Today I wrote a statement to rebut and criticise Deputy Minister of Internal Security Foo Ah Kiow trying to further limit the sales of The Rocket and other opposition organs.
I said this shows that the ministry wants to control the media and control opposition parties. This is an act of restricting freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Rocket has been one of the most popular paper prior to 1990 and we can sell the paper to members of public. However, when the Rocket’s sale was restricted party members after the 1990 general elections, we still did our very best to come out with the Rocket, and we are trying very hard to sell to the public through the party’s network..
The DAP will continue to sell the Rocket to members of public. We’ll try our best to fight for the freedom to sell the papers to members of public and we urge members of public to continue to support the Rocket.
I urge members of public to subscribe to the Rocket.
Frankly, I am quite disappointed with Foo Ah Kiow. He looks like a Mr Nice Guy and sensible man, but after he became the Deputy Minister of Internal Security, he started to say he wanted to censor the internet, he banned certain books, and now he said he wanted to further control the organs of opposition parties. Is this the way MCA trying to bring change within the government? What changes has MCA leaders brought in terms of democracy and freedom of press or expression?
The same, again, in Chinese:
士布爹区国会议员兼民主行动党全国宣传秘书郭素沁于2007年5 月16日(星期三)发表文告:
行动党将继续办好《火箭报》及售卖给公众人士,并呼吁各界人士继续以行动支持《火箭报》(BOLD)
我对副国安部长胡亚桥指国安部官员将对付在市面上售賣的黨報,包括行動黨黨報《火箭報》,感到遗憾。
胡亚桥这番言论,显示出他和国安部对各类媒体的打压,更显示出政府对在野党言论和新闻自由的压制。
我国的主流媒体,已经饱受各种严刑峻法和股权的限制。在一个自由、公平和民主的社会里,政党办党报,以向人民传达政治理念、讯息和政治主张,是件正常不过的事,国安部根本无须对此作出过敏的反应。
《火箭报》自行动党创党至今,已经出版41年。在1990年之前,《火箭报》可在报摊上售卖,它曾经是国内非常畅销的报刊,直至政府限制它只售卖给党员,
才严重影响到这份报刊的销售。
国安部限制在野党只能把党报售卖给党员的措施,不但对在野党非常不公平,它同时更侵犯人民知的权利!
我在此强调,民主行动党将尽一切能力,把《火箭报》办得更好,以把许多课题的真相传达给人民。
我们也将继续把《火箭报》售卖给公众人士。如果国安部仍要对付《火箭报》,民主行动党将尽一切能力,包括通过法律途径,与国安部周旋到底。
这里,我们呼吁行动党的支持者和党员,继续支持和订阅《火箭报》,作为民主行动党和《火箭报》的后盾。
This is the news report about the Ministry’s threat:
(吉隆坡14日訊)國安部準備對付在市面上售賣的黨報,包括行動黨黨報《火箭報》。
國內安全部副部長拿督胡亞橋說:「黨報只能賣給黨員而已,倘若黨報被發現在市場上售賣,那麼國安部將對他們採取行動。」
他今日是在國會上議員回答武吉免登馬華區會主席拿督李崇孟上議員的口頭詢問時,如是表示。
李崇孟問,《火箭報》在市面上出售給市民是否會受到對付。
胡亞橋補充,國安部會不定時前往書攤檢查市場上的書刊,並充公那些出售的黨報。
另外,阿末胡先上議員提問,國安部是否會對付那些昨日在網絡中發表首相暈倒的假消息的部落客時,胡亞橋解釋,由于網際網絡屬于能源、通訊及水務部的管轄範圍,因此應交由該部門回答。
昨日網絡流傳,首相拿督斯里阿都拉在霹靂州紅土坎出席一項社區活動時暈倒,但較後阿都拉已否認此事,並宣稱自己因為天氣炎熱,加上缺乏睡眠而感到頭暈而已。