PM in the spotlight as protestors chant "Bersih! Why won't you let me vote?!"

The Malaysian Prime Minister got a flavour of genuine democracy, when he ventured onto the stage in London’s O2 Arena last night and was promptly drowned out by the sound of protest!

This is not something he would ever expect to have to put up with at home, in ‘the world’s most perfect democracy’, where BN’s events are brutally controlled.

Indeed, even in the UK it is not often that an audience is impolite to someone as senior as a Prime Minister.

However, it does sometimes happen when that PM has made himself extremely unpopular. Tony Blair famously received a noisy rebuff from ladies of the Women’s Institute back in 2000 and last night it was Najib’s turn to be overwhelmed by the chant of “Bersih, Bersih”, as he made his speech.

“Can you please stop it?”

According to attendees, the audience of around 500 people was already fairly disgruntled, after arriving at the Dome and discovering themselves in the dark chewing unappetising sandwiches and spring rolls.  The poor quality of the refreshments may have saved money, but were a poor reward for those who had been bussed in from as far away as Edinburgh!

The protest was clearly pre-planned and extremely predictable.  Many believed that the lack of light was an attempt to hide it as much as possible.  If so it didn’t work, as numerous videos have recorded the event.

Cosy chat - but instead of staying as promised to "mingle" the PM dashed off early!

The moment the PM stepped onto the podium, under a single dazzling spotlight, the chanting began from a small but extremely loud group!

Others from the audience said they had felt intimidated by the strong presence of Special Branch officers, who had been taking photographs of the people there and recorded the personal details of people arriving.

However, many laughed and took pictures of the braver protestors.

Bersih demands in London

How did Najib ever imagine he was not going to face something like this at a public event in London?  Malaysians abroad are furious at the refusal to prevent all one million of them from being entitled to a postal vote, which is allowed to people in other countries across the world.

At first, the PM tried to carry on, talking on some theme about a train having left the station and him wanting all Malaysians to be on it (despite it having already left).  However, Najib soon wilted and gave up against the din:

“Can you stop it?” he pleaded rather timidly.

“Bersih! We want our vote!” retorted the chanters, getting louder!

“Can you PLEASE stop it” the PM asked, even more desperately, “I can talk to you about this afterwards”, a suggestion that was met with laughter.

Having left early, the PM was later spotted eating in a restaurant with safer company!

Eventually and after a few more attempts by the floundering PM to take control of the situation, the noisiest protestors were finally strong-armed out of the Dome by security guards.  Najib carried on with relief and boredom descended once more, as he got on with delivering the rest of the speech.

If this was meant as a PR event for the PM it will have done his image little good, either as a strong leader or as a reformer and democrat.

Once again the main message that got out was that it is time for Malaysia to respond to the Bersih movement and clean up its elections.

In through the front gate - wait till the businessmen stream in, then the election is about to be held

Speculation has dragged on for months about when Najib is going to summon up courage and call an election. Many believed it would be today, Monday, with a polling day for June 9th.

But, surely even Najib Razak’s pricey foreign PR teams would hardly suggest launching an election campaign from the other side of the world in the O2 London Dome?

We have a more convincing indicator that election enthusiasts should watch out for. Wait for the day when all Taib’s key business cronies start rolling up to his home in Demak Jaya and can be seen staggering from their Hilux Toyotas, carrying heavy suitcases into the house!

This is when you will know that BN is seriously about to call an election!

‘We were queueing up with bags of cash!’

Election pose - representative of the people or just a vote buyer?

Key insiders have now confided in disgust what happens each time Taib arranges an election in Sarawak. Because, this is when the Chief Minister calls in his dues and demands hundreds of millions of ringgit from the businesses that he has favoured with contracts and concessions.

We have been told that he wants the money in used notes to be brought to his house in suitcases!  Much of the money is then flown out of Sarawak by private jet to Singapore, where it is distributed to the key political allies that he needs to bribe.

These allies include the leaders of the political parties, which he needs to remain in his BN coalition.

