About 200 Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders and supporters staged a protest this afternoon over the government's delay in granting the party a publishing permit for its party organ.

The hour-long protest which began at 2.30 pm was held in front of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Two dozen police personnel kept a watchful eye throughout the entire proceeding but no untoward incident was reported.

The opposition party - heads by ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim's wife - has applied for a publishing permit for its bi-weekly tabloid, Suara Keadilan (Voice of Justice), since May 2005.

However, to date, the Internal Security Ministry which can grant or refuse the permit has insisted the application is still under consideration.

The delay is considered unusual as a registered party is generally allowed to publish its party organ although such approval is also at the discretion of the internal security minister.

"We are the only political party without such a publishing permit. We are a legitimate party and has contested in the general elections," PKR information bureau chief Tian Chua told the crowd.

He said today's protest was held beyond fighting for his party organ's publishing permit as it was also to demand that the government allows greater press freedom among the media fraternity.

Party's treasurer Khalid Ibrahim said the government's argument that greater press freedom will be harmful for the country's economy can no longer hold water.

"Why? Look at Indonesia, they have better press freedom than us and very soon their economy will be doing much better than us," said Khalid, a former corporate figure.

"So the way out is not to restrict our media freedom," he told the government.

'Free the media'

Representatives from the DAP, students, non-governmental organisations and the Writers Alliance for Media Independence also spoke in support for PKR's rights to have the permit.

The crowd repeatedly chanted slogans such as 'long live the people, free the media', keeping the protesters in high spirits.

They cheered loudly when the event chairperson announced that Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam will be coming to meet the protesters at the building's lobby and received the PKR memorandum.

Party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail handed over the memorandum to Siva Subramaniam and the latter promised the protesters that he will bring the matter up at the commissioners monthly meeting.

The commissioner also noted that Suhakam has made several recommendations pertaining to the restrictive media laws and the mandatory licensing renewal on a yearly basis.

In response, Wan Azizah thanked Siva for his assurance to raise the permit issue with the commission.

The protest ended with party leaders opening a jail-like box with the word 'media' written outside - symboling the media to be freed up from all restrictions and suppression.

Despite not having a permit, the party has published Suara Keadilan on a bi-weekly basis and under its masthead, it criticised that "the prime minister has failed to live up to his promise".

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has pledged openness in his administration, is also the internal security minister.

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