KUALA LUMPUR: The future of Al Jazeera’s Asia Pacific headquarters here appears to be hanging in the balance following the refusal of the Malaysian authorities to renew the work permits of five of its TV crew members.
The five were behind a highly acclaimed report on the sufferings of migrant workers in Malaysia during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several of the network’s senior producers, editors and writers who were not involved in the 101 East “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” episode are now worried about their future here.
The show centred on allegations that Malaysian authorities were rough on the documented and undocumented migrant workers during special raids on locations where the foreign workers were staying.
The 25-minute episode triggered a firestorm in Malaysia as the government and its supporters accused Al Jazeera of misreporting to back allegations that the authorities were persecuting migrants under the guise of containing the spread of the pandemic.
In April, a few days after the report was aired in Malaysia and globally, seven Al Jazeera personnel in Kuala Lumpur were questioned over two days by police under sedition laws. Police also raided the Al Jazeera office in Kuala Lumpur and carted away computers and documents.
Eventually, neither the seven nor the network were charged in court but five of the crew members who were linked directly to the production of the report were given 30 days to leave the country upon the expiry of their respective work permits. They have since returned home to Australia.
The future of about 12 other Al Jazeera producers and writers who are citizens of Britain, the US and Singapore with valid work visas, hangs in the balance. Many of them fear they will also suffer the same fate as their Australian colleagues.
It is understood that the Malaysian action has resulted in serious questions being debated by station officials, including whether they should continue operating out of Kuala Lumpur.
For over 14 years, Al Jazeera Kuala Lumpur has been home to a sizable English and Arabic editorial team, including web-based journalists. It also has a dozen or more Malaysian staff in the administration, accounts and engineering departments.
Before launching the station in 2006, the then Al Jazeera International managing director Nigel Parsons had told a local daily in an interview that Kuala Lumpur was chosen over Hong Kong and Singapore because Malaysia “was the perfect choice with a good English-speaking population and great infrastructure in place. The atmosphere in Kuala Lumpur is vibrant and exciting”.
Now, the latest action by Malaysian authorities may force the international broadcaster to review the scale of its operations in Kuala Lumpur or move to another country in the region.
“Al Jazeera faced huge pressure from the Malaysian government after airing the episode which was followed by serious social media attacks by Malaysians, and the investigation into seven of its producers, editors and cameramen for sedition.
“Many police reports were lodged against the network to incite public anger against Al Jazeera over the episode.
“I am not sure if it’s tenable for it to continue its operations here anymore under the circumstances unless there is a change of heart by the government in the treatment of the media,” the source said.
“Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown” won international praise and has been shortlisted for the highly respected London-based One World Media’s 2020 coronavirus reporting awards.
Previous governments had freely touted Al Jazeera’s significant operation in Kuala Lumpur as testimony of ample press freedom allowed in the country.
“What is ironic is that Al Jazeera had done a couple of stories on the controversial Altantuya murder linking then prime minister Najib Razak and exposing alleged corruption in the foreign workers contracts with a mention of then deputy prime minister and home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid all under their watch. And yet no action was taken,” the source said.
When contacted by FMT, Al Jazeera managing director in Doha, Giles Trendle, declined to comment.
FMT has also attempted to reach immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud for comment. - FMT
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