicial or likely prejudicial to public order, security or

likely to alarm the public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interests” - do not

hold water. The publications were only reporting on alleged abuses in the use of public funds. It begs

the question whose order and stability this decision protects. Far from ensuring public order and

stability, the decision is publicly perceived more as a means of ensuring the political survival of certain

individuals or groups.

It is the principle role of the media to hold the government accountable by asking questions and

highlighting issues of governance, transparency and abuse of power and trust. Equally, the government

is obliged to provide answers, be accountable to the public and uphold the truth and be transparent. The

Rakyat are entitled to know how public funds are spent and accounted for and it is the role of the media

to give voice to this entitlement.

Those aggrieved by the reports in the two publications have other avenues to seek redress, including

clarifying what they deem as inaccurate reporting from the onset (as was the case involving a foreign

publication), and not wait for weeks or months to do it. Or they could take the publications to court.

Suspending newspapers should be the last resort, and that too only over matters critical to national

security such as inciting racial riots or to overthrow the government by force. A government that stops

the Fourth Estate from doing its job appears to be a government which has something to hide.

Suppression of right to information is regressive, abusive and repressive. This Government’s legitimacy

is now in question.

The fact of the matter is that the two publications had over the years, raised valid concerns over 1MDB's

use of public funds, but these remained unanswered. If they had been answered, there was no need to

form the Special Taskforce to look into 1MDB.

We demand that the Ministry lifts the suspension order immediately and allow the newspapers and

journalists to carry out their duties without undue fear or pressure.

We urge the Malaysian Judiciary to protect our Federal Constitution and uphold the Rule of Law as and

when legal challenges are made to abuse of power by the government.

* The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of of the authors and do not reflect the view of

Astro AWANI.