Dont interfere with my job, editor tells Penang govt
The editor of a recently launched alternative newspaper in Penang has called on the state government not to interfere with his job if they cannot contribute towards the solution of the society's poor.
Save Our-Selves (SOS) coordinator Ong Boon Keong who launched
Aiyoh! Penang
on May 28 said his team will continue to publish stories which reflect the real situation of the downtrodden and weak of society.
SOS was initiated by a group of tenants affected by the repeal of the 50-year-old Rent Control Act that had until 2000 protected inner city tenants from having to pay market prices.
On Wednesday, police recorded statements from Ong after allegedly receiving a report from "someone" that Aiyoh! Penang is a breach of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).
They came to the SOS centre to request for samples of the publication which featured stories of the downtrodden in Georgetown after the repeal of the Act, Ong said.
"The state government here could be unhappy because it had been ticked off for not doing enough to help displaced old tenants, some of whom are now homeless and wandering in Georgetown's major streets," said Ong in a press statement yesterday.
'Routine matter'
Commenting on the police move against him, Ong said, "The police had never been known to take such swift action on reports lodged without some big shots throwing their weight around."
He said Chief Investigating Officer G Karunagaran told him that police commenced investigation on the publication soon after its launch.
"I don't see where we could have breached any law. But the launch was done to coincide with the anniversary of the people's resistance against MCA's takeover of the two Chinese newspapers. This could have irked some people in MCA," he said.
According to the New Straits Times yesterday, acting district police chief Superintendent Abdul Razak Husein said Ong's questioning was "a routine matter and part of an investigation into possible contravention of the PPPA".
Under Section 5 of the 1984 Act, anyone found guilty of illegally publishing or printing a newspaper would be liable to a fine of up to RM20,000 or imprisonment of up to three years or both upon conviction.
When malaysiakini contacted the police for comments, an official from the state police headquarters said Penang police chief Arthur Edmonds will only be availabe for comments next week.
However, Ong clarified that Aiyoh! Penang was a one-off publication and did not need a permit from the Home Ministry.
He said its launch held to coincide with the first anniversary of MCA's controversial takeover of two Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press was carried out in a rented property and did not need a police permit.
'Ghost town'
Since 2000, Ong has been aggressively campaigning against the repeal of the Rent Control Act which favour landlords instead of tenants.
SOS claimed that many have been left homeless as a result of the repealed Act and warned that Georgetown will become a "ghost town" if the trend continued.
The Penang state government however maintained that the repeal of the Act was fair to Penangites and those affected had been compensated justly.
Last month, malaysiakini reported that SOS has produced an alternative 'monthly' publication called Aiyoh! Penang which positioned itself as "A publication of Penang by Penangites and for Penang".
The 16-page maiden issue with a run of 5,000 copies was distributed free on the island on May 28.
Its main story headlined "Housing crisis spills into the open", focused on the problem of the homeless, the recent fire and flood in Georgetown, and the implications of the controversial RM1.02 billion Penang Outer Ring Road project.
The magazine also promised to put Penang under the microscope and to publish stories ignored by the local press.
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