Malaysia Today blocked – MSC Bill of Guarantees Violated

In my interjection during the debate on the DNA Bill in Parliament this morning, I had raised the blocking of popular website Malaysia Today on the directive of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the violation of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees as “a gift to the world” of no censorship of the Internet by the Malaysian authorities.

I quoted it as the latest example of the rampant abuses of power by the government which explains why there is so little public confidence in the independence, professionalism and impartiality of the various enforcement agencies with the vast powers as proposed in the proposed DNA bill.

Almost all key institutions of the state, whether the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police, the Anti-Corruption Agency or the judiciary have come under a grave cloud and lost the high respect and public standing they were held by Malaysians in the early years of nationhood.

The MCMC directive to block Malaysia Today and the violation of the MSC Bill of Guarantees must be roundly and unanimously condemned by all right-thinking Malaysians, and the reasons cannot be more eloquently summarised by Jeffrey in another thread:

The government has a plethora of laws against Internet abuse and it has already brought sedition and criminal intimidation charges against website owner RPK so why the censorship?

Under point 7 of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Malaysia 10 Point Bill of Guarantees to the international community, the government promises to ensure no internet censorship.

Here government does the censorship ‘indirectly’ by invoking Section 263 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (1998) by pressuring license holders (such as ISPs) to take action against service user like Malaysia Today alleged to be contravening national laws. (Under of the Act, a licensee must “use his best endeavour” to prevent his/her facilities from being used to violate any law in the country”).

If they can block Malaysia Today they can block other blogs like this one too.

As mainstream media is controlled and used as a propaganda machine, the Internet is the last bastion of free speech and source of truths (as well as untruths) though it is up to readers to sift and separate wheat from chaff.

Please remind them on implications of breaching an international guarantee like MSC Bill of Guarantee and its effects on MSC, investments and gfenerally government’s credibility in the international arena.

Lim Kit Siang
28/08/08