COMMUNICATIONS and Multimedia Minister Saifuddin Abdullah is practising “doublespeak” by saying the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government protects media freedom while using the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) Act against broadcaster Al Jazeera, a DAP lawmaker said.

Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi said Saifuddin had clearly admitted in Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the Finas Act was used against the Qatar-owned news organisation because its documentary Locked up in Malaysia’s Lockdown had offended the government.

“The picture is scary – (The) PN government retaliated against the media using a law which the government themselves admitted is outdated and is in the process of being amended. 

“If anything, this is clearly a form of abuse of power.

“The public will not be duped into believing the minister’s doublespeak. On one hand he claims he is protecting media freedom, on the other hand he is taking high-handed actions to stifle the media,” Wong said in a statement today.

Saifuddin was pressed by opposition MPs yesterday to state why the government had acted against Al Jazeera, including raiding its Kuala Lumpur office yesterday.

He said action was taken because the documentary had “disturbed our frontliners” in reference to Immigration officials who conducted raids on undocumented migrants during the movement-control order.

Wong said Saifuddin should not use “frontliners” as an excuse and said the government was given a chance by Al Jazeera to respond to criticism in the documentary, but did not.

Previously, Saifuddin had said the government will protect media freedom and also review the Finas Act to amend restrictive portions.

In the Dewan yesterday, Saifuddin also took a jibe at Pakatan Harapan (PH), saying that PN’s commitment to review the Finas Act was something the previous government failed to do.

To this, Wong said that while it was true PH did not manage to reform all oppressive laws, neither did it use such laws against the media.

“In fact, freedom of the media flourished under PH as evidenced by local and international reports. But Saifuddin blames PH for failing to take action despite the fact that he was not only a minister in the PH government cabinet, he was also a senior leader of the coalition being the chief secretary of PH,” she said.

Saifuddin was with PKR before quitting the party to join a plot to topple the PH government and replace it with PN. He had been foreign minister under the PH government. – August 5, 2020.