KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 ― The Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications (BNSC) team questioned today if the DAP still upheld press freedom after the party recently threatened to sue three newspapers.

BNSC deputy director Eric See-To noted that Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had sent legal notices to China Press, Guang Ming and the New Straits Times over the past three days.

“This is akin to shooting the messenger and intimidating the media whose jobs is to carry the words of politicians and report what has been said or alleged,” See-To said in a statement.

“Is DAP still a believer in freedom of speech and freedom of the media? No one seems to have sued the media more than the Penang Chief Minister. Better that he answers to the claims and questions instead of trying to bully the media into no longer reporting negative news about DAP,” he added.

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He highlighted China Press reports that said the newspaper received a letter of demand for reporting on a press conference by Penang Gerakan Youth chief Jason Loo.

“The Guang Ming newspaper also seems to have received a similar notice.

“In my case, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) also wanted to sue New Straits Times for carrying my press statement where the CMO alleges I said things which I had already proven to come from Lim Guan Eng's own statement on July 1st, 2016,” said See-To.

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Under the BN federal government, journalists have been arrested for sedition, while the publication of two newspapers had been suspended and access to a few online news portals and platforms blocked.