Our sources have divulged that the company bosses who get the call, come the real election time, are the top timber, plantation and construction firms: Rimbunan Hijau, KTS, WTK, Shin Yang, HSL, Samling are amongst the ‘Golden Contractors’, who are expected to fork out astonishing sums to keep their status after the election is over.

A senior figure at one such company has confessed that he carried RM50million in bank notes at the last election, handing them personally to Taib in a highly embarrassing encounter:

“The other businessmen were practically queuing up behind me to see him for the same reason on the same day”, he said, remarking he was “ashamed of the whole thing”.

BN Bribes

4 wheel drive - good for transport

The most shocking aspect of these revelations is possibly the fact that the money shelled out by favoured tycoons is not only handed out to poor voters as bribes the night before polling, but that it is also needed to pay for the continued loyalty of Taib’s pampered political allies.

What morals do Sarawak’s BN Dayak politicians have that they are prepared to sell out their people for position and favour and yet also expect an extra bribe at election time worth millions?

It is no surprise that the businessman has reflected that the lion’s share of the loot is kept by Taib himself!

Slipping control

The fact that these matters are now being openly spoken of is a sure sign that Taib’s system of corruption has over-reached itself.

How shocking that the Chief Minister has to buy the support of his allies with such lavish pay outs!  It is a sign that genuine loyalty has long since deserted the failing and ailing old dictator.

Taib is clearly clinging to power by favouring the same old tycoons, who have supported him for the last 30 years and then squeezing them to bribe his political allies and poor voters.

This is the man who promised he would soon be retiring on the eve of the last state election, just as he had promised back in the 1990s!

Remember, this is all money that has been robbed from Sarawak’s voters in the first place, through illegal concessions and over-priced government contracts handed out to cronies.  Taib’s method of government has drained his country and corrupted it to the extreme.

So, watch for those 4-wheel drives streaming in through the gates.  Then it will soon be the day that you get the chance to put a stop to the rot!

Big enough stage for Najib Razak? Maybe - but not large enough for Bersih 3.0!

The Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has hired London’s top venue to stage a self-promoting event, all at the cost of taxpayers, next week!

The O2 Arena, known locally as the Dome, is one of the UK capital’s most eye-catching modern landmarks and it will feature as a key location for the up-coming Olympics.

It is also frequently used to host major pop concerts, such as the fateful Michael Jackson final tour.

However, on Monday Najib Razak has commandeered it for an event starring himself. ‘An Evening With The Prime Minister’!

According to the London High Commission website all Malaysian’s living in the UK are invited to attend what is billed as a free event, with food and and drink provided and cultural entertainment on offer throughout.

Sarawakians, for whom the fund for hard core rural poverty could only afford RM3.47million this year were left aghast.

“Why is Najib spending this sort of money on a foreign PR event”? asked one bemused London student.  ”Does he think it plays back home, because hardly any Malaysians living in London are allowed to vote?  The only people who can vote are government workers and they are forced to vote BN anyway!

Another told Sarawak Report

“This is a party political electioneering event that will have cost millions to stage. It is not correct to spend public money on this sort of PR event and I don’t think people will be impressed that it is being held in Britain either.  Perhaps he just does not dare hold a rally in KL anymore after the turn out for Berish 3.0!”

Organised by the Malaysian High Commission - at your expense!

‘Hired audience’ to be bussed in from all over the UK !

'Unmissable opportunity" - according to the promoters from the High Commission!

Even more scandalous, Sarawak Report can reveal that the High Commission is also arranging for free transport and provisions for students to attend the event from all over the UK!

Students from as far away as Edinburgh University up in Scotland have been urged to attend in a highly organised effort by diplomats.  The roundup is presumably designed to avoid too many empty front row seats that might otherwise be picked up by cameras beaming back pictures to the censored media in Malaysia.

An insider email has been passed to Sarawak Report, revealing the scale of the operation:

“The Coordintor for the entire event is the Malaysian High Commission in London. They are targeting 1000 Malaysians to join in the gathering.

Travel by Coach to London will be provided. Refreshments and a Dinner pack will be served on the Coach. All branches are asked to confirm attendee numbers so that we will know whether to book one of two Coaches. Please pass this message to your local groups(?) and other Malaysians. Get back to me with the total number.

