Stop Political Intervention into and Self-Censorship in the Media Industry

Stop Political Intervention into and Self-Censorship in the Media Industry

- Memorandum by Malaysians Demanding Press Freedom 2010

3rd May 2010


The Worlds Bottom 30\% in Press Freedom

Malaysia is not only trapped in the middle-income group, but also in the worlds bottom 30\% of countries in respect of press freedom.

In the Freedom Houses Freedom of the Press world ranking exercise released annually before the World Press Freedom Day, Malaysias record in the past eight years is simply appalling: 71st/100 countries surveyed (2003), 154th/193 (2004), 152nd/194 (2005), 141st/194 (2006), 150th/195 (2008), 143rd/195 (2009) and 142nd/196 (2010). Even amongst ASEAN countries, we trail far behind East Timor, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and even Cambodia - all poorer than Malaysia.

Eight Major Violations of Press Freedom in Past 12 Months

We, the undersigned civil society groups and individual citizens call upon all Malaysians, especially the Najib Razak administration and media practitioners, to reflect on the following eight major violations of press freedom since the last World Press Freedom Day, either by direct interference of state or non-state actors, or self-censorship by media organisations:

1. Axing of a TV2 Documentary related to Bakun Dam

April 28, 2010 - State broadcaster Radio Television Malaysias Broadcasting Director-General Ibrahim Yahya directly instructed a Chinese-language documentary series Galeri Mandarin Nasional for TV2 to be taken off air after only two episodes. The 10-episode documentary series exposes the plight of more than 10,000 natives of Belaga, Sarawak, after their forced relocation to Sungai Asap and Sungai Koyan in 1998 owing to the construction of Bakun Dam. The documentary producer Chow reveals that his superior claimed that some sensitive elements in the documentary could be harmful to the Sibu parliamentary by-election to be held on May 16 and the upcoming Sarawak state election.

2. Interference and Censorship on NTV7 talk show Editors Time

April 20, 2010 - Joshua Wong Ngee Chong, award-winning producer for NTV7s Chinese-language talk show Editors Time resigned in protest of self-censorship by the private television channel in the face of alleged pressure from the Prime Ministers wife Rosmah Mansur. Rosmah allegedly forwarded to NTV7s senior management some text messages which accused as racist the talk shows earlier episodes, that featured debates between politicians from the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat as well as independent commentators. Following such complaints, NTV7 decided that the talk show would not cover the Hulu Selangor parliamentary by-election on April 25 and political issues in general; nor would it invite opposition politicians as guests. Wongs accusation was not denied by the NTV7 management in their response to his resignation. The alleged interference by Rosmah was completely blacked out by all mainstream media. In fact, among the mainstream newspapers, only Nanyang Siang Pau and Oriental Daily reported Wongs resignation.

3. Inaccurate Report by China Press on IGPs resignation

March 13, 2010 - The Home Ministry issued a show-cause letter to Chinese-language daily China Press for misreporting the resignation of the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan on March 25. Under Section 8A of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Act 301), if convicted for publishing false news, offenders are liable to be jailed not more than three years or fined not exceeding RM20,000 or both. The Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein whose jurisdiction covers both the police and newspapers - did confirm that Musa Hassans service would end in September. On March 19, China Press apologised for its inaccurate report and suspended its editor-in-chief Teoh Yong Khoon for two weeks over the incident.

4. Silencing criticism on whipping of women

February 24, 2010 - Following police reports lodged by a few non-governmental groups, English daily The Star publicly apologised for a column by its Managing Editor P. Gunasegaran on February 19 titled Persuasion, not compulsion which criticised the whipping of three Muslim women for illicit sex. Claiming that apology was not sufficient, Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) lodged a report on February 25 against Gunasegaran and non-governmental organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS) for denigrating Islam and the Syariah law. In subsequent developments, the Home Ministry issued a show-cause letter to The Star, which then spiked a column by Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and a supporter of SIS, on the whipping issue.

5. New Publication Guidelines for Newspapers

December 17, 2009 Malaysiakini reported that a meeting was called by the Home Ministry with newspaper editors to discuss the adoption of a new set of publishing guidelines. The elaborate but ambiguously worded guidelines were framed as self-regulation. The newspapers were reportedly instructed not to cover news related to cohabitation, adultery, homosexuality, counter-culture; and no graphics of human genitalia and G-strings.

6. MCMCs harassment of Malaysiakini over Cow-head Protests

September 3, 2009 - The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) demanded online news portal Malaysiakini to take down two video clips related to an intimidating protest against the relocation of a temple in Shah Alam. One of the video clips was the footage of a press conference on September 2 held by Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, who defended the protesters. MACCs Monitoring and Enforcement Division Senior Acting Director Abdul Halim Ahmad said that the videos contained offensive contents with the intent to annoy the Indian community. On September 8, MACC grilled 10 staff members of Malaysiakini for a total of eight hours.

