Anwar & Kit Siang Must Explain Why Pakatan Rakyat Curtailing Press Freedom In Kedah

I refer to the announcement today by the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat government to ban several media (namely TV3, RTM, Utusan, Berita Harian and Bernama) from covering the Kedah State Assembly sitting next week. Instead, only 11 media representatives would be allowed to cover the state assembly sitting.

[ source: www.wartakedah.net 11th November, 2010 ]

Pemuda Gerakan Kedah STRONGLY CONDEMN the latest move by the Kedah Pakatan Rakyat government to ban these media from covering the Kedah State Assembly next week on the following grounds:-

1. it is indirectly a form of censorship and curtailing press freedom. This is also contrary to Pakatan Rakyat’s pledge in their Common Policies Framework (announced December, 2009), which purported to promote press freedom (Paragraph 1.2.7).

2. the Kedah State Assembly sitting are of public interest and every media should be allowed to cover it. This is fundamental to the principle of democracy and promotes transparency of matters brought up in the Kedah State Assembly. The Kedah Pakatan Rakyat government must be prepared to be scrutinized by the public and media for transparency.

Pakatan Rakyat national leaders, in particular its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP’s adviser Lim Kit Siang must immediately demand and ensure their Pakatan Rakyat Kedah government revoke their latest ban against these several media group.

Pakatan Rakyat must also ensure that any media group should be allowed to cover the Kedah State Assembly.

In the event Pakatan Rakyat refuses to revoke their latest ban on these media to cover the Kedah State Assembly, this would confirm Pakatan Rakyat’s Common Policies Framework are mere rhetoric. All the pledge by Pakatan Rakyat to promote Press Freedom would then be “empty pledge”.