Ideally, let me know by Tuesday 8th May so that i can submit the Budget and total number of attendees to the High Commission.

This is not a formal gathering – the PM will just say a few words and will then mingle with the crowd throughout the evening.

if anyone is interested , please pass me your name, phone number and University. Thanks [email to student organisers]

Demonstrators likely!

The masked protest in support of Bersih 3.0 gained about 1,000 people in London last week for free! Clearly, the PM is not so confident he can round up that level of support without free food and transport

The irony of the attempt to buy in supporters for the Prime Minister is highlighted by the fact that just two weekends ago the Bersih 3.0 support rally in London achieved at least the same numbers without any incentives save a desire by Malaysians to support democracy and end corruption and the theft of public money.

On this occasion the same students who are now being rounded up by BN were BANNED from attending, on pain of losing their education grants.

As a result many of the demonstrators were forced to wear masks.

It is highly likely that a similar peaceful protest will develop outside the O2 Arena, although the Malaysian Embassy have a record of attempting to hire security guards to prevent legitimate demonstrations, even in London.

Friends of BN UK

Sarawak Report can also reveal that the Prime Minister will again be using public money to promote BN’s party interests by hosting an event for the organisation Friends of Barisan National UK, which he set up in July last year on his last visit to London.

The purpose of the group, according to its website, appears to be primarily to encourage trade links with UK organisations.  A number of British public figures, including Prof Lord Desei, Lord Parry Mitchell, Lord Sheikh of Cornhill and Dr Dawn Gibbons MBE have been co-opted as ‘Patrons’ for the society.

They are listed on the FBN UK website alongside the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Hanifah Aman, whom Sarawak Report has linked to the timber corruption involving his brother, the Chief Minister of Sabah, Musa Aman.

Friends of Barisan National UK - the Patrons

Sarawak Report has now written to each of these UK patrons to ask on what grounds they have agreed to support a political organisation that in the last week alone has been responsible for gassing and bludgeoning peaceful demonstrators asking for free and fair elections; caught out secretly censoring the BBC, Al Jazeerah and CNN as well as being responsible for criminally defaming an Australian senator, who observed the human rights violations by police at the Bersih 3.0 rally (see previous stories).

Our letter, which has been supported by Suaram International, also questions whether it is appropriate for a party political organisation to declare its main object to be to provide “valuable business contacts” and trade opportunities to its members and to set out to be the “leading organisation” for trade between the two countries! Surely the government should be providing a level playing field for trade and not trying to keep it exclusively for BN cronies?:

‘”Through the FBN UK, members have the opportunity to develop valuable business contacts within the British Malaysian community and to exchange ideas and information with a cross section of business, trade and governmental interests. FBN UK shall act as Malaysia’s and UK’s leading organisation helping both Malaysian and British companies grow and develop their business in both Malaysia and UK.

Free crowd - Bersih marchers in London were forced to wear masks

In case the UK patrons were unaware of the case, our letter also alerted them to the recent trade scandal surrounding the Scopene submarine purchase in France and reminded them of the ‘Aid for Arms’ scandal between the Thatcher Government and Najib Razak, when Malaysia’s Minister of Defence.

Najib Razak may have been encouraged by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s ‘pat on the back’ for supposedly abolishing the ISA legislation allowing imprisonment without trial.

However, Malaysians in Britain have been active in informing officials here that such window-dressing is by no means the end of repression in Malaysia, let alone political corruption.

The events of Bersih 3.0 have proved their point.

Najib’s people are working hard to keep as much of his schedule under wraps as possible, however they should brace themselves for protests here in London none the less.

How media manipulation can turn deadly - UMNO's games are of the sort that could place targets like Nick Xenophon in serious danger

The Australian Senator Nick Xenophon has confirmed to Sarawak Report that he fully intends to sue the New Straits Times, despite the newspaper’s grovelling apologies yesterday.

It means that Malaysia’s abuse and manipulation of the media has become an issue across three continents since the weekend, with the BBC and Al Jazeera also opening enquiries into censorship.