7. Confiscation of Books

August 25, 2009 - Officials from the Control of Publication Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs seized 408 copies of the inaugural issues of Gedung Kartun (Cartoon Store) from the publisher's office in Kuala Lumpur. The magazine, published by famous political cartoonist Zunar, poked fun at Prime Minister Najib Razaks alleged connection with the murder of Mongolian interpreter-cum-model Altantuya Sharibu. The Department's Assistant Secretary Abdul Razak Abdul Latif said the magazine was confiscated "primarily" due to the lack of a publication permit as well as for content "checking".

December 24, 2009 Copies of Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times were confiscated from the Port Klang checkpoint, amounting to an effective ban which was lifted only in late April 2010, with no explanation offered for the lengthy inspection. Written by Asian Wall Street Journalformer editor Barry Wain, the book contends that the fourth prime minister was responsible for losses of RM100 billion during his term in office.

January 29, 2010 A total of 64 copies of two books Where Is Justice and 1Funny Malaysia published by Malaysiakini were confiscated from two retailers in Penang and Malacca. The first book questions the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for cases of death in custody, while 1Funny Malaysia is a collection of political cartoons by Zunar.

8. Transfer of NTV7s Talk Show Point of View Host Florence Looi

July 15, 2009 - Online news portal Merdeka Review reported that private television channel NTV7 issued a memo to Florence Looi, the host and producer for an English talk show Point of Viewafter asking her guests to rate the performance of Prime Minister Najib Razak in his first 100 days in office. The programme was aired last on July 5, after which she was re-assigned to field reporting.

While suppression of media freedom is often justified in the name of preserving inter-ethnic or inter-religious harmony by the Malaysian state, such action is often highly selective that certain quarters, including UMNO-owned Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia and a magazine, Al-Islam, were exempted from being reprimanded for provocative, offensive or unprofessional practice.

The Perils of Media Control

Media freedom is protected by the Federal Constitution under Article 10(1)(a) for good reason, such that the violations of media freedom listed above have led to four severe consequences.

Firstly, by disempowering the media as the fourth estate, it disallows the public to scrutinize the state and promote good governance.

Secondly, by suppressing often selectively public discussions on the so-called sensitive issues, it prevents Malaysians of different ethno-religious, cultural, linguistic and socio-economic background from attaining true mutual understanding and real harmony.

Thirdly, by covering up injustices and disharmony, it marginalises further the usual victims women, indigenous tribes, the urban and rural poor, sexual minorities and other vulnerable groups preventing them from being heard and empowered. The silenced 10,000 members of the Belaga community in the axing of TV2s Galeri Mandarin Nasional is a case in point.

Fourthly, silencing citizens in general curbs the creativity and dynamism Malaysians need so much to upgrade the countrys economy and break away from the middle-income trap.

These perils are caused by both political intervention by state and non-state actors, and self-censorship by media practitioners, thanks not least to draconian and anti-competitive media laws such as Printing Presses and Publications Act, Communications and Multimedia Act, Official Secrets Act and Internal Security Act.

Our Demands

We, the undersigned groups and individual citizens, demand the following actions to be taken before the next World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2011:

1. That a Royal Commission of Inquiry or Parliamentary Select Committee be formed to study and recommend thorough media law reform so that

a. there will be minimum entry barrier for print, broadcasting and Internet media to ensure plural ownership within and across media streams;

b. all political censorship mechanisms will be abolished and replaced by genuinely autonomous bodies consisting of representatives of media practitioners and civil society.

2. That the Federal, State and Local Governments defend journalists and citizens exercising freedom of expression and freedom of information from intimidation by non-state actors, and restrain from exploiting the existing laws while they are being reviewed - to curb media freedom.

3. That the media practitioners uphold professionalism and media freedom instead of practising self-censorship.

In the immediate short run, we demand by the end of the month for:

1. An explanation by NTV7 and TV2 on the latest incidents of alleged censorship.

2. An unequivocal assurance from the Prime Minister that no one in his administration or family will undermine media practitioners professional judgement in the choice of topics, angles and news sources.

