COMMENT The prime minister’s outlandish attempt on Monday night to claim credit for Malaysia’s press freedom ranking is a shocking display of insensitivity to the deaths of at least two Indonesian journalists, and the violence against others which caused the rankings of their countries to fall, and Malaysia’s to rise.

Plainly ignoring the facts contained in Reporters Sans Frontieres’ 2011-12 report, Najib Razak said: “Since I became prime minister, Malaysia has moved up nine places in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index…”

PM Najib Razak speaks to the press outside the gutted administrative block of Metro Tabernacle church 2 His brazen effrontery is sickening. The real reason for Malaysia’s better showing is plain: other countries’ ranking fell because of violence against journalists - Indonesia’s ranking plunged by 29 places, and that of India and Bangladesh also dropped.

No, prime minister, Malaysia did not rise in the RSF rankings. The others fell because journalists were either killed or beaten up...