CIJ : Barring reporters is undemocratic, not a solution to prevent skewed reporting

16 November 2010

Media statement: Barring reporters is undemocratic, not a solution to prevent skewed reporting

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is concerned to learn that certain media organisations were barred from entering the Kedah State Assembly building to cover the third term meeting which began on 14 November 2010 and will go on for three days.

According to reports, the state government was unhappy with recent skewed coverage by the media outlets. Among those affected were State broadcaster RTM, and Media Prima's publications Berita Harian and New Straits Times. Muhamad Helmi Mohamad Khalid, the Kedah menteri besar's press secretary, has clarified that Malaysiakini was unknowingly left out from the vetted list.

The Government -- whether at state or Federal level -- should not prevent any media from covering what is essentially a public meeting by a public body. In this instance, the fact that the 2011 budget was being considered makes it all the more important for wide dissemination of the information through all media. By contrast, the recent Selangor State Assembly's budget presentation was tweeted using the Menteri Besar's account.

The Kedah state government could have instituted counter-measures against skewed reports through its own communication channels if their right of reply or correction was ignored or not carried out adequately by the media concerned. Malicious reporting can also be challenged in court.

Barring reporters -- a tactic that has been employed by both sides of the political divide -- threatens freedom of the press. This ultimately affects the people's right to information on matters of public interest.

Given the constraints on Malaysian media set by the legal framework and political ownership and control, we understand that media bias may masquerade as critical coverage. However, steps taken to address these constraints should not inhibit media freedom as this is counter-productive.

We therefore urge the Kedah state government to lift any such ban on media coverage of public meetings.

Issued by:

Chuah Siew Eng
CIJ Programme Officer
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CIJ is a non-profit organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just and free, where all peoples will enjoy free media and the freedom to express, seek and impart information.

Lagi kes anak muda ditembak mati polis: Sikap Polis tidak berubah dan pencabulan hak asasi manusia diteruskan (SUARAM)

Kenyataan Media: 16 November 2010

Lagi kes anak muda ditembak mati polis:

Sikap Polis  tidak berubah dan pencabulan hak asasi manusia diteruskan

SUARAM mengutuk keras tindakan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) yang telah menembak mati tiga suspek anak muda yang telah disyaki terlibat dalam satu kes rompakan sebuah stesen minyak di Glenmarie ,Shah Alam pada 13hb November 2010 pada pukul 4.15 pagi. Salah seorang yang ditembak mati oleh Polis  adalah remaja di bawah umur iaitu Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shafie yang hanya berumur 16 tahun. . Mohd Shamil merupakan  antara remaja bawah umur  yang ditembak mati oleh polis selepas kes kematian Aminulrasyid pada 26hb April tahun ini .

Kami amat kecewa atas alasan polis terhadap insiden tersebut yang menuduh bahawa polis terpaksa menembak mati ketiga-tiga suspek kerana ketiga-tiga  menyerang polis dengan menggunakan parangKalau supsek hanya menggunakan parang, mengapa kesemua mereka di tembak mati? Adakah sebarang amaran diberikan oleh polis kepada suspek? Versi polis dalam setiap kes penembakan mati adalah sama dan mereka selalu menggunakan faktor keselamatan diri untuk justifikasi penngunaan senjata api dimana sehingga hari ini  pasukan polis tidak pernah mendedahkan konteks penggunaan senjata api oleh pihak polis di Malaysia.

 Kami memahami risiko keselamatan bertugas sebagai polis namun kami tidak boleh menerima cara polis yang selalu menggunakan senjata api dan menembak mati seseorang suspek. Perlembagaan Persekutuan Artikel 5(1) jelas   menyatakan setiap individu perlu  menghormati hak bernyawa  setiap manusia.

SUARAM menyeru Ketua Polis Negara, Ismail Omar segera untuk mengemukakkan Perintah Tetap Ketua Polis Negara (IGSO) yang dituntut oleh rakyat  dan membuktikan bahawa  KPN baru serius dalam melaksanakan pendekatan 4P yang dilaung-laungkannya.  Kami menyeru agar satu Suruhanjaya yang bebas dan berdikari ditubuhkan untuk menyiasat segala kes penembakan mati oleh Polis dengan serta- merta.

Kami tidak boleh menerima bahawa IGSO sebagai bahan sulit kerana ia melibatkan kepentingan keselamatan dan nyawa setiap rakyat dan ia sepatutnya diumunkan. Ini dengan jelas membuktikan bahawa penggunaan senjata api oleh polis tidak diimbangi oleh pemeriksaan awam dan sekaligus menyebabkan tahap akauntabiliti yang amat rendah di dalam institusi polis.