Initiating Organizations :

1. Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)
2. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
3. Civil Rights Committee of KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (CRC-KLSCAH)
4. Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (BERSIH)
5. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
6. Zunar & Gedung Kartun Group
7. Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
8. Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI)
9. Research for Social Advancement (REFSA)
10. New Era College Progressive Front

This memorandum will be opened for group and individual endorsement till 28th May 2010. Individual are encouraged to sign the online petition

If you have any queries, please contact [email protected]



停止媒体业之政治干预和自我审查

- 2010年大马人要求媒体自由备忘录

2010年5月3日

新闻自由：世界最低30巴仙

马来西亚不只陷于中等收入困境，也是世界上新闻自由指数最低的30巴仙国家之一。

根据自由之家在世界新闻自由日前夕公布的世界媒体自由排行榜，马来西亚在过去八年的记录令人震惊：2003年排名71（100个国家），2004年排名154（193个国家），2005年排名152（194个国家），2006年排名141（194个国家），2008年排名150（195个国家），2009年排名143（195个国家）。在东协成员国中，我们尾随东帝汶、菲律宾、印尼、泰国甚至柬埔寨之后 马来西亚都比这些国家富裕。

过去12个月8次重大侵犯新闻自由

我们以下联署的公民团体和个人，促请所有大马人，特别是首相纳吉的领导班子和媒体业者，回应自去年新闻自由日以来的下述8次重大的侵犯新闻自由事件，这些事件或是因为直接国家干预，或者是非国家机构，或媒体机构的自我审查。

（一）第二电视台停播关于巴贡水坝的纪录片

2010年4月28日 国营第二电视台华语记录片节目《前线视窗》在播放了两集巴贡水坝对当地原住民社群影响的节目后，马来西亚广播电视台(RTM)总监伊布拉欣雅耶直接指示停播该系列节目。这个长达十集的纪录片揭露了，超过一万名砂劳越柏拉加（Belaga）原住民在被逼迁至双溪阿沙（Sg. Asap）和双溪可央（Sungai Koyan）后的困境，他们在1998年因建造巴贡水坝而被逼迁。纪录片制作人周泽南揭发，他的上司声称纪录片内的敏感元素或对即将于5月16日举行的诗巫国会补选和即将来临的砂劳越州选举不利。

（二）NTV7《非谈不可》清谈节目的干预和审查

2010年4月20日 NTV7得奖制作人兼华语清谈节目《非谈不可》制作人黄义忠因该私营电视台自我审查而辞职，据称压力来自首相夫人罗斯玛曼梳。罗斯玛被指针对前几期的清谈节目，转寄一些含有种族性言论的短讯给NTV7的资深管理层。《非谈不可》邀请朝野政党政治人物和独立评论人参与议题性辩论。在该投诉后，NTV7决定该清谈节目将不会讨论4月25日的乌雪国会补选和其它政治课题，也不会邀请反对党人物成为嘉宾。NTV7管理层回应他辞职的文告中，并没有否定黄义忠的指责。主流媒体完全封杀罗斯玛干预电视台节目的指责。在众多主流媒体中，只有《南洋商报》和《东方日报》报道黄义忠的辞职。

（三）《中国报》关于全国总警长辞职的不准确报道

2010年3月13日 内政部发信给《中国报》要求解释错误报道全国总警长慕沙哈山辞职的3月25日新闻。在《1984年出版与印刷法令》第8A条下，若刊登错误新闻的罪名成立，触犯者将被判监不超过三年或罚款不超过二万元，或者两者并施。负责警察部队和印刷媒体的内政部长希山慕丁胡先随后证实慕沙哈山的服务将于九月结束。3月19日，《中国报》因不准确报道而道歉，总编辑张映坤被停职两周。

（四）鞭打女性的批评被噤声

2010年2月24日 英文日报《星报》总编辑古纳斯嘉兰在2月19日刊登说服，而非强制文章，批评鞭打三个触犯婚外性行为的回教妇女后，数个非政府组织报警，《星报》因此道歉。声称道歉并不足够，雪州回教理事会再次于2月25日报警，指古纳斯嘉兰和非政府组织回教姐妹组织污蔑回教和回教法律。接着，内政部发信要求《星报》解释，《星报》也拒绝刊登一篇玛丽娜马哈迪关于鞭打回教妇女的专栏文章，玛丽娜是前首相马哈迪的女儿，也是回教姐妹组织的支持者。

（五）报章的新出版指南

2009年12月17日 - 《当今大马》报道，内政部召开一个报章编辑会议，以讨论采用一套新的出版指南。该含糊不清的指南被视为自我管制。根据报道，报章被指示不能报道关于同居、婚外性行为、同性恋、颠覆文化的新闻，也不能刊登人类生殖器官和丁字裤的照片。

（六）大马通讯和多媒体委员会以牛头示威为由骚扰《当今大马》

2009年9月3日 大马通讯和多媒体委员会要求网络媒体《当今大马》删除两个关于莎阿南兴都庙搬迁的恐吓示威的短片。其中一个影片报道9月2日由内政部长希山慕丁召开的记者会，他在记者会中维护示威者。大马通讯和多媒体委员会的监督和执法部门代理资深总监阿都哈林表示，该影片含有冒犯性内容及试图激怒印裔社群。9月8日，大马通讯和多媒体委员会盘问《当今大马》十个雇员长达八个小时。

