You know your country is run by idiots when this happens!

The Home Ministry today issued a reprimand letter to Utusan Malaysia over the daily's front page article on May 7, titled Kristian Agama Rasmi? (Christianity the official religion?).

azlanA reprimand letter requires no follow up action by the newspaper, as compared with a demand to show cause, and is akin to just a slap on the wrist.

According to a Home Ministry statement, Utusan's editor-in-chief Aziz Ishak was called and the letter handed to him. "The Home Ministry will continue to monitor every newspaper in order to prevent news which would menggemparkan (infuriate) the minds of the people or material that is against the PPPA 1984," the statement said.

The article alleged that a group of pastors had participated in a gathering in Penang recently, which involved DAP elected representatives, where they discussed a plot to turn Malaysia into a Christian country and install a Christian prime minister.

No evidence of this allegation was offered by Utusan, who sourced the story from two pro-Umno blogs. One of the two had deleted article that was sourced by Utusan.

Utusan's critics however are likely to point out that the daily, which is owned by Umno, enjoy impunity and always gets away with a mere light reprimand while other dailies have received suspension of printing licenses or have it withdrawn altogether.

For example, Higher Education Deputy Minister Wee Ka Siong wrote on Twitter after the home ministry statement was issued, that in the case of China Press editor-in-chief Teoh Yoog Khoon, he was suspended two weeks over an inaccurate news report.

"(The China Press) report did not cause disharmony among Malaysians of all races. Many people will compare the damage caused by Utusan's report to (that) of China Press.

In Teoh's case, the home ministry had issued a show cause letter over an article which claimed that the then Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan would quit in March last year.

Following this, Home Ministry Deputy Chief Secretary Ahmad Fuad Ab Aziz said that any follow up action would be left to China Press' management.

Police reports lodged

Unlike the China Press incident, many police reports have been lodged against Utusan over the article for flouting sedition laws among others. Bukit Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi, who was named in the article, have also lodged a police report.

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