Join protest, bloggers, social media urged

Soldariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) has urged all media practitioners, including bloggers and proponents of the social media, are urged to take part in the Angry Media Movement’s (Geramm) 'red pencil' protest tomorrow.

Geramm’s propaganda director Edy Noor Reduan (left) said in a statement today that all media practitioners are exposed to "iron fist punishments" handed out by the authorities following the indefinite suspension of news weekly The Heat that was imposed on Dec 19.

In the protest that starts in front of the Bar Council on Lebuh Pasar Besar in Kuala Lumpur at 2pm tomorrow, the group of media personnel and other supporters will demand for press freedom and for revocation of the suspension order on The Heat.

The weekly was suspended shortly after it ran a story about the spending traits of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, though the Home Ministry has denied that this was the reason for its suspension.

Edy said that if a report from any media outlet is inaccurate, affected parties have avenues to pursue legal action.

"The suspension of The Heat is discrimination against media personnel and closes the space for other media outlets to relay the truth. If The Heat can get suspended, others too can suffer a similar fate," he added.

Bring red pencils along

Geramm has encouraged those who wish to join the protest tomorrow to wear red and also to being red pencils, the theme of the protest, with them.

Participants will gather along the sidewalks and restaurants near the Bar Council before the protest starts with a prayer recital, followed by the declaration of Geramm's eight demands for press freedom.

The ‘red pencil’ protest is to act as a symbolic message to convey the opposition of journalists to restrictions on press freedom that exist in the country.

In a separate statement, Geramm also advised those taking part in the protest to refrain from making partisan slogans during the event, as all calls should correspond to the battle for press freedom.

"All slogans should correspond to the call for press freedom, not to provoke any party," it said.

All editors, journalists and columnists in the industry are invited to join the protest, with civil society members and supporters also welcome.