APRIL 1 — HO KAY TAT, Jahabar Sadiq, Lionel Morais, Amin Shah Iskandar and Zulkifli Sulong — all of the Edge media group — have joined the ranks of many journalists around the world arrested for their writing.
They were detained over a report about the Kelantan hudud amendment and the Malay Rulers. The report turned out to be seemingly untrue as Istana Negara issued a statement denying it.
The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad lodged a report at the Jalan Travers police station.
No other media — print or digital — carried the article The Malaysian Insider published. They, however, carried the denial by Syed Danial.
It would appear the arrests of the five under the Sedition Act were justified as it involved the integrity of the Malay Rulers.
But there is never a good reason to arrest a journalist because it changes the world’s perception of Malaysia.
It does not help that The Malaysian Insider, and the Edge Group in general, have been critical of the government in the past few weeks. The arrests could be totally unrelated to these reports but the connotation may be otherwise.
However, it is without question that the dignity of the Malay Rulers must always be protected.
In times of global economic uncertainty, the perception of a country is as important as its economic fundamentals. It is the country’s reputation that will give it an edge over others.
Malaysia, badly hit by falling oil prices, can ill-afford a dent in its reputation and must work very hard to maintain and enhance a positive perception in the global society.
Arresting journalists will do nothing, but send negative vibes.
They may have broken the law but was there a necessity to arrest, and worse, move to remand them?
A point to note is the article is based on information from a source and did not quote anyone of authority. Therefore, can such a story be false in the first place? It may be inaccurate at best or bad journalism at worse.
It also doesn’t help the country’s reputation that the Sedition Act has been used widely by the police over the past few weeks.
It is estimated that more than 100 people — mostly politicians and anti-government activists — have been arrested for alleged sedition.
The last time the police made such wide sweeping arrests was in 1987 under Ops Lalang. Of course, the present exercise is not another Ops Lalang — at least we hope not.
While the police operate under the purview of national security, the government must act on protecting the country’s reputation to ensure economic prosperity.
Also, while there has to be freedom of the press for any country to prosper, the media must also ensure the accuracy of its reports. Journalists must be willing to be responsible and held accountable for their reports.
The arrested journalists should not have been treated like common criminals and made to wear remand uniforms. They should have been accorded respect and treated with dignity.
Any due process by the authorities must be carried out according to the weightage of the alleged crime. There is no need to wield a big stick all the time. Sometimes a fly swatter is just as effective.
