Press Statement by DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng in conjunction of the World Press Freedom Day in Kuala Lumpur on 3 May, 2018
This is not fake news: Pakatan Harapan Government will free the media and repeal all laws and policies that stifle the media.
Even before Parliament was dissolved on 7th March to make way for Malaysia’s 14th general election to be held on 9th May, the tightly-controlled mainstream media have been openly campaigning for Barisan Nasional, with their distortion and lies.
Besides campaigning for BN, the media such as the online version of The Star and New Straits Times recently published articles quoting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying that Pakatan Harapan will abolish the Grab ride-hailing service when in power. When Dr Mahathir explained that he had said there should be a review in order to be fair to both sides, hence exposing their lies, the two media outlets merely deleted the news without any apologies.
And yet the Najib Razak administration had no qualms bulldozing the Anti-Fake News Law in a hurry recently to further curb the already-restrained media as well as alternative voices on social media.
This is not a new phenomenon as it has been going on for a long time. Why does this continue to happen? As long as Barisan Nasional is the government, we will never taste real freedom including media freedom.
This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme is “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and the Rule of Law”. This is a very apt theme in the context of our 14th General Election as the media in Malaysia have been prevented for decades from performing its function as a watchdog of the government.
A free media is crucial in providing a level playing field for all political actors and for the public (stake-holders) to hold the power-holders accountable. As such, this GE is an opportunity to reform the legislative environment that has worked against the media and freedom of expression of citizens.
In the recently launched Press Freedom Index, Malaysia has remained in the bottom of the list of over 170 countries, with no improvements to show for itself. When Najib took office in 2009, he promised to relax the government’s control but he lied.
As stated in Pakatan Harapan’s GE14 Manifesto:
“Pakatan Harapan Government will ensure that media has the freedom to check and balance our administration. We will review all laws and regulations related to the media so that media freedom is guaranteed. We will also take steps to improve the independence and professionalism of entities such as Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and BERNAMA.
“The Pakatan Harapan Government will also set up a Media Council, comprising media figures, which will be responsible for developing and implementing a code of ethics on reporting and functions as a hisbah body (ombudsman) for public complaints.”
To ensure the implementation of those proposals, the new Government will revoke the following:
• Sedition Act 1948
• Prevention of Crime Act 1959
• Universities and University Colleges Act 1971
• Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984
• National Security Council Act 2016
• Mandatory death by hanging in all Acts.
The Pakatan Harapan Government will also abolish draconian provisions in the following Acts:
• Penal Code 1997 especially on peaceful assembly and activities
harmful to democracy
• Communications and Multimedia Act 1998
• Security Offences (special measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA)
• Peaceful Assembly Act 2012
• Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2015
I repeat, this is not fake news: Pakatan Harapan Government will free the media and repeal all laws and policies that stifle the media.
Happy Press Freedom Day.
LIM GUAN ENG
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民主行动党秘书长林冠英于2018年5月3日在吉隆坡发表的世界新闻自由日文告
希盟联邦政府将让媒体免于恶法，废除压制媒体的恶法与政策。 #这不是假新闻
这不是假新闻：希盟联邦政府将让媒体免于恶法，废除压制媒体的恶法与政策。
即使早在国会为了第十四届大选解散之前的3月7日，被国阵控制的主流媒体已经公开为国阵造势，极尽扭曲事实与制造谎言。
除了为国阵造势，诸如《星报》及《新海峡时报》网络版最近双双皆刊登引述敦马哈迪声称一旦希盟执政要废除Grab电召车服务的假新闻。敦马澄清说当时只是称要检视以便求取电召车与计程车之间的公平利益。当这两家报章的谎言被揭发后，他们才悻悻然的在网络移除这则假新闻，连道歉都欠奉。
纳吉政权毫不犹豫的迅速通过反假新闻法，将这新恶法如推土机铲过来掐紧本来已经受抑制的主流媒体咽喉，同时消除网络社交媒体的异议。
这不是新现象，这存在已久，但为何却持续发生？只要国阵执政的一天，我们不可能会有真正自由的一天，包括新闻自由。
今年的世界新闻自由日主题是“媒体、公义与法治，继续监督政权”，这非常切合第十四届大选的现况，因为马来西亚媒体已经被压抑与控制数十年，无法有效的扮演监督的角色。
一个自由的新闻媒体最重要的是能提供一个公开的场域给所有的政治阵营人士及相关利益的公众向掌权者问责。因此本届大选，是一次改革立法体系钳制媒体与个人言论自由的良机。
最新公布的新闻自由排名，马来西亚在170多个国家中继续排在后段，完全没有进步。纳吉在2009年掌权后承诺要消除政府掌控媒体的情况，但他根本在说谎。
希盟的第十四届大选列明：
“希盟政府将确保媒体拥有新闻自由制衡我们的权力当局。我们将重新审阅所有针对媒体的相关法令条文，以确保新闻自由受到保障。我们也将采取步骤改善公立媒体如马来西亚广播电视台（RTM）及马新社（BERNAMA）的独立性。”
“希盟政府也将会设立媒体评议委员会，涵盖各媒体负责人，作为监察单位以负责促进媒体道德操守与解决公众投诉的任何违反媒体道德操守的报导。”
为了确保进行上述宣言，新政府将会废除以下法令：
• 1948年煽动法令
• 1959年预防罪案法令
• 1971年大专法令
• 1984年出版与印刷法令
• 2016年国家安全委员会法令
• 各种强制环首死刑的法令
希盟也将会废除以下这些恶法废除：
• 1997年刑事法中的和平集会与危害民主刑法
• 1998年多媒体法令
• 2012年国家安全罪行法令（SOSMA）
• 2012年和平集会法令
• 2015年预防恐怖主义法令（POTA）
我再重复一次这不是假新闻： 希盟联邦政府将让媒体免于恶法，废除压制媒体的恶法与政策。
新闻自由日快乐。
林冠英