The opposition's reliance on foreign media reports to bring down the country's leaders is seen as a threat that could undermine the country's democratic system, says Umno supreme council member Mahdzir Khalid.

He described the opposition's move of using foreign media reports to bring down Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as unfair.

Mahdzir said this when asked to comment on the action of former Sarawak Tribune editor, Lester Melanyi (photo, below), confessing that reports by Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown on Najib all this while were nothing but lies.

"The problem in Malaysia is when there are those who take news conveyed in perspective without knowing its truth and authenticity, this makes it easier for the foreign media to continue to report lies for the purpose of inciting the people.

"The opposition also conveniently takes these foreign media reports to be made into issues to fight the country's leaders. By right, we have to first verify whether the information is correct, otherwise, this is what happens," he told reporters after the 'Ihya Ramadan' programme at Masjid Felda Lubuk Merbau in Padang Terap, Kedah, last night.

Mahdzir, who is also education minister, said the Sarawak Tribune editor's move to report lies was unethical and unnecessary, because Rewcastle-Brown was an 'outsider' who only looked for opportunities to discredit Malaysia.

"Many foreign media are just waiting to report negative accusations against the prime minister, of which one of them is Sarawak Tribune, and just the other day, the former editor of the portal himself admitted that the statements made all this while were untrue.

"Maybe, after this, many more details will emerge to prove that the allegations against Najib are untrue, However, I'm sure people will always support the country's leaders as they realise that all these are all lies," Mahdzir said.

Last Saturday, Melanyi told a press conference that Rewcastle-Brown's accusation against Najib of paying RM9.5 million to lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah was not true, and that the report was written out of personal motive.

Melanyi then requested he be given a few weeks to submit evidence on the matter.

- Bernama