(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 7 September 2000 letter to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, CPJ expressed its dismay at the recent suspension of two Malaysian publications, the weekly news magazine “Eksklusif” and the monthly youth magazine “Wasilah”. In an interview yesterday with the online newspaper “Malaysiakini”, Home Ministry official Tengku Mahmood Tengku Ismail said “Eksklusif”‘s publication […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 7 September 2000 letter to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, CPJ expressed its dismay at the recent suspension of two Malaysian publications, the weekly news magazine “Eksklusif” and the monthly youth magazine “Wasilah”.
In an interview yesterday with the online newspaper “Malaysiakini”, Home Ministry official Tengku Mahmood Tengku Ismail said “Eksklusif”‘s publication had been suspended “due to its imbalanced reporting and non-compliance with publication rules and regulations.” The Kumpulan Karangkraf company, which publishes “Eksklusif”, was notified by written decision last month, according to a CPJ source, but did not publicize the matter for fear that its other 20 publications might suffer as a result.
“Eksklusif” has been effectively banned since 15 April, when its annual publishing permit expired, despite the publisher’s numerous appeals to the Home Ministry. Under the onerous Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984, all publications are required to apply annually for a license to publish. The Home Ministry oversees publication permits in Malaysia, and there is no judicial review of ministerial decisions on media licensing.
“Eksklusif” is an important source of news that might not otherwise find an outlet in Malaysia’s tightly controlled mainstream media; its content is mostly political and often quite critical of the government. According to “Malaysiakini”, Home Ministry officials warned “Eksklusif” to “improve its coverage” after the magazine published articles sympathetic to ousted deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently jailed on what appear to be politically motivated charges of sodomy and corruption.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has also refused to license the monthly youth magazine “Wasilah”, whose annual publishing permit expired on 31 August. Editors had applied for renewal three months ago, well in advance of the expiration date. Although no official decision has been announced, a Home Ministry source told “Malaysiakini” that the permit was in the process of being “suspended and revoked.”
“Wasilah”‘s editor, Ahmad Lutfi Othman, who is a member of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), told reporters that he believes the decision was politically motivated. Lutfi is the former editor of “Detik”, an independent bimonthly magazine that was shut down in March (see IFEX alerts of 29, 27 and 3 March, 21, 13, 12, 11 and 6 January 2000).
CPJ sources said that although “Wasilah” was not particularly critical of the government, Lutfi’s personal ties to the opposition likely prompted the Home Ministry to ban the publication.
Lutfi told Malaysiakini that he had in fact tried to tone down “Wasilah”‘s political content to avoid confrontation with the administration. “This decision is too much,” he said. “We have sacrificed our own intellect in order to avoid any dispute with the [Home Ministry].”
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the prime minister:
– condemning the government’s frequent use of the Printing Presses and Publications Act to shut down publications perceived as being pro-opposition
– noting that the actions against “Eksklusif” and “Wasilah” are further evidence that the Act is being used as a political tool, in violation of the government’s international obligations to guarantee freedom of speech and of the press
– urging him to instruct the Home Ministry to allow “Eksklusif” and “Wasilah” to resume publishing immediately
– calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Blok Utama, Tingkat
Pusat Pentadhiran Karajaan Persekutuan
Putrajaya 62502
Malaysia
Fax: +603 8888 3530
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
