PP3739/12/2003 ISSN 0127 - 5127 / RM3.00 / 2003:Vol.23No.1 Aliran Monthly : Vol.23(1) Page 1 COVER STORY Clampdown On Media Freedom The authorities may have raided Malaysiakini, but they cannot stifle aspirations for greater participatory democracy by Anil Netto he uproar over the police The Raid portal was back online, running raid on Malaysiakini may on makeshift resources. But as at TTT have subsided but the af- But first a brief recap of the raid the time of writing, the four serv- tershock continues to be on Malaysiakini on 20 January. ers had still not yet been returned. felt. Now may be an opportune Acting on a complaint by the time to reflect on the importance youth wing of the ruling United UMNO Youth had lodged a re- of media freedom in building par- Malays National Organisation port complaining about an al- ticipatory democracy and a vi- (UMNO), about a dozen police legedly “seditious” letter posted brant civil society. personnel swooped down on the on the website on 9 January. It office of award-winning inde- complained that the letter had In recent months, Aliran Monthly pendent news portal malaysia- questioned Malay “special has carried articles analysing the kini.com in Bangsar. privileges” and contained “false scope for a broader definition of allegations” about the govern- politics to include citizens’ poli- They seized 15 computer central ment’s treatment of other ethnic tics. But without freedom of ex- processing units (CPUs) and four groups and the indigenous pression, freedom of assembly servers in a raid that paralysed the Orang Asli. They also alleged and the freedom to report dissent site and left media freedom on the that the letter had likened in the media, hopes of creating a Internet reeling. Ten hours later, UMNO Youth with the Ku Klux broader political culture are likely after a candlelight vigil attended Klan, the white supremacist to be frustrated. by some 200 supporters, the web group. Aliran Monthly : Vol.23(1) Page 2 EDITOR'S NOTE In the cover story, Anil Netto looks at the raid on Malaysiakini in the context of the current political CONTENTS climate and then goes on to discuss the importance of freedom of expression for a country like Malay- sia. He also traces recent crackdowns on the media COVER STORY and suggests that they occur whenever more inde- ••• Clampdown On Media Freedom 222 pendent media have proven to successfully sway ••• Hands Off Malaysiakini 888 the voting patterns of segments of the electorate. ••• Defend Freedom Of Expression 101010 Accompanying the cover story are two statements ••• Silencing The Independent Media 131313 on the Malaysiakini raid – the first by Aliran issued immediately after the event and the second, a joint statement by Hakam, Suaram and Aliran. Andrew Aeria then relates the raid to wider political and FEATURES economic issues. ••• Towards An Honourable MTUC 232323 ••• From Ripples To Waves 33 In the back cover story, AM interviews Toni Kasim, ••• Restrain The Empire 353535 who, under the auspices of the Women's Candidacy Initiative contested the 1999 elections. She calls upon ••• The Role Of The Opposition 404040 the Opposition to stop harping on unimportant di- visive issues and to return to the important issues and principles contained in the Opposition's Joint REGULARS Manifesto 1999. ••• Current Concerns 151515 An important feature by former union leader AH ••• Thinking Allowed 191919 Ponniah discusses the recent MTUC leadership cri- ••• LettersLettersLetters 282828 sis. Ponniah reminds these leaders to focus on the rights and welfare of the workers and to stop in- dulging in private power-grabbing agreements. OTHERSOTHERSOTHERS Finally AM carries 6 pages of extracts concerned ••• Subscription Form 171717 with the impending US-Iraqi war and a report on a ••• AppealAppealAppeal 181818 forum held in Penang by the “Stop the War Coali- tion Malaysia.” The 56 NGOs and religions organi- sations involved in the coalition calls upon Malaysians to stand up for peace. Together we can make a difference. Published by Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN) 103, Medan Penaga, 11600 Jelutong, ALIRANALIRANALIRAN is a Reform Movement dedicated to Penang, Malaysia. Justice, Freedom & Solidarity and listed on the Tel : (04) 658 5251 Fax : (04) 658 5197 roster of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. Founded in 1977, Aliran welcomes Homepage : http://www.aliran.com all Malaysians above 21 to be members. Contact the Hon. Secretary or visit our webpage. Printed by Percetakan Tujuh Lapan Enam Sdn. Bhd. No. 16, Lengkangan Brunei, 55100 Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Aliran Monthly : Vol.23(1) Page 3 In the aftermath of the raid, some of power were greeted with stone- looks far from clear. Meanwhile, wondered if the action on cold silence. And the website con- various factions within UMNO Malaysiakini was a prelude to the stantly had to look for new are already