Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

TUARAN: An Umno minister has defended Putrajaya’s move to block whistle-blower site Sarawak Report, saying that the government does not tolerate “blatant lies”.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the move was made to show the government’s refusal to condone irresponsible reporting by websites or blogs.

“The decision to block Sarawak Report is the responsibility of the government. No government in the world would allow such blatant lies, and controversial news portals to operate within the country.

“We also know very well that the Sarawak Report may be able to use other avenues to broadcast their vicious lies to Malaysia. But we have to make a stand. As a government we must make a stand,” he told reporters at his Hari Raya open house in Tuaran, Sabah yesterday.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Sunday blocked Sarawak Report, citing national stability as its reason. Malaysians criticised the move, with DAP’s parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang saying  it would further damage Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s credibility and would not end his woes over scandal-ridden 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The London-based site had been carrying exposés on 1MDB based on leaked information, which Malaysian authorities now say was tampered with. The Sarawak Report and Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo, arrested in Thailand for leaking the information, have denied the tampering claims.

However, Abdul Rahman appeared unperturbed over the criticism, maintaining that the government needed to make a stand. “When a website is considered to be using tampered or falsification of documentation, then the government has to make a stand and that stand is very clear. We will not tolerate any website, news blog that is irresponsible and uses tampered documents ascertained by the Thai authorities.

“Whether they can go around the system and still address Malaysians, that’s their problem. But at least the government is making a stand,” he said when told that Sarawak Report could still be accessed.

Asked if this was a way for the government to cover its mistakes, Abdul Rahman said that news portals would still likely report the “lies and fabricated articles” from Sarawak Report. “Who’s going to stop them? This is an open society but the government is making a stand by law, using laws, and there are provisions in the laws of MCMC that any website, news portal already proven to be using tampered documents can be shut down.

“So, Malaysiakini can say all they like, whatever they like. But at the end of the day, it is the government that will decide based on the law and the provisions within MCMC Act,” he said. — The Malaysian Insider

 

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 21, 2015.

      Print
      Text Size
      Share