Malaysians have a limited ability to change their government through elections and the government uses the media to partisan advantage, said international organisation Freedom House in its latest annual report on political rights and civil liberties.

It also said that the government practised a discrimination policy, denied freedom of associations and expression and used the judiciary to its advantage.

The report, released on Wednesday, noted that public rallies were not allowed and strict laws were imposed on public assemblies.

The Freedom in the World report for the year 2000-2001 included a comparative assessment on basic political, economic, and social data in 191 countries.

Partly free status

In the current report, Malaysia was given five on a scale of 1-10 concerning its political rights and civil liberties and has been declared as having a "partly free" status, same to last year's ranking.

"Since its inception in the 1970s, Freedom House's Freedom in the World survey has provided an annual evaluation of political rights and civil liberties throughout the world. The survey attempts to judge all countries and territories by a single standard and to emphasize the importance of democracy and freedom," said the report.

[#1] Freedom House[/#] is a non-profit US-based organisation which functions as a "clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world".

It is concerned with the mounting threats to peace and democracy, and has been a vigorous proponent of democratic values and a steadfast opponent of dictatorships of the far left and the far right.

Restrictions on freedoms

In its [#2] report[/#] on Malaysia, it was stated that the government also relied on various security laws to restrict freedoms of expression and association.

It added that the Printing Presses and Publications Act barred publications of "malicious" news, permits the government to ban or restrict allegedly "subversive" publications, requires newspapers to renew their publication licences annually, and prohibits publications from challenging such actions in court.

"The government used the law to close three newspapers in 1987, and journalists reportedly practise self-censorship. Most major newspapers are owned by individuals and companies close to the ruling National Front (Barisan Nasional), and give the opposition minimal coverage," added the report.

State-run Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) was also labeled as generally providing only "token coverage" of the opposition.

The report noted that in July 1999, the information minister placed an unprecedented ban on opposition access to RTM during the subsequent election campaign.

Public assemblies

The report also stated that the 1967 Police Act required permits for all public assemblies.

"Following the arrest of deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in September 1998, and continuing into 1999, police forcibly broke up numerous peaceful opposition rallies, mainly in Kuala Lumpur but also in rural towns."

"Since 1969, authorities have banned political rallies and have only permitted indoor 'discussion sessions'."

The report added that although the non-governmental organisations are allowed to operate openly, they face some harassment.

The report also noted that according to the Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) which monitored the 1999 general elections, there were some irregularities in the vote registration process and of ineligible voters, particularly foreigners, casting ballots.

"The timing of the 1999 general elections, and the lengthy voter registration process, meant that some 600,000 voters who had signed up during the last registration drive in April and May 1999 were not yet eligible to vote. The opposition alleged that (prime minister) Mahathir had timed the vote to prevent these new voters from participating."

Nevertheless, in the 1999 elections, the opposition party at the national level, PAS, retained control of the state of Kelantan and captured oil-rich Terengganu for the first time.

"Anfrel also said that the short, eight-day campaign period and the government's monopoly of the major media raised questions about the fairness of the elections. A local monitoring group, Pemantau, also reported irregularities."

Discrimination policy

The report also stated that there were accusations against the government on bribing and intimidating voters in the March 1999 Sabah state election.

It also pointed that the government influenced the judiciary in sensitive political and commercial cases.

The report added that the government's official policy discriminated against Chinese, Tamils, and other minorities in education, employment, and business affairs.

There are also considerable restrictions on worker's rights to organise and hold strikes.

"The law permits each union and labour federation to represent only one trade. In the export-oriented electronics industry, the government permits only 'in-house' unions rather than a nationwide union. The government must certify all unions and can de-register them."