Are we a free nation?

Bahasa Version

Do you deserve to know the TRUTH and make informed decisions?

It is not possible now with more than 30 laws that have an impact on your right to know. The following laws are among those with serious consequences:

• the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) which confers the Home Minister the absolute power to decide whom to give a publication permit, when to revoke or suspend the permit, what books to ban, forcing the mainstream newspapers to toe the official line and practice self-censorship;

• the Official Secrets Act (OSA) which makes everything done in government departments a potential secret, depriving your right to know how your tax money is spent and whether government contracts are properly tendered;

• the Sedition Act which allows the government to silence critics on the grounds that they are fermenting hatred against the government and threatening social harmony;

• the Internal Security Act (ISA) which allows the government to detain anyone without trial for an indefinite period of time under the guise of protecting national security; and

• the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) which allows the concentration of broadcast media in the hand of a few well-connected or party-owned businesses.

We must demand changes through media law reforms:

• by having a Parliamentary Select Committee review all media-related laws and repeal  those that restrict our free speech, information access and empowerment;

• by suspending the enforcement of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) before its abolition; and

• by enacting Freedom of Information (FOI) laws at both federal and state levels.

            *An opposition Parliamentarian has submitted a private member's bill and some state governments are studying the  
              enactment of FOI legislation in these states. Thus far the Federal Government has ignored the call for FOI and the private
              member's bill may not be tabled unless there is strong pressure from the people.