‘Heat was denied right to be heard’

PETALING JAYA:The Malaysian Bar has questioned the recent decision by the Home Ministry to suspend indefinitely the publication permit of the weekly newspaper The Heat.

Its president, Christopher Leong, said the decision to suspend the permit for The Heat was made before the publisher had been given the right to be heard pursuant to section 13B of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Leong said the indefinite suspension of The Heat would appear to be in breach of Article 13 of the Federal Constitution.

“Article 13 does not mean merely following the written law, but adhering to the due process of the law and natural justice,” he said.

He added that the timing and speed of such indefinite suspension gave rise to the perception that the government was seeking to muzzle and punish a member of the media for an article it published in its Nov 23 to 29 issue on the alleged “big spending” of the Prime Minister.

“The suspension of The Heat is an unwarranted attack on the freedom of the press and an attack on freedom of speech and expression generally,” said Leong.

The weekly newspaper was suspended after covering Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor’s expenditure during their overseas trips.

Leong said this was not the the first time government had abused its power.

“Other instances include incidents during which the Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi harassed a Malaysiakini journalist who was asking him questions, and threatened to shut down the online newspaper that reported his speech in Malacca and the physical assault and abuse of media professionals by the police during the Bersih 3.0 in Kuala Lumpur on April 28 , 2012.

“A free press is a fundamental feature of a vibrant and accountable democracy.

“An independent press acts as a dissemination of information, and as a check and balance of elected representatives and government.

“The well being of a democratic nation is dependent on, among other things, a healthy, professional, ethical and independent press,” he said.