Political parties greeted World Press Freedom Day today by taking the opportunity to revisit the recent furore over The Economist special survey o­n Malaysia.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang called o­n Acting Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to give special meaning to this worldwide celebration by announcing that the Home Ministry would refrain from adopting any "punitive or retaliatory action" against the publication for its series of articles in its April issue.

As a personal seal of commitment to a free and independent press, Lim called o­n Abdullah to "ensure that the whole furore over The Economist is resolved by World Press Freedom Day and that it is not left as o­ne of the outstanding issues which has to go o­n to the plate for Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to handle o­n his return from his two-month leave."