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JAN 23, 2003 The action sparks outcry from critics who say it bodes ill for the IT industry and is an attack on freedom of speech By
Leslie Lau MALAYSIAN police have questioned four journalists from a local online newspaper, in a sedition investigation that critics say is an attack on the freedom of speech and a reversal of the government's promise not to censor the Internet. The four, one news editor and three sub-editors, were called for questioning yesterday, a day after Malaysiakini.com's editor Steven Gan was interrogated over a letter published in the daily. Speaking to The Straits Times yesterday, Mr Gan said: 'The letter was definitely not seditious. It was provocative but not seditious. 'I believe the police will charge me. They are definitely going after me.' Umno Youth had complained to the police about the letter, written under a pseudonym, which compared the party to the White supremacist group, Ku Klux Klan. In its report, the party claimed the letter incited racial hatred. On Monday, police raided Malaysiakini.com's office and seized 19 computers, shutting down operations briefly in the process. Mr Gan noted: 'The debate about Malay special rights on our letters column was sparked off by a statement by the Prime Minister a few months ago who asked Malays to no longer walk on crutches and depend on the government.' He added that he was ultimately responsible for all letters published, 'even though I may not agree with the views expressed in them'. The National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), whose members are appointed by the government, criticised the police action as a move that 'bodes ill for the IT industry and freedom of speech'. 'Umno Youth could have sued the editor if it felt slighted by the letter but state power should not be abused,' said a Suhakam member, Professor Hamdan Adnan. The government has responded by pointing out that the authorities' promise not to censor the Internet applies only if people behave. The Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin, said the government's agreement to allow freedom of expression on the Internet was not a licence to say anything. A prominent corporate figure in the IT industry told The Straits Times: 'We accept there are limits to freedom of speech but we still believe in self-regulation on the Internet. The police action was akin to trying to shut down the entire operations of Malaysiakini.' Despite criticisms from many rights groups, there was surprisingly little debate on local online news forums about the raid on the newspaper's office. Those who have voiced disapproval over the raid are unhappy with what is perceived to be the high-handed manner in which the operation was conducted. Police seized computers after Mr Gan refused to divulge the identity of the letter-writer, claiming the journalistic principle of pro- tecting his sources. 'I feel it is a malicious action,' said the editor. 'They need not have taken all our computers. We explained to them that one computer acted as a mail server.' He said this was clearly a move to cripple operations at the online newspaper. Copyright @ 2003 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. |