Writers' Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) has slammed the Internal Security Ministry's decision to suspend indefinitely, the Weekend Mail for publishing a raunchy sex-related front-page story.

While disagreeing with the 'taste and judgement' by the tabloid for producing the article, Wami's chairperson Wong Chin Huat said the sweeping powers granted to the ministry by current laws, should be condemned.

Wong pointed out that the ministry had cited Section 6(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) which states that the minister may at any time revoke or suspend a permit for any period he considers desirable.

On Wednesday, Internal Security Ministry secretary-general Abdul Aziz Mohamad Yusof was quoted as saying that the controversial report was contrary to 'eastern values' practised by Malaysians, among other reasons for the suspension.

"We vigorously stand up for their ( Weekend Mail ) right to publish and public's right to critique their content, and against the state's arbitrary power to dictate our journalism and cultural life," said Wong in a statement today.

What 'eastern values'?

He added that the present law does not specify what constitutes 'eastern values', and that by allowing a few political elites to decide what was appropriate for publication would be akin to "destroying our society's moral judgement and undermine our cultural soul".

"Simply because we treasure our cultural heritages, we believe that no single politician has either the ability or the right to define or defend the degree of civility and decency in our society.

"Mr Minister, we can choose for ourselves what to read and what not to. Your job is now to help establish a parliamentary select committee to review all outdated media laws made under outdated mentality," he said.

Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director Sonia Randhawa lamented that the government had took action on four newspapers in 2006 alone.

Earlier the government had taken action against Berita Petang, Guang Ming Daily and Sarawak Tribune for ' offensive ' content.

"The latest action against the press testifies to the further decline of democratic practices, among which is a press that should be self-regulated and free from government intervention," said Randhawa in an emailed statement today.

Echoing Wong, Randhawa called on the government to set up a Parliamentary Select Committee on Media Freedom to allow public participation in shaping media-related policies.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng in condemning the suspension, said that the ministry's move was unjustifiable, since the newspaper had already taken action against the staff responsible for the offending article.

Abolish PPPA

The newspaper's editor, Mohd Zulkifli Abd Jalil, was suspended following widespread criticism by ministers over the articles which interviewed 100 people between the ages of 18 and 35, and found that sex was no longer a taboo.

In a related development, Lim called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to abolish the PPPA for the media to be free in performing its check and balance functions.

"In a recent interview with CNN , Abdullah denied that there are press restrictions in Malaysia but admitted there is self-censorship. How can there not be press restrictions or self-censorship when the PPPA requires an annual renewal of newspapers publishing permit?

"This has resulted in self-censorship in Malaysia been refined to such a fine art that the censors could not do a better job," said Lim in an emailed statement today.