This is the CPC “citation” for Mahathir in conferring its “award”:
“Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister of Malaysia. Mahathir Mohamad is openly contemptuous of press freedom. He has manipulated Malaysian media to cement his hold on power and has signaled plans to introduce even more stringent controls on a severely constricted media. Officials are now considering legislation to regulate the Internet, a crucial venue for independent news and opinion in a country where traditional media outlets are overwhelmingly controlled by Mahathir's political allies. Notoriously thin-skinned, the prime minister regularly demonizes the foreign media for reporting he considers unfair. This past year he repeatedly blocked the circulation of international news magazines that featured articles about Malaysia.”
Parliament should debate whether Mahathir should merit being named
among the top ten “Enemies of the Press” for the third consecutive year.
For the past three years, the Prime Minister being named in the top ten “Enemies of the Press” had been the most conspicuous manner for Malaysia to mark the annual World Press Freedom Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 to remember and celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom as well as to encourage and develop press freedom initiatives.
Malaysia should have other more conspicuous and significant ways to mark the World Press Freedom Day, and one suggestion is for the Barisan Alternative to discuss with journalists and NGOs to present a Bill in next meeting of Parliment for the establishment of a Media Council to ensure a free, independent, responsible and pluralistic press.
(3/5/2001)