The Information Ministry should be responsible in ensuring healthy competition among media companies, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

He said that the authorities should have taken steps to avoid Media Prima Bhd, which is linked tot he ruling party, from full acquisition of all private free-to-air television stations in the country.

"The lack of protests from the Information Ministry contrasts with the practice in developed countries against such concentration of media power in one group as it may pose a threat to democratic freedoms," said Lim in a statement.

He said that the concentration of media powers in the hands of the ruling party may reduce newspapers into 'government gazettes'.

The former Kota Melaka MP added that the lack of competition due to media monopoly would not improve economic value, quality, productivity of television programmes or services.