FORMER prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has claimed that the unity government under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is afraid of the dissenting voices of the people.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman said this is apparent when the government conducts censorship on social media accounts used to express dissatisfaction with the government of the day.
“Why should there be restrictions towards the usage of social media to the point where it is said that the police will pay you a visit at home if you upload government-related materials,” Muhyiddin was reported as saying during the ‘Ceramah Mega PN’ in Muar last night (Sept 3).
“All this have never happened during my administration. During my time, if the people want to be angry or dislike the prime minister, then so be it.”
Meanwhile, the Bersatu president further claimed that the Malays in the country are in a “threatened” situation as they do not control the government.
He also noted that although the government of the day claims to be a “unity government”, each component party has their own different views and ideologies.
“This is why we need one single authority to govern the country because through it, there will only be one single view and ideology in play,” Muhyiddin stressed.
The Pagoh MP said this in the wake of a series of access bans on news portals as well as requests from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to social media platforms to take down contents critical of Anwar’s administration.
In June, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil came under fire after news portal MalaysiaNow was blocked for 48 hours. MCMC has not responded to repeated requests for an explanation.
Last month, another current affairs site, UtusanTV, operated by former staff of the now-defunct Utusan Melayu media company, was also blocked.
MCMC was also behind the access bans on the Malaysia Today website run by government critic Raja Petra Kamarudin, as well as a blog specialising in corporate and financial sleaze run by former DAP MP Wee Choo Keong.
In the latest such curbs, MCMC also blocked TV Pertiwi, an online news site specialising in short videos and political podcasts. It said the block would be lifted on the condition that the outlet agreed to remove six pieces of news content.
A group of veteran journalists had also issued a statement on Aug 29 warning the government against playing the role of “Big Brother” in the wake of the clampdowns and restrictions on media outlets in the country, saying it is a reminder of the practice by past administrations to shut down critics and please political elites.
They said that the recent actions by the MCMC, the internet regulator under Fahmi’s jurisdiction, point to a worrying sign of the media returning to its former state.
What is more worrying is the fact that much of the so-called “offending” content are merely reports and opinion pieces deemed critical of the government, they said in the joint statement.
The said statement was signed by prominent journalists Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar and Datuk A Kadir Jasin; former Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Azman Ujang; former editors-in-chief of Bernama, Datuk Yong Soo Heong and Datuk Zakaria Wahab.
It also signed by veteran media activists Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacob, Datuk Dr Chamil Wariya, and Dr G. Manimaran. – Sept 4, 2023
Main pic credit: Bernama
