The Human Rights Commission, or Suhakam, must act as an arbitrator between publishers and the Home Ministry, a group of independent journalists said today.

The Coalition of Independent Media Activists said that Suhakam has a very important role to play as Section 13 of the Printing Presses and Publications Acts (PPPA) is currently a hindrance to justice to publishers, writers, editors and printers.

Section 13 of the PPPA states that no person shall be given an opportunity to be heard with regard to his application for a licence or permit or relating to the revocation or suspension of the licence or permit granted to him under this Act.

Coalition spokesman Ahmad Lutfi Othman said in a statement that Suhakam has to play a more proactive role in the area of press freedom.

"We are seriously thinking of taking legal action against the Home Ministry based on complaints that there is abuse of power among its staff," Lutfi, whose magazine Detik was officially banned early this year, said.

Closed-door meeting

Last Friday, Lutfi and 15 other media activists including from banned magazines Detik , Eksklusif and Al-Wasilah , as well as other independent and alternative media organisations such as malaysiakini , Harakah and Tamadun held a closed-door meeting with Suhakam officials.

The meeting at a Kuala Lumpur hotel was chaired by Suhakam deputy chairman Harun Hashim and was attended by commissioners Mehrun Siraj, Hamdan Adnan and Zainah Anwar.

According to Lutfi, among the issues that the group highlighted in the meeting were the personal experiences of editors and journalists who had previously worked in publications critical of the government, as well as the home ministry's "double standard" practices in enforcing the PPPA.

"We also demanded for a repeal of the Act and for the practice of awarding permits to be abolished," he said.

Lutfi added that the group was satisfied with the meeting and appreciated Suhakam's cooperation to call for law reform in Parliament.

"We also appreciate Suhakam's openness in receiving our complaints on the freedom of the media. We believe that this first meeting has been a 'bridge' towards a closer working relationship," he said.

Petition

The meeting was a follow-up to a petition to Suhakam sent by the group two weeks ago.

The petition called for the practice of awarding permits to be abolished; it asked that publications be banned only after a court decision, and that printers should not be held liable for any mistakes or inaccuracies perpetrated by publishers, editors or writers.

It also called for an enactment of laws to protect editors and journalists from mandatory prison sentences or detention without trial for offences committed in the course of duty.

Last August, the Home Ministry refused to renew the permit of the weekly tabloid Eksklusif on the grounds of biased reporting.

[#1]Suhakam to meet independent journalists[/#], Oct 3