Suhakam should monitor the daily media coverage of the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections and submit a special report for the Suhakam press freedom workshop next month on the fairness of the media coverage


Media Statement 
by Lim Kit Siang

(Petaling Jaya,  Saturday): Suhakam should be doing practical and useful work to promote and protect human rights, in particular in the area of press freedom, instead of avoiding the substantive issues about freedom of speech, expression and information by getting lost in the forest of workshops, seminars and conferences. 

Last week, Suhakam Secretary Kamaruddin Mohd Baria announced that a press freedom workshop will be held early next month with editors from major news organisations and government officials as participants.  

When I met the Suhakam Chairman, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman in May, I  expressed my concern that Suhakam is organizing a workshop on press freedom in Malaysia when it should be holding inquiries into the various complaints of infringements of press freedom and violations of free speech.   told Abu Talib that it was a matter of concern and even consternation that Suhakam seems to regard itself as an organizer of workshops rather than as a body which had been established by statute with specific powers to inquire into complaints of violations of press freedom. 

There had been umpteenth workshops on press freedom in the country in recent years, whether organsied by journalist groups or the Bar Council,  without any appreciable improvement in press freedom. Even Suhakam itself had organized two such workshops previously.  Instead of another  workshop on press freedom, Suhakam should be holding inquiries into the various specific complaints of violations of  press freedom which it had received

Be that as it may, as a workshop has been decided upon, Suhakam should monitor the daily media coverage, both electronic and printed, of the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections and submit a special report for the Suhakam press freedom workshop next month on the fairness of such coverage.

In the past few days, TV1 and TV3 have degenerated into blatant Barisan Nasional by-election TV channels, displacing virtually all news coverage during the prime time news and turning  them  to a propaganda blitzkrieg to sell the Barisan Nasional candidates to the voters in the two constituencies through national television.

Suhakam should also have a special team to monitor the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections, dealing not only with  the mass media abuses, but also the other two of the 3M electoral abuses of money politics and the abuse of government machinery and public funds.

(13/7/2002)


*Lim Kit Siang - DAP National Chairman