The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been ordered to withdraw its directive barring privately owned television stations from airing speeches by opposition leaders.

"I wrote a letter to MCMC on Tuesday instructing the commission to withdraw its directive with immediate effect," Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

Lim said he did not know of the directive as he was overseas and found out about it after reading it in the newspapers.

"I investigated the matter once I got to know about it," he said, adding that MCMC should not have issued such a directive.

He also said MCMC could have issued the directive based on its interpretation that airing recorded speeches by opposition parliamentarians was prohibited as parliament proceedings are not telecast live.

Last Friday, malaysiakini published a letter issued by MCMC directing all private owned TV stations to stop airing opposition speeches.

The one-page letter said that the directive should be implemented immediately. [See original letter]

Motion rejected

Meanwhile, an urgent motion to debate the directive was rejected in Parliament today.

The motion, moved by Tan Kok Wai (DAP-Cheras), said that MCMC's directive suppressed freedom of information.

"The directive deprives the public from a free flow of information and needs to be looked into immediately," he said

However, House speaker Ramli Ngah Talib rejected the motion on the ground that it does not need immediate action under Standing Order 18(2).

"I was told that the relevant ministry had issued an order to cancel the directive," said the speaker.