Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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(July 3): Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been criticised for acting against The Edge over its reports on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the party condemned the latest persecution of The Edge by the Home Ministry.

He said the attempt to shut up media groups from exposing corruption no longer worked in this modern age of Internet and social media.

He said if Zahid was acting against the publication to “lift” Datuk Seri Najib Razak's depression, it would not work because it would only stoke public perception that the prime minister had something to hide.

"Najib made an unusual admission that he is depressed because he is an easy target and BN (Barisan Nasional) lost votes due to what he described as inaccurate media reports about the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal.

"Is Zahid trying to lift Najib's depression over the negative perception following the expose of the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal?" Lim said in a statement today.

Lim said Zahid should instead display the same enthusiasm and earnestness in acting against those responsible for the financial scandal.

The Edge was issued with a show-cause letter two days ago by the Home Ministry, giving them seven days to explain why action should not be taken against the publication under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 for publishing what was vaguely described as wrong articles about 1MDB.

Lim said it was shocking that instead of specifying which offending article in The Edge required such a show-cause letter, or detailing how The Edge had done wrong, Zahid had flippantly replied that The Edge should know which articles have been deemed wrong by the ministry.

He said it was a most irresponsible attitude of the home minister which tantamount to a breach of public trust and betrayal of the concept of rule of law.

"Not being neutral and independent is a breach of public trust when such a wide definition of wrongful acts can also cover false reports by the Umno-controlled media such as the New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, which publish lies and false articles about the Penang government, especially blaming the state for issues that originated from the previous BN government before 2008.

"How can The Edge know what false reporting it has committed or what it has done wrong when no articles about 1MDB affairs are specified?

"Zahid’s reply that 'whoever eats chillies will feel the heat, there is no need for them to ask us which articles involved matters which are not true' merely confirms that he ridicules such critically important issues of rule of law and is clearly unqualified for high office of a minister." – The Malaysian Insider

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