THE Centre for Independent Journalism is alarmed by Communications and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah’s announcement yesterday that the ministry will crack down on Al Jazeera’s accreditation and licence.

This is the latest form of retaliation by the state against Al Jazeera over the international media outlet’s Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown documentary. The state earlier called out the news organisation over its reporting, and accused it of spreading falsehoods.

To date, the government has yet to call a press conference to provide a legitimate and reasonable explanation for its response to Al Jazeera’s allegedly unfavourable or misleading reporting. Instead, the state and its apparatus have initiated police investigations, questioned Al Jazeera staff, and essentially undermined press freedom in Malaysia and threatened the country’s reputation at the international level. This is all the more appalling as the episode comes just months after Malaysia recorded a jump on the World Press Freedom Index, adding to the list of freedom-of-expression infringements since the change of government in March.

Merely branding the documentary as misleading or inaccurate does not count, and is, frankly, a counterproductive and irresponsible way of setting the record straight. The onus is on the government to list down all the facts stated in the documentary that it disagrees with and counter them with reliable and verifiable information, data and statistics. The state and its apparatus must also stop penalising those interviewed in the documentary, as freedom of expression is a right enshrined in law and international human rights instruments.

We reiterate our call for an internal investigation to be carried out at once into the potential mismanagement of power or accountability in the treatment of undocumented migrants during the movement-control order.

We also urge the government to drop all investigations into Al Jazeera, and for the communications minister to support media independence and freedom of the press, and not be complicit in infringements on the right to information and freedom of expression.

We further urge the minister to move ahead with the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council as a transparent and independent self-regulatory body for the industry, and to prevent the government and its agencies from becoming the sole arbiter of truth. – July 20, 2020.

* Centre for Independent Journalism is a media watchdog and non-profit organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just and free.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.