Zaid slams cops for alleged harassment of Mkini journalists

• UPDATED 1.44PM | Added Coalition of Press Freedom Monitoring in Southeast Asia’s comments in support of Malaysiakini’s journalists.

Former minister Zaid Ibrahim has slammed the police for the alleged harassment of three Malaysiakini journalists over an article claiming that the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters is planning a major reshuffle of its top leadership.

In a post on X this morning, Zaid said a mere denial of the report would do, rather than a criminal investigation against the journalists for doing their jobs.

“It’s not right to harass journalists this way. Why investigate them for possible criminal offences?

“Journalists know their responsibility to report based on factual events. Where the sources are unconfirmed, they would exercise caution.

“They would check and counter-check. They would ensure the credibility of the source is good,” Zaid wrote.

He noted that “great stories” revealing instances of crimes committed by governments worldwide had been broken by journalists from unconfirmed sources.

“The Pentagon papers on unlawful US military actions in Vietnam were from unconfirmed sources (Daniel Ellsberg). The Snowden papers on US illegal surveillance of foreign governments were from unconfirmed sources,” the veteran politician pointed out.

Zaid further urged Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain not to get worked up over stories on the transfer of police personnel.

“This sort of news will not topple the Madani government,” he said, adding that denying the report if it was untrue would suffice, as it would affect the news portal’s credibility.

Protecting sources

The Coalition of Press Freedom Monitoring in Southeast Asia also condemned the police for their actions in seeking Malaysiakini to reveal their sources.

“We firmly oppose any effort that may threaten the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of anonymous sources.

“And the Malaysian authorities attempt to pressure journalists into revealing their sources raise serious concerns about the further erosion of press freedom in Malaysia and the region as a whole,” it said on Instagram.

The group stressed that upholding basic journalistic principles should not be criminalised as it helps the media to play their role as the fourth estate effectively.

“Without guaranteed protection, journalists risk losing the trust of sources with vital information that needs to be disclosed.

“And we call on other media and press freedom organisations to stand with Malaysian journalists as they face both external and internal pressures.

“Journalists must support one another in these challenging times,” said the coalition which comprises press freedom organisations from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Timor Leste.

Called up for questioning

Yesterday, Razarudin confirmed that three Malaysiakini journalists will be summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters at 2.30pm today to have their statements recorded.

“At this juncture, police have recorded a statement from the person who lodged the report and further investigations will be carried out,” the top police officer told Bernama.

On Tuesday, Malaysiakini published an article on Bukit Aman allegedly planning a major reshuffle involving its top officers, including Deputy Inspector-General Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

Following this, Razarudin issued a statement, describing the speculations as “untrue” as the federal police headquarters had not issued an official statement on the matter.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Mohd Isa later said the police are also investigating the article after a Bukit Aman officer lodged a police report.

According to Rusdi, the case is being investigated under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

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Police to record statements from Mkini journalists tomorrow: IGP