Why do some people behave so irrationally? How many times must they be told that persecuting journalists for doing their work amounts to seriously infringing on the freedom of the media and expression?

All Hata Wahari, a senior journalist with Utusan Malaysia and president of the National Union of Journalists, did was to be true to his profession.

He maintained his journalistic integrity by penning his thoughts, which the Malay daily has translated to being tantamount to insulting the company's management and tarnishing its image.

In his articles, Hata criticised Utusan Malaysia for its pro-Umno articles and slammed its editorial policy for a slide in circulation.

Instead of a public rebuttal of Hata's comments, the newspaper has called him to answer a domestic inquiry, after which he may end up being fired.

Hata is also not allowed to seek help from outside representatives.

Clearly the management is anti-union and is sending a strong signal to other journalists in Utusan Malaysia not to dissent but to toe its editorial line.

In September 2010 Amran Ahmad, then president of the NUJ-Utusan Melayu, was terminated for making a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over procurements made by Utusan Melayu Berhad, the company that publishes Utusan Malaysia.

Thus, the intimidation of whistleblowers including critiques appears to be a favoured policy of the daily to silence internal dissent and free expression.  

However the harassment against Hata must be viewed against the backdrop of Malaysia's political manoeuvres to keep a lid on media freedom in the country.

Despite more vocal calls for media freedom in the country, Malaysia's press ranking has been slipping fast.

It ranked 131 in the Press Freedom Index 2009 by Reporters Without Borders.

But these statistics carry little weight with the government leaders who dismiss them casually as an opposition-led conspiracy to taint the image of the nation.

Last year, the resignation of a senior producer with NTV7 further caricatured the tight control imposed on the media by the ruling Umno-led Barisan Nasional government.

Then TV2 producer Chou Z Lam also complained of political interference.

The close association enjoyed by the mainstream media with the ruling elite has led to the mushrooming of independent blogs and alternative media in the country.

Even if newspaper managements do not use domestic inquiry to silence their staff, the government has a wide array of laws to choose from to gag the media workers and bloggers.

Some of these include the 1984 Printing Presses and Publications Act, Communication and Multimedia Act of 1998, Internal Security Act and Official Secrets Act and Sedition Act.

Media organisations also run the risk of not having their annual publishing licences renewed as required by the Printing Presses and Publications Act.

And the Malaysian government's selective outrage at independent websites and the foreign media has allowed Utusan Malaysia to repeatedly print seditious articles and comments aimed at fanning racial sentiments in the country.

A free press acts as a watchdog for a fair and accountable government. Free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, protection of minority rights and the rule of law depend on a healthy press.

All is not lost. We could still make a change.

And therefore, as a first step to restoring freedom of the press in the country, I call upon Utusan Malaysia to stop intimidating Hata and call off the domestic inquiry initiated against him.

I also call upon Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to revoke the Printing Presses and Publications Act to allow the media to work in an independent environment.

Charles Santiago is Member of Parliament for Klang.