Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Penang On 3.7.2015.
By Acting Against “The Edge”, Is Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Trying To Lift The Depression Of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Over Negative Perception After The Expose of The RM42 Billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s(1MDB) Financial Scandal?
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak made an unusual admission that he is depressed because he is an easy target and BN lost votes due to what he described as inaccurate media reports about the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal. By acting against “The Edge”, is Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi trying to lift the depression of Datuk Seri Najib over negative perception after the expose of the RM42 billion 1MDB financial scandal?
Instead of persecuting “The Edge” for exposing these financial scandals, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should display the same enthusiasm and earnestness in acting against those responsible for the RM42 billion 1 MDB financial scandal. The Edge was issued with a show-cause letter 2 days ago by the Home Ministry, giving them seven days to explain why action should not be taken under the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 for “publishing what is vaguely described as wrong articles about 1MDB”.
What is shocking is that instead of specifying clearly which offending article in The Edge required such a show-cause letter, or detailing how The Edge had done wrong, Ahmad flippantly replied that The Edge should know for themselves which of their articles have been deemed wrong by the Home Ministry. This is a most irresponsible attitude of the Home Minister which tantamount to a breach of public trust and betrayal of the concept of rule of law which he as Minister is duty-bound to uphold.
By not being neutral and independent is a breach of public trust when such a wide definition of wrongful acts can also cover false reports by the UMNO-controlled media such as New Straits Times, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, which publish lies and false articles about the Penang state government, especially blaming Penang state government for issues that originated from the previous BN state government before 2008. Clearly such double-standards confirms suspicions that Ahmad Zahid is abusing his power as a Minister to pursue narrow political interests and perhaps lift the depression of his Prime Minister following the expose of the 1MDB financial scandal.
Such double-standards and selective prosecution is compounded by violating and betraying the principle basis of rule of law that offences committed must be clearly specified. How can The Edge knows what false reporting it has committed or what it has done wrong when no articles about 1MDB affairs are specified? Ahmad Zahid’s reply that “Whoever eats chillies will feel the heat, there is no need for them to ask us which articles involved matters which are not true,” merely confirms that he ridicules such critically important issues of rule of law as a joke, and is clearly unqualified for high office of a Minister.
DAP condemns the latest persecution of “The Edge” by the Home Ministry. Trying to shut up media groups exposing corruption no longer works in this modern age of internet and social media. Such persecution will not lift Datuk Seri Najib out of his depression because it will only enhance public perception that the Prime Minister has something to hide.
LIM GUAN ENG
—-Mandarin Version —
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2015年7月3日在槟城发表声明：
阿末查希是不是想要通过对付财经周刊《The Edge》，让首相摆脱420亿令吉一马机构丑闻，不为负面印象而抑郁？
首相拿督斯里纳吉做了一项不寻常的剖白，他说自己感到抑郁，因为他是容易被攻击的对象，加上媒体针对420亿令吉一马丑闻的不正确报道，而让国阵失去选票。阿末查希是不是想要通过对付财经周刊《The Edge》，让首相摆脱420亿令吉一马机构丑闻，不为负面印象而抑郁？
与其对付揭发这些金融丑闻的《The Edge》, 阿末查希应该以同等的积极度及热诚，来对付那些需要为420亿一马机构丑闻负起责任的人士。内政部长两天前发出信函给《The Edge》，要求他们七天内解释，为何“刊登了有关一马机构的错误消息”不需在1984年印刷及出版法令下被对付。
最让人震惊的是，当局不但没有指出《The Edge》哪一篇文章有问题因为遭当局要求解释信，也没有说明《The Edge》犯了什么错，阿末轻率地回答说，《The Edge》本身应该知道他们哪一篇文章被内政部认为有错。这是内政部长最不负责任的态度，身为部长他有责任维护公信力及法治，如今他等同于违背公共诚信及背判法治概念。
当他无法中立及独立，这就是违背公共诚信，按他那种“犯错”的广泛定义，也可以用来对付刊登虚假报道的巫统控制媒体如：《新海峡时报》、《前锋报》及《每日新闻》，他们也刊登了针对槟州政府的谎言及虚假消息，特别是常常把2008年之前国阵政府所造成的问题，一篮子把责任全都推诿给槟州政府。很明显地，这种双重标准肯定是阿末查希滥用他身为部长权利，来谋取政治利益，或许也能减轻首相因备受一马机构丑闻缠身而造成抑郁情绪。
这种双重标准及选择性检举，因当局对基本法治原则的侵犯及背叛而恶化，法律规定犯法的人必须清楚知道自己犯了什么罪。如果有关内局没有特别指出特定的一马机构丑闻报道或文章，《The Edge》怎样知道他们哪一条新闻写错了，或者他们犯了什么错？阿末查希的回答是“犯错的人自食其果，他们不需要问我们哪一篇报道含有不真实的内容。”这只是一再证明他对关键的法治原则不屑一顾、当成笑话，他根本没有资格担任一名部长。
行动党谴责内政部长最新对付《The Edge》的行动。在互联网及网络媒体兴起的时代，打击媒体集团再也阻止不了人们揭发贪污丑闻。这不但无法减轻拿督斯里纳吉的抑郁症，反对制造一种印象，让公众更加“确信”首相隐瞒了某些事，欲盖弥彰。
林冠英