US Department of State said it was very concerned by Malaysian Govern­ment’s recent actions to restrict access to reporting on current affairs.

Ministry: TMI ban decision made after due consideration

PETALING JAYA: The decision by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to ban the online news portal, The Malaysian Insider (TMI), was made after careful and due consideration of its impact on the freedom of speech and press in the country.

The Foreign Ministry said while Malaysia upheld the freedom of speech and right to information, this must be exercised responsibly and with accountability.

“The Malaysian Government has a responsibility to maintain peace, stability and harmony in the country and to safeguard its multiracial and multicultural values, norms and practices,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

Malaysia, it said, valued its comprehensive partnership with the United States, signified by its sincere desire in maintaining a progressive and dynamic partnership in a wide area of cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

“Malaysia believes that the US shares and reciprocates this sentiment and that the bilateral ties could be further strengthened to greater heights through closer cooperation and better understanding of the domestic issues in Malaysia,” it said.

The news portal was blocked on Feb 25 for allegedly breaching Section 233 of the Com­municatio­ns and Multi­media Act 1998 after it published an article which contradicted a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com­mission (MACC) official statement.

The ministry was responding to a statement by the US Department of State spokesman John Kirby that it was very concerned by the Govern­ment’s recent actions to restrict access to domestic and international reporting on current affairs.

“We are further troubled that the Government has not acted transparently nor provided due process to the targeted media organisations and platforms prior to blocking access and that it has initiated criminal investigations against reporters, editors, and publishers from a variety of Malaysian and international media organisations,” said Kirby on Wednesday.

“The United States and Malaysia have built a strong comprehensive partnership, through which we hope to expand our cooperation on a range of shared challenges.

“In that context, we urge the government of Malaysia to ensure that all its laws – existing and future – fully respect freedom of expression, including the free flow of ideas on the Internet,” he added.

Weighing in on the issue, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (pic) said freedom of speech and the expressing of one’s opinion must be treated as a privilege rather than an absolute right.

“And privileges, if abused, can sometimes be withdrawn. There is no such thing as absolute freedom of speech,” he wrote in his blog.