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The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) condemns the issuing of the show-cause letter by the Home Ministry against The Edge Malaysia and The Edge Financial Daily .

The Edge has been accused of publishing articles on government-owned investment corporation 1MDB that have created confusion and doubt about the government and financial institutions. It has also been accused of relying on an internet portal for its articles.

CIJ reiterates its statement of June 26, 2015 that any alleged inaccuracies regarding The Edge ’s reporting on 1MDB should be revealed so that the paper can answer these allegations.

Freedom of expression can only be legitimately restricted for valid reasons that are narrowly defined, necessary and proportionate. It is impossible at the moment to assess whether or not the Home Ministry’s move in sanctioning The Edge is based on a legitimate reason. It is still unclear which portions of their articles were inaccurate.

It is also neither necessary nor proportionate for a media outlet to be threatened with suspension or revocation of its licence for publishing an inccurate report. These are harsh and draconian measures and seriously threaten the freedom of expression, and media freedom, in particular, which is an important component of any genuine democracy.

The government must curb its tendency to reach for the harshest punishments available when dealing with freedom of expression issues. Malaysian and international law stipulate that when limiting fundamental human rights such as the freedom of expression, the least restrictive means should be resorted to, instead of the harshest.

Finally, CIJ also states that it is misguided of the Home Ministry to blame The Edge for causing confusion and doubt about the Malaysian government and its financial institutions. Many questions have been raised about the management of 1MDB and its ability to service and repay its billion-ringgit loans, which still need to be answered satisfactorily.

The Edge has been instrumental in reporting on these important questions, and it would not be just for them to be faulted for doing their job.

CIJ urges the home minister to retract the show-cause letter against The Edge and to respect media freedom.


JAC KEE and SONIA RANDHAWA are directors of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).

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