Legal action if PKR tabloid published without permit

PKR faces the risk of legal action being taken against the party if it continues publishing Suara Keadilan whose publication permit has expired. Secretary of the Home Ministry's publication control and Quran text division, Zaitun Ab Samad, said today: "If they operate the newspaper without a licence, they bear the risk of facing legal action." She was earlier asked to comment on PKR's strategy director Tian Chua's statement that the party would continue publishing its newspaper although there had been no response from the ministry to the application for renewal of the permit.

Tian Chua was quoted as saying in the Malaysiakini news portal today that there had been no development on the status of the newspaper's publication permit.

The newspaper had recently published a front-page article titled "Felda Bangkrap" (Felda Bankrupt), which is regarded as defamatory. On June 28, the Home Ministry gave Suara Keadilan a week to explain the article. Zaitun had issued a statement that Suara Keadilan's publication permit issued in July last year had expired on June 30, as such the newspaper could no longer be published or printed, according to Section 5(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Before this, the newspaper had also been issued with a show-cause letter three times - in January, February and April this year - and it was reported that the newspaper had replied on June 29 but the ministry was not satisfied. Asked on the ministry's stand on the issue involving Suara Perkasa, Zaitun said the ministry's officials would meet with the newspaper's publisher tomorrow and any action to be taken would be decided after the meeting.

'Felda Bangkrap' concocted report

Meanwhile, Felda's success in improving the socio-economic status of bumiputeras has become a strength of the BN and that is why the land development agency was targeted by Suara Keadilan, the weekly organ of PKR, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Mukhriz Mahathir said today.

He said Suara Keadilan's recent front-page report entitled "Felda Bangkrap" (Felda Bankrupt) was a concocted report which was politically-driven and was utterly baseless and irresponsible. "Felda is among the more successful institutions with large cash reserves, and has been able to invest in huge projects and provide Felda settlers with ever-increasing benefits," he told reporters after launching the AKAR Jerlun Adventure Kayak Race in Kuala Lumpur.

The event is scheduled for July 23 to 25 in Jerlun, Kedah. Mukhriz, who is the MP for Jerlun, said Felda which was started during the era of Abdul Razak Hussein, the country's second prime minister, had since become a bastion for the BN. "Felda has given a lot of benefits to the Malays and it has become the strength of BN, that's why they have targeted the institution," he said.

Mukhriz said the application by Suara Keadilan to renew its publication permit should be rejected or the newsletter should be given a stern warning to get the message across that responsible reporting was necessary to maintain freedom of the press.

He expressed support for Felda's move to ask RM200 million in damages and an apology from PKR. - Bernama