The New Straits Times, which is controlled by Malaysia’s ruling party, UMNO, was one of a number of news outlets that had participated in a criminal defamation of Xenophon, as part of a crude attempt to create ill-feeling against him after he attended the Bersih 3.0 rally.

The papers coordinated in deliberately misquoting a speech he made to the Australian Parliament back in 2009, to give the impression that he had called Islam a criminal organisation rather than a religion! [see the report they later tried to hide]

In fact, Xenophon had not referred at all to Islam, but had instead been criticising the Scientologists and their money-raising tactics.  The papers just substituted the word Islam instead of Scientologist!

UK reports on Malaysia's crass censorship of the BBC yesterday

Deadly insult?

Speaking to Sarawak Report a short time ago, Xenophon, a barrister, made clear that he was perfectly aware of the threat to his personal safety resulting from the organised and malicious defamation.

In the current period of religious extremism in some quarters, the publicising of such reports against any individual could certainly make them the target of hatred and violence.  Xenophon made clear he believes that UMNO itself coordinated the defamation attempt:

“I think I pissed them off.  I called them an authoritarian regime and was caught up in the Bersih demonstration.  This was to try and damage me and Anwar by association.   By doing so they put me at risk” [Senator Xenophon]

The Umno papers had obviously hoped to get away with the libel, after all false accusations have become an established part of the party’s political tactics against domestic opponents.  However, once the matter had been picked up by the Australian media the gravity of the situation became clear to the NST, which has been attempting to back-peddle with unreserved apologies and retractions.

Just not good enough

Full coverage in the Australian press as Xenophon gains the support of Muslim groups back home.

Xenophon has now made clear that belated apologies are not enough.  The misquote was also circulated in Malay language publications and in some circles such accusations are little different to placing a “Wanted” poster over somebody’s head.

To compound the attack, the UMNO newspapers also accused Xenophon of being a campaigner for gay marriage.  Homo-sexuality is illegal in Malaysia and UMNO have sought desperately to pin the ‘crime’ on the opposition leader Anwar, without success.

In fact, in his speech Xenophon had merely deplored that the Scientologists had pressured people to disown their own brothers and sisters, because they were gay.

Just not bright enough

The New Straits Times and UMNO’s best hope in this case lies in the fact that it will be tried in a Malaysian court.  Anywhere else, and the consequences would be disastrous for a publication that had deliberately and so dangerously misquoted an officially recorded speech in the Australian Parliament!

But, this incident is one among many that will be seen as exposing how stupid and lazy Malaysia’s ruling regime has become after 55 years of dictatorial rule.  More than anything it demonstrates how decision-makers no longer have to think particularly hard, because their crimes and blunders are continuously covered up, excused and ignored, while the subservient press keep cheering them on!

How else to explain why the extraordinary stupidity of pinning such an obvious, malicious and dangerous slander against a respected foreign politician wasn’t picked up by the ‘spin doctors’ in UMNO?

Just can’t learn from lessons of the past

Culture crony - Rais Yatim

Malaysia’s Culture Minister, Rais Yatim, has appeared equally insensitive in seeking to defend the regime’s right to arbitrarily censor respected international news organisations, in order to prevent anything being seen that might reflect badly on itself!

His pompous comment to Free Malaysia Today, implying that “News Controllers” at Astro Channel are the best arbiters of what should and should not be in a BBC World bulletin, will impress no one outside of the BN elite.

“(Astro) has to be given credit for knowing which part of the news is newsworthy and therefore they should exercise that within their rights as a broadcasting firm,”[Rais Yatim]

To the contrary, Malaysia’s internet savvy population are well-aware that the ridiculous claims that all countries practice such abuses against press freedom, or that such interference is ‘necessary’ are false.

PR disaster

The main consequence of this posturing for BN has been to confirm to news organisations across the world that years of expensive western PR and advertising, targeted at giving the impression that Malaysia is a ‘reforming’ regime, are merely window-dressing.  UMNO is in fact tightening its repression, as it senses its own loss of power and control.

Today it emerged that this is not the first time that the BBC has clashed with Malaysia over censorship.  Back in 1994 the broadcaster was forced to cancel a news contract with Malaysia after they found their bulletins were being “crudely hacked”.

