The Printing Presses and Publications Act

Malaysia's 1984 Printing Presses and Publications Act requires all print media to obtain a permit and renew it annually.

The Home Affairs Ministry can restrict or ban a publication outright if it is considered "likely to be prejudicial to public order, morality, [or] security"; likely to "alarm public opinion"; or likely to "be prejudicial to . . . national interest." (Article 7(1).)

If the Minister refuses to grant or renew a permit, no legal remedy or judicial review is available: "Any decision of the Minister . . . to suspend a license or permit shall be final and shall not be called in question by any court on any ground whatsoever," and "[n]o person shall be given an opportunity to be heard with regard to . . . suspension of the license or permit" according to the act. (Article 13A-13B.)

In addition, maliciously publishing false news is a crime under Article 8A of the law. Malice is presumed-the defendant has the burden of proving that he or she took "reasonable measures to verify the truth of the news." The trial of Irene Fernandez, currently the longest in Malaysian history, is for charges under this provision.

Individuals may be arrested without a warrant (Article 20) and, if convicted, punished with up to three years imprisonment, fines of up to 20,000 ringgit (about U.S. $5,263 as of date), or both (Article 8A).

Human Rights Watch urges that the Printing Presses and Publications Act be repealed or amended in line with international standards to prevent it from being used to repress or restrict freedom of expression.

Since the November 1999 elections, the Malaysian Home Ministry has used the act to intimidate the press, and restrict newspapers and magazines associated with the opposition.

Admin: The best way to force the government to ammend the Printing and Publications act is by giving pressure to the government. All Malaysian boycott buying paper for one month, let all the press companies close down their business, the government will definitely bow down to rakyat.

IT IS ALL IN THE HAND OF RAKYAT - YOU CAN MAKE THE CHANGES