(Oct 29): DAP today said the federal government was clearly in denial as it had brushed off international watchdog Human Rights Watch's report on the alleged abuse of laws to criminalise peaceful expression in the country.

Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said denying the HRW report showed that Putrajaya itself was in a state of denial.

"Why is the government unwilling to engage with HRW? The government should not be looking down at HRW. It is an organisation  affiliated with the United Nations.

"Unless the government has something to hide, it should engage HRW and prove that there is no wave of repression or climate of fear in the country... that it is not criminalising peaceful expression," he told reporters in Penang today.

Lim said there had been instances of newspapers being suppressed earlier this year, citing the ban of two publications under The Edge Media Group that had reported extensively on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal currently gripping the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The two newspapers – The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily – were suspended for three months by the Home Ministry in July. The suspension was revoked last month by a High Court after The Edge Media Group took the suspension to court.

Lim said many had been arrested for opposing the 1MDB financial scandal and a RM2.6 billion donation deposited into Najib's personal accounts two years ago, shortly before the general election.

The Penang chief minister said  it was a form of repression when people faced action over peaceful assemblies and expression.

"In Penang, we give the people free public WiFi with improving speeds. We are committed to growing the economy with high speed Internet while we celebrate freedom and peaceful expression.

"That is the contrast between Penang and Putrajaya. We let the people decide which is better," he said.

New York-based watchdog HRW released a 145-page report titled Creating a Culture of Fear: The Criminalisation of Peaceful Expression in Malaysia earlier this week, which urged Najib to stop treating criticism as a crime.

The report accused Najib of repeatedly breaking his promises to repeal repressive and draconian laws and also reminded him of his pledge to uphold civil liberties when he took office in April 2009.

HRW said the Najib administration, particularly since 2013, had used a range of broad and vaguely worded laws "to harass, investigate and arrest" individuals for peaceful expression.

HRW Asia division executive director Brad Adams had attempted to get clarification from Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on various issues for inclusion in the HRW report, but did not receive a response.

Zahid was given a list of questions to explain on Putrajaya’s position concerning alleged abuse of laws to suppress freedom of expression as well as the use of the Sedition Act.

The letter, which requested the home minister to respond by September 10, was also sent to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chairman Datuk Seri Halim Shafie.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed accused HRW of politicising the allegations, which he said were unfair because Malaysia had made several reforms to improve freedom of expression by repealing the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak also reportedly said the HRW report was "exaggerating the situation". – The Malaysian Insider