Malaysia registered 'very few' press freedom violations last year, says an international press freedom watchdog body and attributed this to 'the high level of self-censorship and control of editorial policies by media owners loyal to the government.'

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also said the Malaysian news media showed 'signs of being quite dynamic' last year with the number of newspapers and magazines increasing despite the threat of the restrictive Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).

"Nevertheless, press not sympathetic to the government had to cope with harassment by interior ministry agents who regularly put pressure on printers, distributors and advertisers," said RSF Asia-Pacific representative Vincent Brossel in the Malaysia chapter of RSF's annual report.

The yearly report was released in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day yesterday.

The report noted the stepping down of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad last year who had 'kept political and economic control over a large part of the Malaysian media for two decades.'

"His successor (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) is continuing the policy of firmness towards the press," the report added.

RSF said it recorded several cases that it considered undermined press freedom in the country last year, including the imprisonment of film-maker-cum- malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais ( photo ) under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the attack on a vernacular daily reporter and the harassment against the new Chinese daily, Oriental Daily News .

Top editor removed

The police raid on malaysiakini in January last year was also highlighted together with the conviction of opposition organ Harakah editor-in-chief Zulkifli Sulong under the Sedition Act and the removal of New Straits Times editor-in-chief Abdullah Ahmad following a controversial article he wrote.

RSF's 2003 Press Freedom Index ranked Malaysia 104 out of 166 countries, lower than Thailand (82) but higher than Indonesia (110) and the Philippines (118).

The ranking was slightly higher compared to the year before. The 2002 RSF index ranked Malaysia at 110 out of 139 countries, much lower than Indonesia (57), Thailand (65) and the Philippines.

Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin had then questioned and accused RSF of having hidden agenda for placing Malaysia low on its ranking.

Commenting on the RSF report, media activist Sonia Randhawa said the lower press freedom violation cases recorded last year could be due to some cases not being reported publicly.

Randhawa, director of the non-governmental organization Centre of Independent Journalism, said she was not optimistic on press freedom flourishing under Abdullah's administration.

"For example, the premier's press conferences emulates the style of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's and this has led journalists to feel that it is now more difficult to pose questions to him," she said.

'Not free'

In a related development, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail urged the government to repeal restrictive media laws such as the PPPA, the Internal Security Act (ISA) and the Official Secrets Act.

She said press freedom was an important indicator of a country's democratic status. "The practice of democracy practice has to be supported with the accurate and free flow of information," she asserted in a statement.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang, meanwhile, called on the government to form a cabinet committee to draft and execute a five-year strategy plan to improve Malaysia's international press freedom ranking.

He referred to another global press freedom report by the Freedom House which placed Malaysia 154 out of 193 countries in terms of press freedom. The country is placed under the category of nations which are 'not free' in terms of press controls.