Media Statement by Charles Santiago in Klang on
Tuesday, 19th August 2008:
Ensure safety and freedom of
access to information of journalist
I strongly condemn the outrageous
physical assault on two photographers by a mob in Permatang Pauh
Saturday. This is the latest case in a series of attacks on the press in
the last two months.
The New Straits Times pixman and French photojournalist Hamil Berbar
were set upon by a group of men when they were doing their job. Early
this month the Guang Ming Daily photographer was kicked, choked and hit
on the head while working. A foreign photojournalist's camera was
damaged while covering the fuel price hike rally last month and at least
three press representatives were hurt when a scuffle broke out after the
live telecast of the fuel price hike debate.
It is alarming to note the rising number of cases of media attacks in
the country.
Following Saturday's incident, both the ruling and opposition leaders
have been pinning the blame on each others supporters, while negating
from the crucial issue of press freedom and safety in the country.
Free and independent media are the core fundamentals of democracy. It is
appalling when violence is used against press workers to intimidate
them. It is even more shocking when the media is targeted to satisfy a
political agenda.
I call upon the police to put in place effective crowd management
measures to ensure such untoward incidences do not happen in the future
and especially during the by election on the 26th of this month. The
police and security forces must ensure that journalists are free to
carry out their duties without fear of harassment and assault.
We look on with horror when we hear stories of reporters who are
mercilessly killed for reporting on sensitive issues or for simply being
in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are stunned into silence when
we are told that 60 journalists were killed for their work in 2007, the
second deadliest year for the press according to the Committee to
Protect Journalists. But we tend to dismiss attacks on press workers in
our own country. The consequences of our actions are grave - journalists
are forced to censor themselves and leave the nation deprived of vital
information and without the ability to hold the perpetrators to account.
Malaysia has earned quite a reputation for cracking down on the media,
shutting down publications by refusing to renew printing licenses and
jailing reporters.
It is high time that we appreciate the role played by the media in the
development of the country. It is imminent that the press workers are
treated with respect for they put themselves on the line to report on
important stories. Let us work together to provide an environment where
journalists are able to gather and disseminate information without the
threat of verbal and physical assaults.
* Charles Santiago, MP for Klang
http://dapmalaysia.org