Urban Wellbeing, Housing, and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan has come out in defence of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) decision to block Malaysian access to whistleblower site Sarawak Report on Sunday, saying Putrajaya would no longer tolerate the “lies and endless speculation” put out by the site.
Nevertheless, the Kota Belud MP doubts that blocking online access to SR would dampen the site’s impact on public perception of the Federal Government.
“To be honest, I don’t even think that it will be effective,” he intimated to The Star Online yesterday.
“People can get around it. But the Government must make its stand known based on the law.”
On Sunday, The MCMC issued a press release stating that it had decided to block websites that could “threaten the country’s stability” with content that “cannot be verified and is being investigated”, after the commission received “information and complaints from the public”.
Sarawak Report was mentioned as one of the sites in question.
The MCMC says its move was in accordance to allowances provided by Section 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and added that the block on Sarawak Report was temporary, until such time that the Federal Government’s Special Task Force ends its investigation on 1MDB.
“If the Government does not impose or exercise the law, it might as well cease as a government but a stand must be made as a matter of principle,” Abdul Rahman said.
Sarawak Report has been aggressive in its attempts to uncover alleged wrongdoing in 1Malaysia Development Berhad, culminating in its July 2 report (that coincided with the more highly-publicised piece on The Wall Street Journal) claiming that some USD700 million (RM2.6 billion) in 1MDB funds were transferred into PM Najib’s personal bank accounts.
The exposé prompted the formation of a Special Task Force, made up of the PDRM, the MACC, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and Bank Negara, to investigate 1MDB and Najib’s possible collusion in any foul play.
Last week, Lester Melanyi, who Abdul Rahman claimed was the “former editor of Sarawak Report” was featured in a online video where he confessed to working together with SR founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown to undermine Najib by forging and fabricating damning evidence against the PM, ostensibly on the orders of Opposition leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Tony Pua and Rafizi Ramli.
Rewcastle-Brown has since denied Melanyi’s involvement in SR, saying he was employed five years ago in Radio Free Sarawak, and had no editorial role in Sarawak Report.
Melanyi later also admitted to receiving payment for his confession, and that a “special officer from the Prime Minister’s Office” named Ramesh Rao had approached him to present the statement in the video.
The PMO denied that it had anyone by the name Ramesh Rao on its payroll as a special officer.
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