Pas decries seizure of party newspapers
(The Malaysian Insider) KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 – Pas has condemned confiscation of both Harakah and Suara Keadilan, blaming it on authorities rattled by coverage of the Perak crisis.
Both party newspapers complained that authorities yesterday had seized their latest editions in Perak, Kedah and Selangor.
“We believe the action was taken because of their reporting of the Perak crisis,” the HarakahDaily website quoted Pas information Datuk Mahfuz Omar as saying.
“This curtails media freedom and insults the people as their right to information has been denied,” he said, adding it was against any democratic norms.
Mahfuz expressed regret that the mainstream media has been allowed to spin reports painting ousted Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin as a traitor while the same was not done when Umno disputed political appointments by the Terengganu and Perlis rulers last year.
“The mainstream media paints a bad picture when it involves Pakatan Rakyat leaders but Umno leaders are worse than that,” he explained, pointing out Tan Sri Annuar Musa had installed a pretender to the throne in 1993 when the sitting Kelantan Sultan did not agree with Umno leaders.
“If it’s treason, Annuar is more a traitor than Nizar,” he declared, calling on the government to stop seizing Harakah, Suara Keadilan and the alternative media.
