TMI ban a desperate act to muzzle media, says PKR

Putrajaya's block on news portal The Malaysian Insider is an act of "desperation" by Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his attempt to muzzle independent media, PKR said today. The party's deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali also reminded the prime minister that people will not be fooled as "truth cannot be covered by falsehood", and said scandals involving the highest echelons of power would continue to be exposed. Azmin, who is also Selangor menteri besar, called for the block to be lifted immediately, saying Malaysia was at its tipping point following other acts of desperation. He said these included the unwarranted prosecution of dissenters and government critics, the use of police powers to intimidate journalists and arbitrary action of the attorney-general to discontinue investigations related to the prime minister. "What we are witnessing is the institutional breakdown of democratic processes that will ultimately take this nation to the tipping point," he said. He also called the block "yet another case of reckless abuse of executive power" in a long line of constitutional violations by the government. Azmin said it showed a systematic campaign to cower independent news organisations into submission. Apart from freedom of information and expression, he said, the very foundation of constitutional democracy was at stake, and asserted that the rule of law must prevail over the rule of the powers that be. He added that the Malaysian economy was in the doldrums and investors' confidence was at its lowest in view of the string of scandals and the blatant disregard for transparent and accountable financial practices under the current administration. The Malaysian Insider was blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) yesterday for being a "threat to national security" with its content that was allegedly in violation of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988. The site is inaccessible on telco providers Unifi and Celcom, but as of this morning could still be accessed on Digi and Maxis. – February 26, 2016.]]>