Stop meddling in Chinese dailies, say editors

comments     YS Tong     Published     Updated

A group of senior Chinese newspaper editors recently made a collective stand to urge the government and political parties to uphold press freedom and stop interfering in their daily operations.

They made their stand in a resolution adopted at the annual meeting of the Malaysian Association of Chinese Newspaper Editors in Kuala Lumpur on March 24

The members had discussed governmental and political interference in the editorial production of the Chinese dailies before adopting the brief resolution.

One editor told malaysiakini that the interference was a common occurrence throughout his 20-year career with Chinese newspapers.

The interference does not happen only when there are forthcoming MCA elections.

We have also received phone calls from the authorities over our coverage on different occasions, said the editor who declined to be named.

He said Chinese newspapers enforced self-censorship as much as dailies of other languages though they detest these constraints and the interference from politicians.

Our publication permit have to be renewed every year and the government knows what it means to us, he said.

The Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 requires periodical publications to apply for a license annually from the Home Affairs Ministry, failing which its publisher could face a three-year jail term and a maximum fine of RM20,000 if convicted.

In 1987, Sin Chew Jit Poh , together with English daily The Star and Malay tabloid Watan , had their licenses revoked during Operasi Lallang.

The operation, launched to crackdown on those deemed to have threatened national security by fanning racial sentiments, saw the temporary closure of the publications.

It also saw the arrests of some 120 educationists, activists, and opposition figures who had protested against the governments decision then to appoint non-Mandarin speaking Chinese as high-ranking officials at Chinese primary schools.

Association president and Sin Chew Jit Poh editor-in-chief Koo Ching could not be reached for comment despite numerous attempts.

Top resignation

In an unrelated matter, the editors associations former president Puah You Lai resigned as editorial director of Nanyang Press Holdings, publisher of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press on Monday.

Nanyang Press Holdings was taken over by MCA through its investment arm Huaren Holdings in a controversial RM230-million deal last May, despite strong public objections, particularly from the Chinese community.

Puah was formerly the editor-in-chief of China Press until he was made a director early last month. He was replaced by Hoong Soon Kean, editor-in-chief of the sister newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau .

Many saw the transfer as a political move to curb the editorial independence of China Press in the run-up to the MCA elections. Puah is seen as a veteran newsman who is not partial to either of the feuding factions in the partys ongoing bickering.

When contacted, Puah stressed that he was not pressured into leaving Nanyang . He resigned because of the changed environment that did not permit him to work as he was used to.

He admitted that there were certain indirect political factors that influenced his transfer last month but declined to elaborate further.

Asked about his plan after the resignation, Puah said he would need some time to think it over.

Sin Chew Jit Poh is the countrys leading Chinese daily with a circulation of 298,921, followed by China Press with 202,066 and Nanyang Siang Pau , 187,458.



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