KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (pic) says he has yet to decide if the upcoming Umno general assembly will be open to media coverage, and denies ordering a media blackout of the event.
The party secretary-general denied saying that there would be a "media blackout", as reported on Wednesday.
"Who said there is a media blackout? When they asked me this morning, I said I had not decided," he told reporters when met at the Dewan Rakyat.
Tengku Adnan said the issue concerning media coverage for the general assembly is dependent on the 'behaviour" of the media in their reporting.
He said if access to the general assembly was opened up to all media agencies, they would be selective in their reporting and spin issues against Umno.
"Enough is enough. Behave yourself and I can behave myself too, so I can open it up to all of you," he said.
When asked by reporters what he meant by "spin", Tengku Adnan said certain politicians had a tendency to go off topic when in front of the microphone, and this was highlighted in the media.
"Sometimes they don't mean what they say, and this will hurt race and religion. This is what we don't like," he added.
Earlier in the day, the Umno secretary-general was quoted as saying that the daily running of the general assembly would not be open to media coverage.
He said journalists would only be allowed to report on press conferences given by the Umno vice-presidents after the closed-door meetings.
He said the ban would affect both mainstream and alternative media agencies.
