Suspension of The Edge will undermine work of 1MDB task force, says PKR lawmaker

PKR's N. Surendran says The Edge's suspension order will undermine the special task force investigating 1MDB. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, July 24, 2015.

Putrajaya's move to suspend two publications of The Edge Media Group will undermine the work of the special task force currently investigating troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), said an opposition lawmaker.

PKR's Padang Serai MP N. Surendran said Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi must take full responsibility for the suspension. which could not been done without his knowledge and and approval.

"The Edge has been at the forefront of the exposure of the massive 1MDB scandal through the investigative journalism of its publications.

"The Edge had further obtained and provided important evidence relating to the scandal to the MACC, police and Bank Negara who are part of the 1MDB task force.

"The action by the Home Ministry against The Edge thus has the obvious effect of undermining the work of the 1MDB task force," he said in a statement today.

In urging that the suspension be lifted immediately, the PKR political bureau member said there should not be any form of harassment, pressure or intimidation towards The Edge and its publications.

"It is absurd for the Home Ministry to claim that The Edge's reporting is 'prejudicial to public and national interest'. In fact, they had clearly acted in public interest by exposing massive misappropriation of public funds.

"The resources and authority of the Home Ministry must not be wielded to protect any person, no matter how high up. No one is above the law."

The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily today were slapped with a three-month suspension starting July 27.

A letter from the Home Ministry stated that the two publications' reportage of 1MDB was "prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to public order, security or likely to alarm public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interest".

Failure to stop publication for three months will result in the withdrawal of the publishing permits, the letter from the ministry said.

The Edge Media Group publisher and chief executive officer Ho Kay Tat said the media group will go to court to get the suspension order lifted.

- TMI