Oleh kerana ketiadaan prosedur yang kukuh untuk memastikan setiap kes tembakan polis seperti ini dilaporkan dan disiasat secara bebas dan menyeluruh, timbul keraguan sama ada pihak polis sememangnya menggunakan senjata api untuk mempertahankan diri ataupun sengaja menggunakan terhadap suspek untuk memudahkan penyelesaian kes mereka.

SUARAM sebuah organisasi Hak Asasi Manusia berpendapat penggunaan senjata dan tidak memberikan hak untuk suspek membela diri adalah salah dari segi undang-undang  Hak Asasi .

Penembakan mati anak muda bawah umur Mhd Shamil merupakan satu pelanggaran terhadap  Konvensyen Antarabangsa Perlindungan Kanak-Kanak (CRC) terutamanya  Artikel 16 (1)&(11) dan Artikel 37 yang memberi perlindiungan terhadap kanak-kanak bawah undang undang dan terlindung dari sebarang hukuman yang tidak berperikemanusiaan ataupun penangkapan tanpa bicara.

Penyalahgunaan kuasa di kalangan PDRM dan penindasan terhadap hak asasi manusia adalah masalah serius yang jelas wujud dalam PDRM, seperti yang dinyatakan dalam Laporan Suruhanjaya Diraja Penambahbaikan Perjalanan dan Pengurusan Polis Diraja Malaysia.

Kami menyeru pihak polis berhenti mengunakan alasan kononnya menyelesaikan kes jenayah dan untuk keselamatan polis dengan terpaksa menembak mati sesiapa suspek . kami percaya pihak polis adalah terlatih dan berprofesional serta sanggup mengikuti prosedur penggunaan senjata api yang ditetapkan oleh Persatuan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu (PBB).

SUARAM menuntut agar pihak Kerajaan melaksanakan cadangan-cadangan yang dikemukakan oleh Suruhanjaya Diraja Penambahbaikan Perjalanan dan Pengurusan Polis Diraja Malaysia terutama menubuhkan Suruhanjaya Bebas Pengaduan dan Salah Laku Polis (IPCMC) dengan segera.

  

Yap Heng Lung

Penyelaras  SUARAM

AUNG SAN SUU KYI IS FREE ! - Just Media Statement

Media Statement

AUNG SAN SUU KYI IS FREE !

The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) warmly welcomes the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s most famous political prisoner, from house arrest on 13 November 2010.

Imprisoned for 15 out of the last 21 years by a military junta which has suppressed the people’s struggle for human rights and democracy in Myanmar, Suu Kyi has emerged as an enduring, universal symbol of the eternal quest for freedom. Her indomitable courage and her unwavering perseverance have won accolades from individuals and groups all over the world. What is remarkable about her commitment to her cause is her ability to retain her dignity and her integrity in the face of formidable odds.

There is much speculation on why the junta set her free. Since a political party spawned by the junta, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won a farcical election by a huge margin a few days ago, the regime may have felt that its position is secure enough to release Suu Kyi. On the other hand, given widespread allegations of electoral fraud, her release may also be a way of refurbishing the regime’s tattered public image. It is also true that for some years now, Myanmar’s ASEAN partners and even its close ally, China, have been quietly cajoling the regime to end Suu Kyi’s incarceration. 

 

Whatever the reasons, JUST hopes that her freedom will not be short-lived. She was released in 1995, after six years in detention. Then in 2000 she was arrested and imprisoned again for two years. After a brief spell of freedom, she was imprisoned for a third time in 2003. She remained in prison or under house arrest for the next seven years. ASEAN governments and China should go all out to dissuade the military junta from detaining Suu Kyi again. 

 

To prove that it is sincere about Suu Kyi’s release, the junta should set free the 2,200 political prisoners languishing in jails in different parts of the country. It should also begin to relax its iron grip upon the media and allow social groups to exercise a degree of autonomy in their evaluation of the regime’s governance. Myanmar’s monks should also be given some latitude to act as the nation’s conscience.

Suu Kyi would certainly want to encourage the regime to move in this direction. In this regard, she should be more strategic than she has been in the past. While holding on to her principles, she should act in such a manner that the regime will have no excuse to abrogate her freedom or to tighten even further its hold upon society. 

 

Let Suu Kyi’s freedom this time pave the way for the eventual liberation of the people of Myanmar.

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar,

President,

International Movement for a Just World (JUST)

Malaysia

14 November 2010