Suara Keadilan Digantung

Opposition newspapers banned, talk of Anwar being arrested swirl as nervous Najib moves to consolidate power
Tuesday, 24 March 2009 • Kategori: Berita Utama, English News, Kedah, Kelantan, Korupsi, Nasional, Parlimen, Perak, Politik, Pulau Pinang, Selangor & Putrajaya

By Wong Choon Mei

In a move that reflects the nervousness of incoming prime minister Najib Abdul Razak as he prepares to assume power, Pakatan Rakyat newspapers Suara KeADILan and Harakah were suspended by the Home Ministry.

Tear gas and water canons were also fired at a peaceful crowd who had gone to hear Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim speak at a by-election campaign, spurring speculation that his arrest was imminent as the Najib camp moves to tighten their hold on the country.

“Information is the greatest leveller of the playing field. This latest suppression underscores the insecurity and fear that Najib and his supporters feel about their political situation,” said Tian Chua, information chief of KeADILan.

“There are many major events around the corner - the Umno election, the power transition, the triple by-elections and the Perak crisis. He must be afraid of losing, of being further exposed, or there might be some exclusive revelations coming up that he would be hard-pressed to deny.”

Both the weeklies were banned for three month until the end of June with immediate effect. No reason was stated in the letter sent to KeADILan president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, whose party publishes Suara KeADILan. Harakah is the organ of Pakatan partner PAS.

KeADILan will discuss with their lawyers the best way forward. Solutions include a possible appeal to the ministry or a court injunction to set aside the suspension. Tian will be holding a no-holds-barred press conference at Parliament building on Tuesday.

In the meantime, it will be business as usual. The party will continue to publish the hugely popular weekly, which has a circulation of about 150,000 copies per edition. In February, the Home Ministry seized more than 20,000 copies of Suara KeaDILan in a nation-wide crackdown.

Information key to level playing field

As the going gets tougher for Najib, the most unpopular leader ever to assume office in Malaysia according to a recent poll, he and his supporters are expected to further clamp down on democratic space and freedom of expression in a bid to curb criticism and control information flow.

There is political turmoil overtaking the country, with many Malaysians urging the King not to appoint him prime minister because of the string of unresolved scandals haunting him, including the high-profile murder-and-commission case involving Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The scandal-plagued Najib is due to succeed premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi early next month.

Late on Monday night, police fired tear gas and chemical-laced water at the crowd of thousands who attended a ceramah or political lecture at Bukit Selambau, Kedah.

More than 5,000 people scrambled for cover and Anwar had to be rushed to safety until the police departed. Again no reasons were given for the unnecessary action, adding to already swirling rumours that the Najib camp intend to arrest the charismatic reform icon soon.

In the meantime, Najib’s power-play will deny Malaysians crucial information - a different view point and second perspective - about what is happening in their country. The ban of the opposition newspapers would only force them to rely on the reportage of the Umno-Barisan Nasional media.

Just days ago, Najib launched a blitz on netizens of cyberspace. At least six bloggers were charged for “unwise use of network or network services for making comments, demands, suggestions or communication which are vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing”.

If found guilty, they can be fined up to RM50,000 and/or jailed for up to one year.

“This development is a serious blow to the freedom of expression in Malaysia,” said Amnesty International Asia Pacific director Sam Zarifi. “For a country that claims to be on the cutting edge of communications technology, this is a very troubling step backward.”