Non-governmental organisations and opposition parties join the growing chorus of condemnation of the Home Ministry's decision to slash the frequency of PAS organ Harakah from eight to two issues a month.

"We view the Home Ministry's action as unprofessional and a blatant violation of freedom of speech," Suaram coordinator Justin Yong said.

Yong urged the Home Ministry to immediately lift all restrictions against Harakah and bimonthly magazine Detik , whose publication permit had been suspended.

"The Home Ministry's action of suspending critical print media such as Harakah and Detik highlights the misuse of government tools to benefit the powers-that-be. The Home Minister's excuse that the decision was not politically motivated and that political magazines need not be published too often a month actually insults the intellectual level of Malaysians," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Home Minister, said on Wednesday that the reason for the slashing of the number of Harakah issues per month was to standardise the publication frequency of all political party newspapers or magazines in the country as this would give a fair opportunity to other political parties.

Abdullah claimed that this was not a political decision, adding that Umno would also publish its newsletter Merdeka , twice a month.

However, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that Harakah should expected some form of punishment for repeatedly breaking the law. He said the publisher had been called up and told not to break the law such as by circulating the tabloid to non-members but they continued selling it to the public especially during the elections.

Another human rights group,Aliran, today said that it was a crying shame that the Barisan Nasional government had to resort to high-handed tactics to counter the challenge posed by Harakah , which has in the last two years emerged as an effective alternative voice for the opposition to criticise questionable government policies.

"It is a terrible blow to the freedom of the press and a blatant denial of access to information. By severely curtailing the printing frequency and stringently restricting the circulation of Harakah , the BN government has finally and inadvertently conceded defeat - that it is no match to counter opposition criticism," said Aliran president P. Ramakrishnan.

Ramakrishnan also criticised Abdullah's statement that Umno would publish its newsletter twice a month to justify the restrictions on Harakah .

"Just because Umno cannot match Harakah's frequency, it does not mean that Harakah has to be restricted to conform to Umno's inability to publish more often. Abdullah's announcement smacks of political vindictiveness however much he may deny it," he said.

"Thinking people will certainly not be convinced that his decision is based on rational or logical thought. It is instead a decision prompted by fear that Harakah will further undermine Malay confidence in Umno."

Ramakrishnan called for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), adding that as long as the Act remained, it will be abused to curtail freedom of the press and to serve political ends.

DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang also proclaimed the slashing of Harakah as a major violation of free speech. He said the restrictions of Harakah reflected the action of an Umno leadership under siege and has no confidence that it could win the battle for the hearts and minds of the people, in particular the Malays.

"Right-thinking Malaysians are both shocked by the latest encroachment on an already very limited free press and free speech in Malaysia as well as the ham-fisted manner to justify such a gross violation of human rights," lamented Lim.

Lim added that the Home Ministry's decision to slash Harakah from a biweekly into a bimonthly has serious far-reaching implications, including the refusal of the government to embark on political reforms to initiate greater democratisation and that the country is not yet prepared to make the quantum leap into the information age as the leaders are quagmire in the pre-IT mentality of "book-burning" and banning of publications.

Meanwhile, a New York-based journalists organisation yesterday sent a protest letter to Mahathir expressing its dismay in the government's efforts to restrict the circulation of Harakah.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, in its letter, which was also sent to Abdullah and 28 other international journalists and press freedom groups, pressed the government to work for the repeal of PPPA, in order to bring Malaysia's legal system closer to international standards for a free press.

"Pending the repeal of this legislation, we urge that you instruct the Home Minister to restore Harakah's permission to publish twice weekly. The move to limit Harakah's circulation appears to be the latest example of your administration's efforts to curb the opposition press in Malaysia," CPJ executive director Ann K. Cooper said.