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UMNO Youth's "preparedness" to have a dialogue with malaysiakini journalists on press freedom undoubtedly the political joke of the year, besting even Keng Yaik's "political joke" on Sunday that Gerakan wants clean electoral rolls before next general election Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya, Friday): UMNO Youth's "preparedness" to have a dialogue with malaysiakini journalists on press freedom is undoubtedly the political joke of the year, besting even Gerakan President, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik's "political joke" on Sunday that Gerakan wants clean electoral rolls before the next general election. UMNO Youth's record on press freedom is a history to suppress and stifle the freedom of speech, expression, opinion, information and a free press and not to help widen the frontiers of freedom for a responsible and independent press or expand space for free speech and expression. I challenge UMNO Youth to state what it had done to stand up for free speech and a free press, for its record is a total blank as it had done nothing for freedom of speech, expression, opinion, information and a free press. What UMNO Youth has is a catalogue of human rights violations in trampling on freedom of speech, expression, opinion and a free press, the latest violation its police report against malaysiakini resulting in the high-handed police raid on the Malaysian internet news site and the removal of its 19 computers to try to effectively shut down its operation. It boggles the imagination that one of the "white knights" for democracy, human rights and national harmony is none other than the UMNO Youth deputy chief, Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir who accused malaysiakini for publishing letters "very dangerous to the harmony of the country" when Abdul Aziz had led a gangsterish, extremist and chauvinist UMNO Youth demonstration and threatened to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in August 2001 in their protest against Suqiu's 17-point electoral appeals before the 1999 general election which had then been supported by the Chinese-based Barisan Nasional parties and accepted in principle by the Cabinet. Up to now, police reports lodged against Abdul Aziz, including under the Sedition Act, have not been investigated by the police - highlighting police double-standards, political bias and inability to be an independent and professional police force committed to the upholding of law and order, without fear or favour! (24/1/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman