KUALA LUMPUR, 24 March 2009: Umno, which started its general assembly today to plot the party’s renewal under a new leadership, showed the first sign of its resistance to reform – it barred the internet media from covering the five-day event.
Initially, no word was issued officially but checks by the press corp and online media agencies with one another revealed that several news websites have been denied the red-coloured press tags required to cover the general assembly.
The online media affected are Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, Siasah, Merdeka Review, and The Nut Graph. According to Malaysiakini, Chinese website Laksou has also been barred.
The traditional print and foreign media, however, have been issued media passes.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor confirmed at a press conference that a total of six news websites were barred from covering the assembly.
“All these websites have been irresponsible in their reporting. If you report responsibly about Umno’s leaders, then we will allow you to come in. But the way they report is sickening,” Tengku Adnan said at the Umno general assembly.
Outgoing Prime Minister and party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was also present at the press conference.
Umno media officer Abdul Hamid Satar had earlier today told Malaysiakini that these media were considered “bloggers”. He added that the decision to bar them was made by a higher party authority, believed to be Tengku Adnan.
The ban on the internet media comes despite these organisations’ reporters having submitted their applications to cover the general assembly in advance. The online media have also been given government accreditation by the Information Department.
Umno has a right
Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who is running for a seat in the Umno supreme council, said he did not know of the party’s ban of the new media.
He said even though the websites had been accredited by the Information Ministry, it was still up to Umno to decide whether to allow them coverage.
“What we do as government in giving accreditation is a separate matter from Umno’s decision to allow the new media. They have the right to allow or deny, just like how PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat have banned newspapers like Berita Harian or Utusan from covering their events,” Shabery told The Nut Graph when met at the general assembly.
The Nut Graph editor Jacqueline Ann Surin earlier said that to be fair, Umno should be given a chance to explain its decision to bar the online media.
“After all, they do have a right to choose who to bar and who to allow into their assembly. But the implications of their actions and what it says about the dominant party in the Barisan Nasional is then something that they may have to deal with.”
KIV
Siasah editor Zulkifli Sulong said they only realised their reporters had been banned today, the first day of the general assembly.
“For the past three to four days whenever we called to check on the status of our press passes, we were told that they were ‘KIV’. Only today we realised upon checking with the Umno secretariat that they were not planning to issue us the passes,” Zulkifli said.
The Nut Graph had a similar experience. Each time a query was made with the party’s public relations division, the reply was either that the tags were “KIV” or “not yet ready”.
Additionally, the website’s reporters were told to refer to Datuk Abu Khamis, Tengku Adnan’s special officer. Calls to his office went unanswered.
Malaysian Insider consultant editor Leslie Lau said they did not get the press passes either. “No reasons were given,” he said today in a phone interview.
Zulkifli said the ban won’t stop Siasah from covering the assembly. “It’s an important event. It’s not just for Umno but it’s about the country’s future. We’ll find ways to do it,” he said.
All the other banned new media are expected to do the same. Reporters from the banned organisations still turned up at the Putra World Trade Centre where the Umno general assembly is being held.
“We will try to report as best as we can from the Putra World Trade Centre. All good journalists are resourceful and The Nut Graph journalists no less. We also expect that there is enough media camaraderie for information to be exchanged among the media corp covering the Umno general assembly,” Surin said.
Though access will be denied into the main halls where the proceedings take place, the events will be televised through close-circuit television in the main lobby. It has been common in past general assemblies for non-delegates to follow the proceedings from outside the hall via television.
Media crackdown?
At the press conference, Abdullah was also asked about the three-month suspension of Suara Keadilan and Harakah, the party organs of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and PAS, respectively.
Abdullah brushed off questions by reporters on whether this would mar his legacy as he prepares to leave office.
“Why are you asking me? There must have been a very good reason [for the suspensions]. What has it to do with me?” 
James says
This is absurd!!! Why is Umno so close-door? What is wrong with the Internet media?
tengku mohd faizal says
If they are not interested in internet media, don’t bother covering them, there are other issues which are more important than covering the political bribe-infested Umno general assembly. Unemployment is on the rise, resulting in increased crime. Thus internet media should play its part in providing coverage on how the unemployed can try alternative employment opportunities. Also please focus on the rakyat, go to the ground, listen and understand their grouses.
kip says
Dear out-going PM,
Of course it has everything to do with you. You are still the captain of the ship until the day you are shown the door with a good pat on the shoulder or any other part of the body.
Barring the online reporters will only serve to further the public perception that you are not transparent. Please consider this as your goodwill when you leave office.
Siew Eng says
“Sickening” and “irresponsible”? Can Adnan please elaborate? Otherwise, we can call his claims “irresponsible”, attacking media without clarifying which part was objectionable. As for “sickening”, perhaps he was confusing the report with the subject matter itself – the state of his own party and what it is doing to our country.
Tshiung Han See says
As Tengku Razaleigh said in an Off The Edge interview last year, Umno sees March 8th not as a vote for reform, but a protest vote. The paradigm is this: The effect of blogs and other online media on the election results means the ruling party must find new ways of controlling new media.
jingwei says
Astonishing.
Wan Kimm says
Say what? Will any reporting media only be considered responsible if they view and paint pictures of the party in nothing but a positive light to the masses? That’s hardly being responsible – that’s biased.
There will always be criticism of the current ruling party if the many issues at hand and the beef the people have with them aren’t addressed. By shutting down the media indirectly this way, they’re just showing exactly how they refuse to accept criticism and instead are only approving of people who agree with them and even outright support them – to say they’re what the people needs, etc. To each their own, but how about the others? Do their opinions and voices not count?
So freedom of speech in media terms now apparently translates to ‘Either you speak nicely and gloriously of Umno or not at all (and while you’re at it, filter out all the negativities and bad things we’re associated with, even if they’re things that actually happened)’. Eh…
Most of the listed websites have posted rather neutral articles – and especially those that touch on the truth – the crux of the matter when it comes to how Umno is affecting us all and what they’ve been doing. Hardly outright slander … which is what they seem to be implying. Letters that are published don’t really count, do they? They’re what people have to say and really do feel about what’s going on. That’s propaganda? Pfft.
When you can’t stop people from finding out the truth, you have to shut down the voices, hmm. Pray tell, what good will that do in the long run?
Ethan says
They still don’t understand that everyone has the right to think on their own, and the importance of transparency. The problem with most ruling parties is that whenever they face problems, they choose to cover them from the public. The right way is to face it with the public, because only by that way the pressure is on, and only with pressure they will think of ways to solve problems once and for all and not push problems around or cover them. Be TRANSPARENT Umno! Let us know what is happening. If there is a problem, solve it, not hide it.
Rogers says
To tell the truth I personally have no interest in knowing the outcome of Umno General Assembly. They can do anything, whatever proposal or action taken will be only till the next General Election. Sorry if had said whatever action taken by Umno will be endorsed, I am of the opinion that BN leaders other than Umno are sycophants. At least for the coming Generation we will be seeing a new Government of Malaysia.
Nathan says
Umno are an outdated party that contain all the katak di bawah tempurung mind-set people, selfish, corrupt and hypocrites. They don’t like free speech, free media, free education, free police, free judiciary, free society, free politicians, free progressive country. All they want is to contain everything so that they can continue to be in power and make fools of the rakyat. They consider the internet a threat for them which discloses all their wrongdoings to fool the people.
rin says
I feel sorry for Umno, really. Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor just made Najib eat his own words.