Press freedom in the country has deteriorated further during the past year, said Rustam Sani, the chairman for Barisan Alternatif's Bureau for Media and Information in a statement today.

He said certain publications have been banned through non-renewal of publishing permits, the curtailment on distribution networks of publications and the reduction of the publication frequency.

"Journalists have been the subject of administrative harassments or legal actions using the provisions of undemocratic laws," Rustam said.

One the laws which undermined the ability of journalists to carry out their duty professionally is the Printing Presses and Publications Act, he added..

"The government must be aware that a majority of professional and practising journalists are unhappy and restless with the situation of their profession and the media industry as a whole," Rustam stressed.

He also recalled that on World Press Freedom Day last year, 581 Malaysian journalists presented a petition to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Abdullah Badawi to ask for the repeal of the PPPA. This year another 370 new signatures were added to the petition. [#1] ("Press council proposal to strengthen case for media freedom", April 12)[/#]

"A petition that carries such a big number of signatures from practicing professional journalists should serve as a wake-up call to the government to do something about the sagging credibility of the media," Rustam said.

In place of the PPPA, the journalists proposed the setting up of an independent Press Council to self- regulate the profession.

To mark World Press Freedom Day, KeADILan's vice president Tian Chua said that the struggle for a free, independent and accurate press is an integral part of the struggle for a democratic nation and civil society.

"Besides ability to report accurately, the quality of the press also requires courage and conviction to defend the pillars of free press. Press freedom is one of the locomotives for social change and human liberation," he said.

Chua also called upon the government to allow journalists to have free access to archives and information related to important national incidents such as the Memali massacre and the May 13, 1969 incident.

"Only through learning from history, we can progress steadily to the future,"