Home Ministry chief secretary Mahmood Adam has urged the media to be impartial when reporting Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy trial and stressed that the government was not a party in the matter.

NONE "It has nothing to do with the government, it has to do with him and his (former) assistant (Saiful Bukhari Azlan)," said Mahmood Adam ( left ), regarding the case that will commence on Jan 25.

He uttered the off-the-cuff and unsolicited comments during the closing of a dialogue with representatives of several media organisations in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Anwar has repeatedly accused the government - particularly the Home Ministry controlled police and the Attorney-General's Chambers - of conspiring against him.

The case, which began in 2008, is set to be an explosive affair with prosecutors expected to draw upon medical reports, CCTV footage and DNA evidence.

KDN has nothing to hide

Mahmood's session with media organisations yesterday was the seventh in the series, the first where Malaysiakini was invited, and hosted by the Civil Defense Department at its headquarters in Jalan Padang Tembak.

He described the Home Ministry as an open book with "nothing to hide" during the multifaceted and laid back dialogue which lasted about 90-minutes.

NONE He said that the government does not threaten to withdraw licenses of media organisations and is merely appealing for the media to act responsibly and present verified information.

Mahmood urged the press not to publish "negative news", which he described as news with no attributions, distortions and sensationalism (such as ghost stories).

Asked if there can be certain exceptions to the Official Secrets Act, such as for research, Mahmood said an official application can be made to the relevant authorities for the declassification of certain documents.

However, he stressed that the OSA cannot be repealed because it is intended to protect certain national secrets, such as in defence matter, which cannot be compromised.

Gov't can be lenient on OSA

On the subject of illegal money lenders, or Ah Long as they are commonly known, Mahmood said the authorities are using their phone numbers to trace them.

He said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has helped tracked 6,140 phone numbers allegedly belonging to Ah Longs , of which 70 percent are pre-paid numbers which are still traceable.

However, only six have been charged because victims and witnesses have declined to come forward for fear of repercussions.

He adds that the government would be amending laws during the next sitting of Parliament to deter loan-shark activities, which may include provisions for whipping for second-time offenders.