Groups stand by publications

PETALING JAYA: The suspension of the The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily over its reports on alleged graft in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has been roundly condemned by NGOs, press groups and politicians.
The business publications are suspended for three months starting today, and the publishing permits may be revoked if the order is not complied with.
Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) questioned the suspension as ongoing investigations against 1MDB had yet to disprove the news reports and it is only fair to delay any action until the probe has been completed.
"TI-M is of the view that it would be appropriate and fair that any decision on The Edge to be suspended should only be taken after the completion of the investigation," TI-M president Datuk Akhbar Satar said in a statement today.
Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) declared its support for the publication and said there does not seem to be any apparent wrongdoing in its reports on the state owned fund.
The polls watchdog said in a statement that it seems the government has no intention of letting the truth of the matter surface and is focused on protecting certain individuals from public scrutiny.
"This ongoing crackdown, first on Sarawak Report and now The Edge, can only lead us to wonder if it is because the allegations of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) were accurate in claiming RM2.6 billion was transferred into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's personal account," the statement said.
The group was referring to an expose by WSJ which alleged that almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was transferred from 1MDB funds into Najib's personal accounts through proxies.
Media groups have also stood united with The Edge, defending the publication's freedom to publish news that is deemed to be important to public interest.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called for the suspension to be lifted immediately and the Home Ministry must clearly state how the allegedly offending articles are considered a threat to national security.
NUJ president Chin Sung Chew said 1MDB is a government-linked company and The Edge has every right to inform the public about its inner goings-on and its suspension could be viewed as a clampdown on media freedom.
"Both The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily had also published rebuttals from both government spokespersons and 1MDB. As such, the publications have offered a platform for civil debate and discourse," Chin said in a statement.
Institute of Journalists (IoJ) called on the Home Ministry to provide concrete evidence that The Edge's reports were false and inaccurate as those were the basis of the papers' suspension.
The Angry Media Movement (Geramm), too, condemned the Home Ministry for the suspension order and said there are other legal recourse should The Edge's reports are untrue.
Meanwhile, Najib's youngest brother Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, who is CIMB Group chairman, said he supports freedom of speech and expression, and the media's right to report the truth.
"It is not for them (The Edge). I stand for freedom of speech and freedom of expression. That is all. This is not about defending The Edge as this is about the principle freedom of the media," Nazir said when attending former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi's Hari Raya open house.