Pakatan Rakyat and youth NGOs are among those who have voiced support for Gerakan Media Marah (Geramm) in its upcoming march for press freedom.

Statements were issued today by PKR Youth, PAS Youth, DAP Socialist Youth and PKR-linked NGO Jingga 13 urging all Malaysians to stand united with journalists, who plan to  demonstrate against the suspension of The Heat weekly this Saturday, in front of the Bar Council headquarters on Lebuh Pasar Besar in Kuala Lumpur.

“The front-page report of The Heat that linked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to big spending not only caused the the newspaper to be suspended but also disclosed a reality...

“While the people are burdened by price hikes, the top leaders are freely spending away," Selangor PKR secretart AmirudinShari, the state assemblyperson for Batu Caves, said in a statement.

“Such disclosures made by The Heat and other media coverage need to be discussed and disclosed to the public. This issue is not just about the freedom of the press but also involves the interests of the majority, especially at the present time where access to information is a fundamental right for all citizens.”

These same political youth movements, which had also rallied behind the Turun protest against price hikes on Dec 31, said they found a “kindred” cause with Geramm. The peaceful rally on the last hours of 2013 had drawn over 10,000 people to Dataran Merdeka, as police succumbed.

Police however said they would investigate the ‘illegal’ assembly which they said disrupted New Year celebration.

Geramm was formed last month after the Home Ministry ordered The Heat to stop publications on Dec 19, without giving a fair reason. The Home Ministry had invoked the Printing Presses and Publications Act for the move, which it later said was ‘temporary’ after much protest from alternative media journalists and the Bar Council.

Geramm has drawn up eight demands and the ‘Red Pencil’ protest will be held at 2pm on Saturday. More details here .

Meanwhile, the PKR-linked NGO Jingga 13 condemned the suspension as undemocratic and against media freedom.

“Whatever the Home Ministry’s excuses, the people will view the article critical of the prime minister and his wife’s excesses as the reason of its suspension.

“To date, the ministry has failed to free The Heat ,” said the group’s chief coordinator Fariz Musa.

He too urged for members of the public to support the protest and called for a review of the Printing Press and Publications Act (PPPA) so that it can be amended to be compatible with media freedom, such as abolishing printing permits.

In a separate statement, PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat said Geramm has a firm basis for its protest and urged the Home Ministry disclose the reasons for The Heat’ s suspension so the people can judge it for themselves whether the publication had been unethical.

He said the paper should be brought to court if it had been unethical, but its right to publish should be returned if there are only technical grounds for suspension.

“Although the ministry says the suspension is only temporary, but to the people it means the government has curtailed the freedom of the press and this is very undemocratic,” he added.

Dapsy head Teo Kok Seong meanwhile said Geramm’s fight deserved widespread support.

“We admire Geramm’s efforts to protest in a mature manner and organise an open forum and now a open, peaceful protest with goodwill. We also urge all media friends, whether from alternative or mainstream, to unite behind Geramm’s noble cause.”