If the government wants to be on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organistion (Unesco) board, then it should show sincerity by celebrating press freedom today.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, that the government must first uphold the values and principles of press freedom and improve its rankings.

“Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin visited the Unesco headquarters in Paris, France, in order to lobby for a seat on the executive board for the years 2015-2019.

“But at the same time, the Malaysian government refuses to celebrate World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated by Unesco by the awarding of the Unesco/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to a ‘person, organisation or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and / or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world’,” said Lim.

The DAP secretary general said if Malaysia truly wants to uphold the full responsibilities of a member of the Unesco executive board, it has to make a number of commitments including the abolition of the draconian Sedition Act 1948 as Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised in 2012.

The UN general assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression, enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is also the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.

Malaysia's heavily regulated press has been criticised, with journalists and news publications subjected to legislation such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) and the Sedition Act, laws said aimed at curtailing freedom of expression

Rankings go south

Malaysia ranked 147th out of 178 countries in the latest annual report on world press freedom by Paris-based media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), remaining in the same position it ranked last year, the lowest position the country has held.

In 2013 Malaysia ranked 145, a major drop from the country's ranking of 122 in 2012.

Lim believed that the recent amendments of the Sedition Act, "specifically extending its scope to the online media" will lead to more opportunities for its abuse by the authorities, including against journalists, bloggers and editors.

"Journalists and editors continue to be harassed by the authorities, most recently with the arrests of four editors from The Malaysian Insider (TMI) and the Edge Media Group publisher Ho Kay Tat under the Sedition Act.

"This was indeed a black mark for press freedom in the country, and highlights the continued abuse of the Sedition Act against not just politicians but also members of the media fraternity," he said.