Sarawak Report homepageThe Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has blocked UK-based independent news website Sarawak Report in relation to the investigation on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which recently came into the limelight for alleged illegal money transfers to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“We have proceeded with limiting the access to the site,” said MCMC Strategic Communications senior director Sheikh Raffie Abdul Rahman to media. “We have issued the instructions to all service providers.”

“The MCMC decided to block access to a website that could disrupt the stability of the country, that is The Sarawak Report, because it displays content that cannot be verified and that is currently under investigation, following information and complaints received from many people,” it said in a statement.

The move is provided for under Section 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, said MCMC.

Sarawak Report, and possibly other websites, are to be blocked temporarily until a special task force ends its investigations on 1MDB.

MCMC also issued a reminder to the Malaysian public not to disseminate information without verifying their authenticity.

“The contents could be fake. Such contents could cause affect the peace and cause national instability, disrupt public order and affect economic stability,” said MCMC.

1MDB logo WikipediaSarawak Report had issued a statement on its Facebook page condemning the block, calling the move “a blatant attempt to censor our exposures of major corruption through the development fund 1MDB, including the information that nearly US$700 million of 1MDB related money was paid into the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s personal AmBank account in KL just before the last election.”

“This information has already long been disseminated and backed up by other major global news organisations, so we can only assume that the MCMC is fearful that we are about to bring out further revelations.

They also plainly hope that a strong arm, anti-democratic media clamp-down will enable them to contain these issues on behalf of the Prime Minister, who seems unable to answer questions on the matter of these payments into his accounts and has been running away from journalists for weeks.”

The news website also called out the Malaysia government, saying that it did not have “the guts to take Sarawak Report formally to task over any factual detail of our revelations or to issue legal proceedings which would trigger a public examination of the evidence.”

The website owners vowed to continue in their investigation.

“Sarawak Report will not be impeded in any way by this action in bringing out future information as and when its investigations deliver further evidence.

This latest blow to media freedom only brings further discredit upon the present administration, who have proven unable to counter the evidence we have presented in any other way.”

Sarawak Report had earlier been involved in other corruption cases, including the alleged corruption by the governor of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud, in the state’s logging industry.

Taib was accused and investigated for taking control of a state owned company though which his family have obtained a series of lucrative monopolies.

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

儿子涉吸大麻被捕 马国防部长:依法办理

马国国防部长末沙布儿子因涉吸大麻被捕,末沙布亲自确认此消息,并表示“儿子也和他人一样,需接受法律约束”,并全权交给执法当局依法办理。 末沙布31岁的儿子阿莫塞夫伊斯兰莫哈末,于5日凌晨12时30分,在雪州安邦一间夜店遇上警方检举,结果尿检不过关,被指涉吸食大麻而当场被捕。 警方在联合行动中检查了也店内101男女,出咯二阿莫塞夫,另一名33岁男子也因涉吸食大麻被捕。阿莫塞夫直到5日傍晚6时才获保释。 警方援引1952年危险毒品法令第15(1)(a)条文展开调查。最新消息指出,警方已将嫌犯尿液样本送往进行病理检验,仍等待阿莫塞夫的尿检报告出炉,再决定下一步行动。 末沙布则在周六的脸书贴文指出,已接到警方通知儿子被捕,但是他和家人将全权交给当局,依据法律采取行动。 “我儿子和他人的孩子一样,都需受到法律的约束。” 末沙布育有二男二女,被捕的阿莫塞夫排行老三,也是最大的儿子。 在昨日仍有马国媒体追问儿子涉毒被捕一事,惟末沙布不愿多谈,仅表示“除了文告,没有进一步补充声明。” 至于财政部长林冠英则表示“做部长不易,做父亲更难”,吁末沙布坚强面对此事,惟指出任何人犯错都需面对法律制裁,因法律面前人人平等。

Lee says “easy ways” to economic growth “maxed out” – opposition offers alternatives

In a televised interview on 3 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong…

Whopping 72.6 per cent of S’poreans spending New Year’s Eve at home alone or with close family

A whopping 72.6 per cent of Singaporeans are spending New Year’s Eve…