（七）没收书籍

2009年8月25日 来自内政部管制出版物部门的官员在吉隆坡出版社的办公室没收了408份《漫画库》创刊号。《漫画库》由著名政治漫画家祖纳出版，他在漫画中嘲弄首相纳吉和蒙古翻译员兼模特儿阿丹杜亚的谋杀有关。该部门助理秘书阿都拉萨表示，该杂志被没收的主要原因是没有出版准证，以及为了调查内容。

2009年12月24日 一批《马来西亚独行侠：动荡时代的马哈迪莫哈末》书籍在巴生港口海关被没收，即使2010年4月禁令已被撤销，有关方面没有对长时间的检查给予任何解释。此书作者为《亚洲华尔街日报》编辑巴力维尔，他主张这位我国第四任首相必须对任内挥霍1000亿令吉马币负责。

2010年1月29日 两本由《当今大马》出版，总共64份的书籍《正义何在？》和《一个趣味大马》在两个位于槟城和马六甲的零售摊位被没收。第一本书质疑警察和反贪委员会致使扣留所死亡，而《一个趣味大马》则收集了祖纳的系列政治漫画。

（八）NTV7清谈节目《观点》主持人吕国仪被调职

2009年7月15日 - 网络媒体《独立新闻在线》报道，私营的NTV7电视台发出备忘录给英语节目《观点》节目主持人兼制作人吕国仪，因为要求听众给首相纳吉上任一百天的表现打分数。该节目最后一次播放是7月5日，随后她被赋予其它新闻任务。

虽然压制新闻自由常以维护大马跨族群或跨宗教和谐为由，但这些行动向来都是选择性的。由巫统拥有的马来日报《马来西亚前锋报》和《Al-Islam》杂志，多次因煽动、冒犯和不专业的报道备受质疑，政府却不采取任何行动。

媒体管制的危险

媒体自由在联邦宪法第10(1)(a)条下获得保障，侵犯媒体自由已导致四个严重的后果。

第一， 解除媒体作为第四权的权力，将使公众无法审视政府和提倡良好治理。

第二， 以敏感为由，选择性地压制公共讨论，将禁止来自各族群、文化、语言和社会经济背景的大马人达致真正的互相了解和和谐。

第三， 掩盖不正义和不和谐，继续边缘化常见的受害者 妇女、原住民、城乡贫穷阶级、性向少数群体和其它弱势群体 将使他们的困境无法被聆听和无法被赋权。被第二电视台停播的《前线视窗》就让一万名柏拉加原住民的困境消失于阅听人面前。

第四， 使公民噤声普遍上打压大马人的创意和动力，这些对提升国家经济和摆脱中等收入困境非常重要。
来自政府和非政府的干预和媒体业者的自我审查促成这些危险，当然也包括残酷和反竞争的媒体法律，例如《出版与印刷法令》，《通讯与多媒体法令》，《官方机密法令》和《内安法令》。

我们的要求

我们，以下签署的团体和个人，要求在下个新闻自由日之前采取以下行动：

（一） 成立一个皇家调查委员会或国会特选委员会研究和建议媒体法律改革以：

确保印刷、广播和网络媒体的最低入场门槛，以确保媒体业者的多元性

所有政治检查机制必须被废除，并以由媒体业者和公民社会组成的真正和独立的机构取代

（二） 联邦政府、州政府和地方政府必须捍卫记者和公民行使表达自由和资讯自由，免于被非政府机构恐吓的权利；在检讨目前法律的当儿，该避免滥用现有的法律，打压媒体自由

（三） 媒体业者必须维护专业和新闻自由，而非实行自我审查

短期内，我们要求在本月梢前即刻落实：

（一） NTV7和第二电视台必须针对最近被指责审查事件作出解释

（二） 首相明确保证他的领导班子或家族成员，将不会破坏媒体业者在题材、角度和新闻来源选择上的专业判断

主催团体：

1. 维护媒体独立撰稿人联盟(WAMI)
2. 独立新闻中心(CIJ)
3. 隆雪华堂民权委员会(CRC-KLSCAH)
4. 干净与公平选举联盟(BERSIH)
5. 大马人民之声(SUARAM)
6. 漫画家祖纳和《漫画库》团队
7. 我是大马之子(SABM)
8. 公共创议中心(CPI)
9. 社会进步研究机构(REFSA)
10. 新纪元学院前进阵线

此备忘录将公开予团体和个人签署，直到2010年5月28日。个人可通过网上签署.

如有任何疑问，请联络 [email protected]