Will Cabinet overrule MCMC block on Sarawak Report? Kit Siang asks

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21— Lim Kit Siang said today the federal Cabinet must decide at its meeting tomorrow whether to lift the block on Sarawak Report (SR), pointing out that any attempt to censor the Internet was a violation of the government’s own past promise not to do so.

The DAP parliamentary leader said the Cabinet’s silence on the matter would raise questions about its integrity and commitment to the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance.

“Will the Cabinet tomorrow discuss the violation of Malaysia’s 17-year Bill of Guarantee to the world of ‘No Internet censorship’ in blocking access to Sarawak Report website or no Minister would dare to express disagreement?” Lim asked in a statement today.

The Gelang Patah MP also demanded all federal ministers to publicly state whether or not they had received funding from Datuk Seri Najib Razak for campaigning in the last general election— amid allegations by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) may have moved through agencies linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and ended up in the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts.

“If it is the latter where only Umno candidates benefitted from the funding in Najib’s personal bank accounts, then all the Umno Ministers, including the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin should  withdraw and  not participate in any Cabinet discussion or decision relating to the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) report and 1MDB scandal,” Lim said.

In such a situation, a minister from Sarawak or Sabah should chair the Cabinet meeting to decide what should be the appropriate government response to the WSJ report and 1MDB scandal, Lim added.

Citing “national stability”, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Sunday confirmed that it ordered all Internet service providers in Malaysia to block access to SR’s website, pending a multi-agency taskforce’s investigation into 1MDB.

Apart from the special taskforce, several other authorities are also conducting independent probes on the trouble state investor that is up to its knees in debt.

Last month, the Auditor-General submitted its interim report on 1MDB to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).