Edge suspension to protect wrongdoers?

Bar Council president says action against financial paper bolsters credibility and merit of their allegations

FMT LETTERS

From: Steven Thiru, Kuala Lumpur

The suspension order on The Edge is very unacceptable and objectionable. The reported grounds for the suspension are unconvincing and unreasonable. Thus , the suspension order can easily be perceived as a blatant or deliberate attempt to silence a contrary or critical voice on a matter of public interest.

This is deplorable as it suggest the affected parties are incapable or unwilling to rebut or to respond to the concerns or criticism expressed by The Edge.

This in turn gives rise to the reasonable conclusion that the allegations made by The Edge have merit, substance and credibility that cannot be rebutted and that the alleged wrongdoers are being protected. In any event, the focus of the authorities should be to investigate the allegations and not to penalise and muzzle the messenger.

In this regard, the resort to the suspension order, as opposed to focusing on the investigation, smacks of disrespect for the freedom of the press, speech and expression. These are important rights that should not be conveniently sacrificed and cast aside.

The suspension order in the circumstances here is draconian, oppressive and does little to dispel the increasingly widely held view that we are lurching towards an authoritarian state where there is no regard for the rule of law and constitutional rights.

The suspension order imposed on The Edge should be immediately lifted.

Steven Thiru is president of the Bar Council