Crackdown shows dire desperation of the gov’t

Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) condemns in the strongest terms the government’s suspension of The Edge Daily and The Edge Weekly for three months, in its desperate attempt to cover up the 1MDB scandal.

Counterproductively, shooting the messenger only serves to convince the thinking rakyat that the message is authentic.GBM is appalled at the three excuses given by the government to justify the suspension, namely:(i) Negative reporting of the government,(ii) Doubtful and unverified information, and

(iii) Inappropriate amidst on-going investigation.

GBM notes and emphasises that:

(i) The media is the public’s watchdog, informing the public about the goings-on in the nation;

(ii) The suspension of The Edge breaches press and media freedom;

(iii) To date none of The Edge’s revelations has been refuted;

(iv) The government can promptly refute any misinformation and update the public;

(v) The suspension of The Edge, preceded by the blocking of theSarawak Report website and travel ban on parliamentarians and political activists raises the fear that the government may attempt a replay of ‘Operasi Lalang’.

GBM urges:

(i) The government to rescind its suspension order and unblock access to Sarawak Report;

(ii) The government to not even contemplate a replay of the draconian ‘Operasi Lalang’;

(iii) All Malaysians to stand by The Edge Media Group which undertook its national duty to expose fraudulent attempts to siphon our public funds;

(iv) All Malaysians to support the brave media owners, editors and journalists publicly, such as supporting the following actions initiated by the media fraternity: attending the show of solidarity at The Edge‘s office, July 31, 2015, 3pm, attending a rally on Aug 8, and participate in #AtTheEdge social media campaign, and financially through subscription and advertisement of their publications.

This statement is endorsed by the following member organisations of Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia:

1. All Women’s Action Society (Awam)
2. Anak Muda Sarawak (AMS)
3. Japan Graduates Association, Malaysia (Jagam)
4. Kumpulan Aktivis Mahasiswa Independen (Kami)
5. LLG Cultural Development Centre (LLG)
6. Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)
7. National Indian Rights Action Team (Niat)
8. Negri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall (NSCAH)
9. Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (Aliran)
10. Persatuan Bekas Siswazah Universiti dan Kolej di China, Malaysia (LiuHua)
11. Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia (Ikram)
12. Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (Komas)
13. Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
14. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)
15. Tamil Foundation Malaysia (TF)
16. The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)
17. United Chinese School Alumni Associations of Malaysia (UCSAAM)