The government's move not to renew bimonthly magazine < Detik 's publishing permit was criticised by an opposition leader today.

DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang said the trend towards greater suppression and repression should be checked and reversed if Malaysia is to succeed in taking the quantum leap into the Information Age.

Malaysiakini reported on Saturday that Detik 's editor Ahmad Lutfi Othman had been informed by the Home Ministry that the bimonthly magazine's publication permit, which expired last December, would not be renewed.

Lim also lambasted "a continued servile and subservient press, which could even defend the crude, vulgar and indecent gestures of Pahang Mentri Besar Adnan Yaakob on Sanggang by-election nomination day".

Meanwhile, Lim called on the government to withdraw all the national and state honours conferred on former inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor "as a lesson to all police officers of the gravity of taking the law into their own hands".

Rahim has pleaded guilty to beating sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim while in police custody in 1988, and was sentenced to two-month jail.

He suggested a number of proposals that must be implemented urgently for the police to restore public confidence in its independence, professionalism and integrity, an objective reiterated by deputy prime minister Abdullah Badawi when addressing the Police Day celebrations last Saturday.

Lim said the proposals included a police charter to uphold the fundamental liberties of Malaysians, appointment of an independent police ombudsman to receive and investigate all public complaints about abuse of power by the police, and an immediate increase of at least 50 percent of the salaries of the lowest ranks in the police force to ensure a minimum wage of RM800 a month.

On a related matter, Lim chastised the KL City police for introducing a blanket ban on public rallies.

The Star on Sunday reported the KL City police chief Deputy Commissioner Kamaruddin Ali as saying that "in view of recent events, we have decided to put on hold all applications seeking permission for public rallies".

However, ceramahs held indoors would be considered on a case-by-case basis, he added.