KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s assurance of press freedom in the country must not be mere lip service, said the communication heads of Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties today.
Their statement follows allegations of political interference in New Straits Times (NST) and the criminal proceedings initiated against The Edge’s editorial leadership for a couple of news articles.
“The media plays a crucial role particularly to ensure check and balance, and to guarantee administrative transparency, including in the economic field.
“As such, the assurance by the prime minister must not only be expressed on the lips, but must be translated through consistent actions.”
The statement was jointly signed by PH communications director and PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil, Amanah communication director Khalid Abdul Samad, DAP national publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching and Upko information chief Joisin Romut.
The Vibes had reported on Tuesday that NST group editor Ahmad Lokman Mansor will be axed due to alleged political interference from Umno bigwigs, namely former second finance minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
Rauf has since denied any involvement in the decision-making process of key personnel in the news publication and its parent company Media Prime Bhd.
Lokman’s replacement, Farrah Naz Karim, a journalist who formerly served NST as its associate editor, had been serving as an executive editor with its parent company Media Prima.
In a separate case, The Edge's former editor-in-chief Ahmad Azam Mohd Aris was charged with two counts of criminal defamation on Tuesday over two articles published respectively in 2020 and 2021 on purported penny stock manipulations, which he pleaded not guilty to.
The publication’s contributing editor, Shanmugam Murugasu, who is currently overseas, was also jointly accused in one of the charges, but was granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal pending his return to the country.
Commenting on the controversies yesterday, Ismail Sabri had said that press freedom will continue to be preserved under his administration, and assured his government would not interfere with the impartiality of the media.
The quartet of PH leaders said the alleged political interference in the appointment of Farrah in NST is very much regretted, adding that political parties should not meddle in the management of media organisations.
Separately, they also urged the government to withdraw the criminal charges made against The Edge’s leadership, and said the aggrieved party should instead file a civil suit if it deemed that its reputation had been tarnished by the reports. – The Vibes, September 15, 2022
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