Malaysiakini reporting credibility questioned

(Bernama) – Several Independent Members of Parliament today questioned the credibility of online news portal, Malaysiakini, accusing the news portal of inaccurate reporting and undermining facts that can pose a threat to national security.

The news portal was also claimed as the official mouth-piece of the opposition due to bias reporting which always favoured the opposition.

Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent-Pasir Mas) claimed that the alleged spinning and inaccurate reporting of the portal was not only misleading but also “represented a threat to national security” and must be handled (by the authorities).

“I feel news published in Malaysiakini has subversive elements. Maybe the writers do not know anything because they are only wage earners but the question should be who is in charge of the portal and what is the background of the editor,” he said in Dewan Rakyat here today.

The question of Malaysiakini’s credibility as a news portal came into question when Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) and a number of Independent MPs took a swipe at the online news portal, claiming inaccurate reporting of the recent statement made by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull.
 
During a forum held in Shah Alam recently, Shukri had allegedly said that the attorney-general’s chambers had not charged graft suspects investigated by the commission.

Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) who had earlier raised the issue in the Dewan Rakyat was interrupted by Abdul Rahman who claimed that Gobind’s accusation was inaccurate because Malaysiakini was not responsible in its reporting.

“I was at the forum and Mohd Shukri did not say what Malaysiakini had reported,” he said admitting that he was at the forum with Mohd Shukri on March 29.
Wee Choo Keong (Independent-Wangsa Maju) and N. Gobalakrishnan (Independent-Padang Serai) also joined in the Malaysiakini bashing.