Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman has denied stating that The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) should not be blocked over its reports alleging that 1MDB funds went to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and those related to him.
Azalina claimed her statement reported by Malaysiakini was misquoted, stating that she was only speaking in general.
"The comment was made generally without referring to any media or news agency.
"I was emphasising that Malaysia is a democratic country and not a communist country, I was making a reference to notion of freedom of expression and not relating it to any specific news agency," she said in a statement tonight.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini quoted Azalina as saying: "We are (a) democratic (country). We are not a communist country that bans others from criticising our leaders".
She made the comment when asked if the government would block the WSJ over its reports.
An audio recording of the question and answer is reproduced here and be heard at the bottom of this story.
Azalina, in her statement, said Malaysia had demonstrated a high level of tolerance and acceptance when it comes to criticism from all quarters, especially social media.
"This shows the readiness of the government in accepting any criticism as long as it is constructive.
"Thus, my comments were on the notion of freedom of expression and not about blocking or unblocking a certain news agency," she said.
To date, several news portals including Sarawak Report, Asia Sentinel, Malaysia Chronicles and The Malaysian Insider have been blocked by the government over critical reports about Najib.
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