The show-cause letter sent to Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau by the Home Ministry is an "intimidation" and "politically motivated", said a former executive director of South-East Asian Press Alliance.

"The newspaper had responded to criticism and protests with an apology and retraction. That should be sufficient and should not warrant any other legal or executive action.

"The pressure from the ministry is clearly an intimidation... this harassment of Nanyang is politically motivated," V Gayathry told Malaysiakini when contacted today.

The Home Ministry had sent a show-cause letter to Nanyang two days ago over their cartoon depicting PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia as monkeys.

Nanyang has been given three days to respond to the show-cause letter, which was issued under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).

The cartoon was published on Saturday, following the motion tabled by Hadi in Parliament proposing amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 355.

However, Pandikar postponed the motion's debate to the next parliamentary sitting in July.

The cartoon has sparked protests from PAS against the Chinese daily, with its Youth wing urging for Nanyang to be shut down.

"The media is right to criticise Parliament as in this case it has failed to uphold public interest - by forcing MPs to debate bills hurriedly only to make sure PAS' bill is tabled," Gayathry said.

Unnecessary and excessive

Centre for Independent Journalism executive director Jac SM Kee also noted that Nanyang had apologised and retracted the cartoon, which should be sufficient to acknowledge the protest against it.

"So the show-cause letter is both unnecessary and excessive.

"Satire is an important platform for commentary on issues of public interest. This is something the government should proactively defend, not shut down," she said.

There also needs to be more space for dialogue, she said, as this would actually prevent the issues the Home Ministry cited as justification for the show-cause letter.

The home minister had said that the cartoon could "disrupt public order, encourage ill intentions, enmity, hate, and ill-conceived notions towards people of other races".

"If we keep shutting down spaces for critical conversation, even when it is uncomfortable, then we are creating an environment that is intolerant and rife for disruption of public order, ill-will, enmity, hate, etc," she said.

Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) founder Fazallah Pit told Malaysiakini that the cartoon was merely an expression of opinion which should not see legal retaliation.

"If they do not agree, they can respond with a caricature of their own.

"We should be able to criticise anyone. No one is above criticism. Hadi does not represent Islam," he said.