When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assumed the premiership in November 2003, there was strong hope that the reins on the Malaysian media would be relaxed, but this appears to have been nothing more than wishful thinking, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) today.

In a statement released in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day today, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the media must be allowed to carry out their duty without fear or favour in order to promote good governance.

"As all major media are being monopolised by the government, the public has limited opportunities to receive information from the alternative views," she said.

"The Malaysian press still works under political pressure and faces widespread surveillance and harassments from the authorities."

According to Wan Azizah, the expansion of press freedom cannot be isolated or deemed unrelated to the process of economic reform.

Most importantly, she said the press plays a vital role in monitoring and checking corruption and abuse of power .

"As such, press freedom is the part and parcel of economic recovery. Without it, the prime minister's attempt to reform is doomed to fail," she noted.

Abolish PPPA

Highlighting the nation's poor record in ensuring press freedom , the PKR leader brought to attention Malaysia's ranking in last year's Reporters San Frontieres (RFS) World Press Freedom Index.

"Last year, RSF ranked Malaysia 122 out of 167 countries surveyed. The index indicated that the press in Malaysia is less free than that in our major Southeast Asian neighbors - Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia," she said.

Calling on Abdullah to initiate the first step in enhancing press freedom, Wan Azizah urged for the repeal of repressive anti-press laws.

"The government authorities, especially the home ministry, must stop all forms of political interference in the operation of newspapers and other media," she added.

"It is time for the prime minister to pledge his unequivocal support in promoting the free flow of information and the notion of press freedom. For a start, we call upon the government to abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act ," she said.

Enacted in 1984, the Act allows for the arbitrary revocation of the annual printing or publication licence, without recourse to judicial scrutiny.