Media censorship review: Repeal PPPA, OSA if serious, Surendran tells PM

PKR vice president N Surendran has challenged Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy to walk their talk and spell out exactly what they meant by promising to "review media censorship", saying that the statements made by the two leaders were already "too little, too late".

"Both their statements are clearly intended to placate public anger over the recent series of high-handed actions by the government, including the persecution of Bersih 2.0 and the censoring of the Economist magazine," Surendran said in a statement out on Tuesday.

"Neither the PM nor DPM have promised to repeal the PPPA 1984. The DPM's proposal that the media will be "monitored " is suspicious and ominous. Does the government merely intend to substitute another form of control in place of the existing one? Neither leader has even given a timeline within which these changes are to be made. Is this another empty promise of reform made to satisfy the current public discontent with the high-handed methods of the government?"

At the mercy of the BN

Freedom of the press in Malaysia is severely curtailed by the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA 1984). Under this draconian law, no newspaper can be published unless granted a permit by the Home Minister; and it is the absolute discretion of the Home Minister to grant a permit.

"The language and provisions of the PPPA 1984 are more suited to a dictatorship than a country that proclaims itself a democracy. Worse still, the Home Minister may at any time revoke the permit as he pleases and no decision of the Minister can be questioned by any court. Newspaper editors and journalists are further put in fear by a provision that makes it a criminal offence to publish 'false news'," said Sureurendran.

"In short, newspapers in this country are at the absolute mercy of the BN government. The PPPA 1984 makes nonsense of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution; it must be remembered that there can be no real freedom of expression unless there is freedom of the press."

If serious, repeal the draconian laws

The PKR leader, who is also a prominent human rights lawyer, called on the PM and DPM to show their commitment by "urgently pushing" through Parliament the repeal of the entire PPPA 1984. Other laws hampering the media such as the Official Secrets Act 1972 and Sedition Act 1948 must also be amended or repealed.

A Freedom of Information Act must also be enacted as has been done by the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government, said Surendran.

"The PM and DPM must also show their sincerity in liberalising media laws by publicly affriming their commitment to the rakyat's right to freedom of speech and expression contained in Article 10(1)(a) of our Constitution," said Surendran.

On Monday, Najib had announced that the government would review media censorship policies in line with the changing socio-political landscape.

"If we want to carry out media censorship in this new era, (and) new landscape, we should ask ourselves whether the censorship is effective and relevant or not. Is it meaningful in the first place?...and any form of censorship actually does us more harm than good," said the PM.

- Malaysia Chronicle