The onus is on the Home and Information Ministers to clarify whether the government was behind the gag order on four private television stations not to name political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda when reporting the Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

lim guan eng penang pc 100409 In saying this, DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng described it as “mind-boggling” to learn the top management of Media Prima Bhd - the owner of the four TV stations - had issued a directive on the matter.

The media giant, which is believed to be linked to ruling party Umno, controls the country’s four free-to-air private TV stations - TV3, ntv7, 8TV and tv9.

“I could not understand why there was a ban on it (mention of Abdul Razak’s name) just because the case was in court.

“It does not make sense,” he said, adding the new ministers Hishammuddin Hussein Onn (Home) and Rais Yatim (Information) must publicly clarify the government’s stand on the issue.

najib rosmah and altantuya murder case The TV stations were also barred from reporting that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were linked to the grisly murder case.

Lim argued the gag order was against the principles of basic journalism that espoused freedom of the press, freedom of information, the freedom of access to information, freedom from censorship, freedom of expression and right of reply.

'Public has the right to know'

He stressed that these basic principles were breached with the ban, calling specifically on Hishammuddin to clarify publicly whether the government was involved in it.

“The public has the right to know who was behind the issuance of the directive.”

media prima and tv3 ntv7 8tv channel 9 131005 The directive was part of an email sent on behalf of the group director of news and current affairs (television networks) Kamarulzaman Zainal, who was press secretary to Abdullah Ahamd Badawi when the former premier was deputy PM.

He was appointed to helm Media Prima soon after Abdullah took power in 2003.

Lim’s father, Ipoh Timur parliamentarian and DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has also demanded Najib to clarify whether he had issued directives or approved new restrictions on the four private TV stations in their reports on the Altantuya Shaariibuu case.

lim kit siang 201108 The senior politician described the ban as contrary to Najib’s “new way forward for the new media” - a subject he addressed at the Malaysian Journalism Awards event.

During the Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections recently, politicians were barred from raising the Mongolian murder case at rallies.

However, it did not deter Pakatan Rakyat campaigners from raising the subject in an indirect manner. The Altantuya issue has always raised the tempo and ignited excitement among constituents at Pakatan political rallies.