Kedah Umno wants the state government to retract the ban on certain media organisations from covering the whole session of the state legislative assembly sitting, including the budget session, from Sunday to Tuesday.

If the ban were not retracted, the BN state assemblypersons would table a motion at the sitting to allow all media organisations to cover the proceedings without exception.

Kedah Umno liaison deputy chairperson Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah said the ban was an act that restricted the freedom of the media to make coverage and reflected the enmity between the state government and certain media organisations.

He said the media had never been obstructed from covering the proceedings of the state legislative assembly sitting in the past.

"The ban on the media freedom was most regretted and it was a violation by PAS on media freedom," he said in a statement today.

Ahmad Bashah, who is also the Bakar Bata assemblyperson, was commenting on the prohibition by the state government against TV3, TV9, TV7, RTM, Astro Awani, Utusan Malaysia, Kosmo, Berita Harian, The New Straits Times and Harian Metro from covering the session.

- Bernama