Former executive Ian Richardson recalled to Sarawak Report how he had been appalled when passing through KL to discover the level of ham-handed interference by news censors:

“Malaysian TV took certain BBC World bulletins on a trial basis, but soon after the trial began, I was passing through Singapore and spotted what seemed to me to be a mutilated bulletin going out on Malaysian TV. I used my laptop computer to log on to the bulletin running order and discovered that the top story – about riots in Indonesia – had been chopped out. Malaysian TV then admitted what had happened, but said it could not give guarantees not to cut out any future unfavourable stories about friendly neighbouring countries. So that contract worth $A1M a year went down the Swannee”.

It is more than likely that the events of the past days will result in a similar series of cancellations by the world’s top news organisations of their contracts with Astro.

Unless Malaysia is prepared to back down, and commit itself to refraining from any future censorship of this kind, the risk to the reputations of organisations like the BBC and Al Jazeera and CNN is simply not worth the millions involved.  It seems clear they will have to pull out of Malaysia once more.

Najib and BN will pay a separate price, because now the world’s top broadcasters have been forcibly reminded of just how repressive, stupid and untrustworthy Malaysia’s BN rulers have become.

Both so rich! - The two BN Chief Ministers of Sabah and Sarawak

Malaysia’s attempts to cover up the scandal over the international money laundering of illegal timber money by Sabah’s Chief Minister, Musa Aman, is beginning to unravel.

Following our release of several of the highly incriminating documents that have come into our possession relating to the case, a number of international bodies have started to take a closer look at the evidence.

It is evidence, which Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail has been determined to ignore (see related stories – Sabah Scandal).

In particular, interest has started to focus on the role played by Switzerland’s largest bank UBS, which operated a complex web of international accounts on behalf of Musa and his accomplices.

Just under a hundred million dollars were funnelled through these UBS managed accounts to its final destination, which was a bank account in Zurich under Musa’s own name.  Along the way, his sons utilised some of the accounts to finance their education expenses in Australia.

Questions come back to haunt UBS

Wanting answers - MP Carlo Sommaruga

It is UBS’s role in facilitating Musa Aman that is likely to make sure that this scandal does not go away for him and his allies in BN, despite their desperate cover up.

MP Carlo Sommaruga issued a series of questions today to the Swiss Parliament in Berne, concerned by the apparent involvement by Switzerland’s largest bank in such highly suspicious transactions.

According to the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), he requested in particular to know what criminal charges were involved, following revelations that the Swiss Attorney General’s office has  cooperated with the Hong Kong authorities’ requests for information in respect of the Musa Aman case.

He also asked whether the Swiss government had been approached by Malaysian law enforcement agencies on the matter and whether Switzerland would also be willing to provide legal assistance to Malaysia.

Freeze Taib’s assets

Getting away with it?

Furthermore, BMF says, Carlo Sommaruga is pressuring the Swiss government to freeze assets held by Musa Aman and by other Malaysian potentates, such as Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and his family members.

He also asked what safeguards within the envisaged Free Trade Agreement between EFTA, the European Free Trade Association, and Malaysia would prevent Malaysian corruption proceeds from flowing to Switzerland.

Legal experts are now looking at this matter and both Mr Aman, who has accused Sarawak Report of defamation and UBS should have plenty of concerns about how they are going to set about explaining the millions of dollars that wended around the world, including the United States, on their way to Zurich.

Al Jazeera - appalled at censorship!

The Middle East’s leading TV News Service, Al Jazeera, has given its own appalled reaction to the discovery that its coverage of Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally may have also have been doctored by Malaysia’s Astro satellite station.

In an uncompromising statement a spokesman today declared:

“We have not been censored in this way by another distribution platform anywhere in the world.”

The statement has added to the growing international outrage over Malaysia’s authoritarian censorship rules, in a country that poses as a democracy.

The BBC, who discovered its own report of the day’s events was covertly edited, has launched its own legal and editorial enquiry into the incident and is said to be taking the matter “extremely seriously indeed”, according to one insider.

