Former Harakah editor and veteran journalist Ahmad Lutfi Othman urged that Purnama , a daily linked to PAS, be free from the party's influence. He added that all newspapers should be free of any direct or indirect influence of political parties.

"If Purnama is published merely to convey the voice and ideas of PAS, then that is no different from what is being practised by Barisan Nasional," Lutfi told malaysiakini in response to Harakah editor Zulkifli Sulong's application to the Home Ministry last Tuesday to publish Purnama

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The application was signed by Syed Ibrahim Syed Abdul Rahman, the chairman of a company with close ties to PAS Penerbitan Muttaqin Sdn Bhd. Syed Ibrahim is also a PAS central committee member.

Zulkifli was quoted as saying that the concept of the daily is the same as those of the other dailies controlled by political parties though they are seen as independent newspapers.

"It is not wrong for political parties to publish dailies but this has to be made clear," Lutfi said. "The relationship between the party and the newspaper must be explained so that the public is not confused, as they are, about the current practice."

All dailies in this country are believed to be controlled by the main political parties in Barisan Nasional and the mainstream media slant their reports to fulfil the political agenda of their respective parties. This practice has been going on for a long time in this country and it was most obvious in the recent general elections.

However, Lufti, who is editor of Detik and Wasilah , two magazines that had been issued a warning from the Home Ministry last month, suggested that PAS apply for Harakah instead to be published as a daily.

Lutfi now heads the Action Committee Against Infringement of the Media, a committee set up to fight for press freedom. The committee was formed by a group of journalists and NGO activists following the Home Ministry's threat to ban Harakah and suspend Detik's permit, as well as its stern warning to Wasilah , Tamadun and Eksklusif .

"We need a complete reformation to free the media industry in this country because all this while whatever remnants of freedom we have are merely based on sympathy from the ruling party," Lutfi said. "Press freedom can be given and retracted any time according to their whims and fancies."

Lutfi was a Harakah journalist since its first issue in 1987 and was appointedits editor in 1993. He left the paper six months later to pursue his own business interests.