If not for Malaysiakini…..
“The Malaysian government should drop its order to a popular news website to remove videos of a recent protest and of a government minister’s reaction, Human Rights Watch said today.”
The website Malaysiakini has refused to comply with a September 3, 2009 order by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission to remove a video showing an incident where protesters in Selangor state marched with a severed cow’s head to oppose the building of a Hindu temple and another in which the home minister stated that the actions were legal. The minister later reversed himself and police charged some of the protesters.
According to the Communication and Multimedia Commission, the videos are in violation of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998, which prohibits “content which is indecent, obscene, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.” Violations carry fines of up to RM50,000 (US$14,325) and up to a year in prison.
By Human Right Watch, Sept 22, 2009
It must be terrifying for the editors, journalists and staff members of Malaysiakini when MCMC used intimidating tactics and harassment on them. You must have a heart of steel to face the MCMC’s ”electronic forensic” team, just the name of the investigation team gives you the chills. You kind of feel that you have just murdered someone, to that extend.
But don’t you think that MCMC is barking at the wrong tree? Just imagine, if not for Malaysiakini, the cow head protest will have gone unnoticed by the public. If not for Malaysiakini, the world will not witness the uncivilized act of a group selfish barbarians.
When the Ministry of Information Communication and Culture denied allegations that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission had abused its power in controlling the new media, many people must be laughing their heads off. It is so obvious that MCMC is the “macai” of Rais Yatim.
Additional to this, how can the minister make a statement indicating such allegations clearly showed that certain quarters were attempting to tarnish the image of the commission as an independent body that regulated the Internet facilities and their contents?
Who is tarnishing who if not your own shadow.