Cover up

Menaced by police - Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett speaking to camera shortly before his equipment was smashed

The Qatar-based Al Jazeera meanwhile, now has reason to believe that its extensive coverage of the Bersih rally was also interfered with.

The station had sent it’s English language reporter Harry Fawcett onto the ground in KL, covering the rally and providing on the spot interviews.

Much of his material was dramatic and showed a number of cases of excessive use of force by the police against demonstrators.

As he spoke to camera, police officers could be seen hovering at the reporter’s shoulder and eventually he reported that they smashed his equipment to the ground – one of several attacks reported against news crews by police.

Fawcett’s report had concluded on an even handed note, suggesting that both sides had matters to regret over the direction of events.  Yet the station is believed to have received information from a number of sources that Astro censored its coverage.

Today Al Jazeera’s English Spokesman released this official statement:

“We will be asking Astro for an explanation as to why Harry Fawcett’s report of the rally in Malaysia was apparently censored. If Astro are indeed saying that it breached “local content regulations”, they would need to outline exactly what these alleged breaches were and how they arrived at their decision.

“As we understand it, the censoring was not made clear to viewers when it happened. We have had no communication on this incident from Astro either.

“Our news report was a factual account of events that day, and intrusion in our editorial process is unwarranted. We have not been censored in this way by another distribution platform anywhere in the world.”

What breaches?

Exclusive licence for Astro in Malaysia

Al Jazeera’s accusation that Malaysia’s censorship system is the most authoritarian they have experienced anywhere in the world is a particularly stinging indictment of a regime that has spent hundreds of millions on cultivating its international image.

In fact it has long been the case that only pro-government organisations ever qualify for print or media licences in Malaysia and that these all slavishly adopt a pro-government stance on each and every issue.

Astro itself is run by the pro-BN crony billionaire Ananda Krishnan and it has been given exclusive rights by the government to act as the sole platform carrying 24 hour news channels, like the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera to viewers in Malaysia.

In its own defence Astro this week admitted that it is only allowed to operate in accordance with “National Content Regulations”, which media organisations are supposed to put into practice through ‘self-censorship’.

The Al Jazeera statement demands to know what these content regulations consist of and how breaches are assessed?  The station is clearly particularly outraged at Astro’s opinion that it is entitled to censor news reports without even informing either the news channel or viewers! [see Astro statement].

“News Control”

Sarawak Report can now reveal for the first time just how the sinister and arbitrary system of TV News censorship works at Astro.  Sources have revealed that the satellite station employs people round the clock under the job title “News Control”.

Astro’s “News Controllers” have the editorial responsibility of scouring all the news coming in and demanding edits on anything they judge to be contrary to the Home Ministry censorship rules!

“They do four hour shifts, monitoring news output particularly from CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera, and deciding if anything is not to go to air”, explained our source.

For reputable broadcasters like Al Jazeera, this means that objective reports can be turned into biased reports, but that Malaysian viewers are given the deliberate impression that this was the actual voice of the international news station.

If the BBC and Al Jazeera have knowingly entered into commercial agreements that permitted such tampering the reputational issues could be highly damaging.

However, it is most likely that it is Malaysia’s secretive authoritarianism that has been at last fully exposed by this shameful incident.

Harry Fawcett tweeting today about his outrage over his treatment at the Bersih rally and the censorship of his report

Today the British MP Tom Greatrex, a member of the All-party Parliamentary Group on Malaysia made his own statement deploring the tampering of BBC News by Malaysia:

“Freedom of expression is a vital element of any democracy.

For people all across the globe, the BBC World Service is a vital lifeline in the search for truth.

William Hague [Foreign Secretary] must make it clear in no uncertain terms to the Malaysian government that it is entirely unacceptable to censor the BBC.”

Content regulation

Weighty document - so many things are censored, but it comes down to one main thing. Don't allow anything the BN government might not like!

Sarawak Report has been unable to reach Astro Channel’s communications officers today.

We have been requesting both a copy of the National Content Regulations which they are forced to abide by and to learn exactly what their criteria for censoring material is.

Censorship is regarded as an extremely serious issue in most countries.

