Is PPPA a tool to show whose ‘green’ is brighter?

 For more than four decades, the media fraternity has been campaigning for a repeal of the dreaded Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984.

It was this law that was used to suspend the publishing permits of The Star, Watan, and Sin Chew Jit Poh at the start of Operasi Lalang in 1987.

With a stroke of the pen, the then-home minister put thousands on the streets. Printing presses stopped, journalists were out of a job, and even the humble newspaper vendor saw his fortunes dip dramatically.

Those were dark days in our history and efforts to push for a repeal or even an amendment continued. At each general election that followed, the PPPA was an issue, that the opposition claimed was an affront to a free media.

It was comforting to note that for almost 30 years thereafter, the PPPA was still in force but never used - except that some publishers had the shivers at the end of each year when their publishing permits were up for renewal.

But the PPPA was used to prevent the publication of the sordid details of the 1MDB scandal, albeit illegally.

In July 2015, the ministry suspended the publishing permits of The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily stating that their reporting 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.”

However, the suspension was challenged in the High Court which quashed the ministry’s order and the government was ordered to pay RM11.2 million in damages.

While the PPPA gives the home minister the power to ban “undesirable publications,” and prohibit their import and distribution, Malaysians were shocked when the government interpreted “apparel” as a form of publication.

The following year, the PPPA was used again when the ministry banned yellow clothing, as well as clothes with the words “Bersih 4”, just before rallies were to take place in Kuala Lumpur.

In the elections that followed in 2018, with the defeat of BN, the use of the PPPA ended.

After a five-year hiatus, the PPPA came to the fore in May this year when it was used to seize over 170 Swatch “Pride” watches allegedly for having lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) “elements”.

[LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of LGBT people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements]

Pride watches

But has the mere seizure of 170 watches caused a dent in the movement? On the contrary, it provided free publicity and caused anger against the government.

That raid was a mere drop in the ocean and caused little damage because there are millions of other such products readily available to Malaysians.

In night markets and along Petaling Street, material such as T-shirts, wrist bands, pins – the whole range is available. Yet, the watch was chosen as a convenient target.

What will they do next? Raid stalls in pasar malam or block access to online portals where Pride paraphernalia is available at the click of a button?

The PPPA has become an expedient tool to show that the government is “greener than green” and its shade of green is the brightest – even being able to stop people from wearing watches with multi-coloured straps.

The proponents who supported the clarion call for repeal of the PPPA in the past are now in government.

But their stance has changed. When it can be used to bolster their image among those fixated on LBGT issues, why not join them if they cannot fight them? - Mkini

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R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.