jostling for positions. next general election campaign. sources of funding after major It is significant that the raid took Indeed, on the eve of the raid, advertisers pulled out. place at a time when Abdullah is UMNO Youth chief Hisham- Home Minister, Mahathir’s suc- muddin Hussein was reported as What’s more, the fear of the ISA is cessor designate. Thus, those who saying that election preparations so pervasive that many hope that the Abdullah era may and efforts to intensify its focus Malaysians are reluctant to air usher in greater democratic space on winning the elections would critical views on e-mail discussion could be in for a disappointment. be discussed at its party meeting lists for fear of being traced – fears the next day. “There is no ques- that were not unfounded as seen Adding to UMNO’s worries is tion that we are already in the elec- by last month’s ISA arrests of e- the factional split within its key tion mode,” he had said. mail “rumour mongers”. ally, MCA, whose long-serving president Ling Liong Sik is on The action against Malaysiakini will The sight of police carting away his way out. There is also the have far-reaching repercussions for computers from the Malaysiakini merger of two opposition parties Malaysia’s attempt to propel itself office could prove costly for the - Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Ma- into the information age. MSC and turn off some potential laysia – to create Parti Keadilan investors. But little is heard of the Rakyat. The merger creates a When he made his global launch MSC these days and it is unlikely third force in Malaysian politics of the Multimedia Super Corridor that many new foreign software that could potentially rival the (MSC) in 1997, Mahathir prom- or multimedia investors are mak- big two – UMNO and PAS - in ised the whole world that the MSC ing a bee-line for a slice of what- the years to come. was backed by an unalterable Bill ever action there is left in of Guarantees. Among them were Mahathir’s Corridor. The authori- Supporters of ailing jailed ex- pledges that Malaysia would not ties may have factored this in deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim – censor the Internet, would not when deciding to launch the raid. who is all but blacked out in the police cyberspace, and would not mainstream media – have interfere with the freedom of ex- Raids on the Malaysian media are launched a campaign to seek his pression over the information nothing new. Even before the lat- release in April, after his initial 6- superhighway. est developments, Malaysia had year jail term (less one third remis- been ranked a lowly 110 out of 139 sion) expires. They argue that he Backdoor Censorship nations in an inaugural survey should be out on bail pending the carried out by the Paris-based Re- final appeal on his subsequent jail Under Section 3 of the Communi- porters Without Borders (RSF) term of nine years on the sodomy cations and Multimedia Act, the (see box) charge. government prohibited the censor- ship of the Internet, although there Uncertain Landscape The last thing the ruling coali- are provisions to act against “de- tion wants at this time is for famatory and false information”. The raid on Malaysiakini should Anwar, who still has the ability Recent events, however, suggest be seen in the context of the un- to mobilise the grassroots, to be that such official restraint is end- certainty surrounding the politi- out during a time of transition ing. cal-economic landscape and a in the UMNO leadership. The systematic clampdown on media curbs on the media will restrict But there have been attempts at freedom. any attempt to highlight his “back-door” censorship – indirect supporters’ campaign in the means to cow dissent on the Deputy Premier and Home Min- media and the plight of the 130- Internet. Malaysiakini journalists ister Abdullah Badawi has not odd ISA detainees. had been barred from official been fully tested, an election is press conferences and their news looming and the transition to new More importantly, the next general reports on corruption and abuse political leadership after October election, due by 2004, is coming Aliran Monthly : Vol.23(1) Page 4 up soon. Let’s not forget that in the last general elections, hun- dreds of thousands of Malaysians were denied the right to vote as a result of a delay in processing voter registration. Though most analysts expect the ruling coalition to win hands down given the redrawing of con- stituency boundaries and the post-Sept 11 scenario, it is still possible that a website like Malaysiakini can sway enough voters in marginal constituencies to tilt the balance. Malaysiakini: A Heady Blend Of Guts And Idealism On the economic front, no one knows what has been swept un- One of the freest forums for democratic expression, Malaysiakini, der the carpet over the last two headed by Steven Gan and his band of idealistic journalists, decades.