'Suara Keadilan' to defy Home Ministry directive

PKR mouthpiece Suara Keadilan will continue to publish the next edition despite the cloud of uncertainty looming over the issue of its publishing permit.

"We are not sure on what the government meant when they said that our permit is not renewed but not banned. Can we publish or not (pending) a decision to ban Suara Keadilan?" asked the party's director of strategy Tian Chua.

The Batu MP told reporters in Parliament today that this was just another of the government's "flip-flop" decisions.

The party organ's one year publishing permit issued in July 2009expired last week on June 30.

Earlier reports stated that the Home Ministry, which oversees the licensing of publications, decided against renewing Suara Keadilan's permit as it was unhappy with chief editor Dzulkarnain Taib's explanation over an article containing allegations that the Federal Land and Development Agency (Felda) was bankrupt.

"As of July 1, the publication is no longer valid and as such, it cannot be printed or published… according to Section 5(1) of the PPPA," the ministry's publications and al-Quran text controls secretary Zaitun Ab Samad (right) said.

The ministry had reportedly sent three show cause letters to Suara Keadilan prior to the fourth one on its Felda article sent on June 28.

However, Zaitun also said that Suara Keadilan will be required to submit a “satisfactory explanation” to the ministry before it would consider any renewal application.

Yesterday, Zaitun reiterated that the Home Ministry has yet to decide on Suara Keadilan's renewal application.

Commenting on this, Chua(left) said: “Basically, things are still. The government is not giving us a clear position. We will still continue with our publication and we are not going to stop."

“I mean, there's no reason to why we should stop, and as we have said, we are the opposition-owned paper. There is no reason for us to glorify and to praise government, but instead to provide critical viewpoint - it is our work.

"So, the government cannot use the excuse that we are undermining the image of the government as its excuse to stop our publication," he said.

He said that the delay in permit renewal was "normal case" as it happens to many businesses, but they will publish this week's edition of the bi-monthly.

"Normally, by the time licenses expire, (publications) haven't renewed it (their permit). But that does not mean they (the ministry) revoked it," he said.

PKR vice-president Lee Boon Chye had earlier been reported to have said: "With or without a permit, we are going to publish our paper.”

Emergency motion on suspension

Meanwhile, PKR vice-president and Gombak MP Azmin Ali filed an emergency motion today for the Dewan Rakyat to debate the revocation of Suara Keadilan's printing permit and its suspension.

“PKR finds that the Home Ministry's reason for suspending Suara Keadilan is absurd, ridiculous and filled with mala fide (bad faith) as surely as surely it cannot expect an opposition newspaper to report only on party activities without any writing on current issues and the present government," Azmin told a press conference in the Parliament lobby afterwards.

“We are tabling this motion because we believe it goes against press freedom and violated the rights of political parties to publish their own papers and impeached upon the public right for access to fair and accurate information,” said Azmin.

Azmin (left) also accused the government of being "insecure" and "unable to respond in a civilised manner to the issues".

"There is no reason to take offense at the Felda bankruptcy story as Felda is open to respond to the allegations. And in any event, it has already initiated legal proceedings against the newspaper - which the party will defend," he added.

Subang parliamentarian R Sivarasa, who is also PKR vice-president, also lambasted the ministry for acting in bad faith as the party had applied for the permit's renewal on March 11, four months before its term ends.

“However, the ministry had dragged and delayed the issue (instead of) looking into our renewal application. It shows their bad faith," he said.

courtesy of Malaysiakini