An official from the Prime Minister's Department had allegedly ordered editors of all major newspapers to play down the public outcry against the fuel price hike, including coverage of last Friday's protest in Kuala Lumpur.

"Even before the demonstration, we were ordered not to highlight the issue on grounds that it would further fuel public anger," one news editor told malaysiakini , in reference to the demonstration outside the Petronas headquarters.

"The officer told us that, while it was all right to run reports on reactions against the price increase, such reports should be played down and that photographs should not be used. He conceded, however, that it would make people more angry if there was a blackout of the protest."

Another editor said street polls were also discouraged as members of the public are generally unhappy with the drastic increase imposed from Feb 28.

About 2,000 irate protestors, mainly supporters of opposition parties and representatives of non-governmental organisations, staged a noisy but peaceful demonstration outside the Petronas Twin Towers.

This was to protest the biggest single increase in fuel prices over the last two years, ranging between 18.5 percent and 23 percent. This upped petrol prices by 40 percent and diesel by102 percent.

How they played it

A check of all major local newspapers last Saturday showed that coverage of the demonstration was minimal or absent.

Umno-linked English daily News Straits Times did not run a report, while MCA-owned The Star published comments by deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak about the protest.

"Najib said that opposition parties should not stoop so low so as to seek political mileage from the 30-sen fuel price increase," said The Star report on page 14.

News of the protest did not see light in the two main Malay-language newspapers, the Umno-linked Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian .

However, Utusan quoted Najib in the last few paragraphs of a report entitled Guna Kuasa Pengguna: Najib (Najib: Invoke consumer power), as saying that he had expected the demonstration by opposition parties "which have never contributed constructively to the country".

Berita Harian only quoted Najib as advising consumers to invoke their rights in demanding that traders do not take advantage of the price increase.

Chinese-language dailies ran reports on the demonstration without highlighting these.

The largest newspaper Sin Chew Daily provided a five-paragraph report on page 11 with a photograph of the demonstration - the only newspaper to do so.

MCA-owned China Press placed its report on page seven, together with Najib's comments in another report.

Another MCA-owned newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau only printed Najib's response to the demonstration.

Oriental Daily News had a brief report on page 19, but placed Najib's comments on page six.