QATARI broadcaster Al Jazeera is being targeted because its documentary on undocumented migrants during the Covid-19 lockdown tarnished Malaysia’s “frontliners”, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

Saifuddin was pressed by opposition MPs in Parliament today on why the government had raided Al Jazeera’s office in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

He said the office was raided because of its documentary that had put Malaysia in a bad light.

“I have already answered the Al Jazeera issue but because they keep on asking, I want to say this.

“This is not a legal answer. This is my political answer.

“When foreigners disturb our frontliners… in Malay there is a saying that if you pinch my left thigh, my right thigh will feel it.

“You have to understand that,” Saifuddin said when winding up for his ministry during the debate on the royal address.

Saifuddin also said Malaysians have a “symbiotic” relationship with frontline staff handling the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I have already given the legal answer but you continue to ask. This is the political answer,” he repeated.

Earlier in the debate, the minister’s “legal answer” was that there were laws governing the media in Malaysia.

Wong Shu Qi (Kluang-PH) then asked Saifuddin why the the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Act was used against Al Jazeera.

Teresa Kok (Seputeh-PH) also interjected to say that it was the raid on Al Jazeera which had tarnished Malaysia’s image.

To this, an irritated Saifuddin replied: “Who has tarnished our image? Is it the documentary or who? 

“We are MPs, and we may want to be political, but we have to be careful…,” said Saifuddin before he was cut off by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun.

On the Finas Act, Saifuddin told Wong that the Perikatan Nasional government has decided to amend the law.

“On July 23, you asked and I answered and I clarified after that. On July 24, the cabinet decided to guarantee media freedom and personal freedom and said it would amend the law.

“In 20 hours, Perikatan decided to do something which Pakatan Harapan didn’t in 22 months,” said Saifuddin, who was a Barisan Nasional minister (2009-2013), a PH minister (2018-2020) before becoming a PN minister in March this year after quitting PKR.

On July 3, Al Jazeera aired the documentary Locked Up In Malaysia’s Lockdown, which interviewed Bangladeshi worker Mohamad Rayhan Abdullah.

Rayhan had accused the authorities of racism against undocumented migrants.

Rayhan has since been arrested and is now being remanded at the Putrajaya detention centre for further investigation. – August 4, 2020.