However, documents that we have obtained showing the Home Ministry’s rules on Film Censorship, give the impression that in Malaysia the restrictions are wide-ranging and arbitrary and apply to anything that might be construed as undesirable by the ruling political regime!

The first main category of 4 areas of censorship outlined by the Government refers to ‘matters of security and public order’.

The list of offences makes clear that anything that criticises or shows the government or its agents in a bad light is to be censored.  Under such a heading bad behaviour by police officers during the Bersih rally would certainly be included!

Nothing that contradicts the policies of the government should be allowed!

Nothing that shows the government or its agents in a bad light either!

Under such rules it is plain that censorship should apply to anything that reveals corruption, illegality, stupidity or misbehaviour on the part of the BN government or anyone working for it.

It is clear that Malaysia, which poses as a democracy, has censorship laws that would befit the most authoritarian and dictatorial states in the world!

Should Al Jazeera and the BBC and CNN be allowing their news broadcasts to pass through such 3rd party censorship without them even being told when these rules have been applied?

Yes, we censored the BBC News! - Why not and so what?

The Astro satellite channel have contacted Sarawak Report to acknowledge that they DID censor the BBC news report on the Bersih 3.0 rally!

Moreover, they have defiantly criticised the internationally respected British Broadcasting Corporation for questioning their right to do so!

The issue goes to the heart of the issues over democracy in Malaysia and it raises huge concerns about the decisions by key world News organisations, such as the BBC, to get involved in commercial deals with repressive regimes like BN.

“Self-censorship” 

Debate has been raging since this website exposed how a news report, prepared by the veteran BBC reporter Emily Buchanan on Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally for the broadcaster’s World News Channel, had been doctored by the Malaysian satellite channel.

Censored! - Astro's doctored report!

We revealed that viewers in Malaysia saw 30 seconds less of the report than people watching the same news bulletin across the rest of the world.

These crucial seconds included a scene of a police officer apparently shooting at peaceful civilians and also statements by demonstrators explaining why they had taken to the streets to protest at election rigging.

The removal of these sequences could be judged to have introduced a bias away from the more even-handed and objective approach of the original report, in an attempt to show the police and the government in a better light.

However, as the resulting discussion has revealed, this form of “self-censorship’ by press and broadcast licence holders is commonplace in Malaysia.  In order to keep their licences, organisations have to abide by a ‘Content Code’ laid down by the BN regime.

“Surprised and disappointed”!

In today’s statement to Sarawak Report Astro’s Head of Communications, Tammy Toh announced:

“On behalf of Astro please find our response to your story re BBC.  Astro [is] required to comply with content guidelines.

Rohaizad Mohamed, Senior Vice President of Broadcast Operations at Astro said, “As a licensed broadcaster, Astro is required to comply with the national content regulations.

When it comes to international content providers, Astro reserves the right to edit their international channels for the purposes of complying with the content regulations.

We are surprised and somewhat disappointed that our long-standing partner, the BBC, when, issuing its statement, did not take cognizance of the duty of Astro to comply with local content regulations.”[Statement from Astro Channel 1st May 2012]

The statement puts Astro and its supporter the BN regime, which has controlled Malaysia in the guise of a democracy for over 50 years, in a head to head clash with the BBC.

Loggerheads with the BBC

Yesterday the corporation made clear that it was appalled at any attempt to censor its reporting, in a strongly-worded statement deploring any attempt to curb press freedom:

“During the week of World Press Freedom Day, it would be deplorable if access to independent and impartial news was being prevented in any way. We would strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners.”[BBC spokesperson]

National Content Regulations!

Duty to censor your news - Rohaizad Mohamed (left), Senior Vice President of Broadcast Operations at Astro

However, the statement by Astro Channel, which is owned by a multi-billionaire BN crony Ananda Krishnan, makes it clear that it puts so-called “National Content Regulations” before the independent and impartial news for which the BBC has a world-wide reputation.

In fact, Astro is prepared to go further.  It not only censored the BBC report, but it did so without informing its Malaysian audience.  Malaysian viewers were misled into thinking that the doctored report was the genuine voice of the BBC!

We also now have information that Al Jazeera’s reporting was likewise restricted on the Bersih coverage.  This means that the role of Astro is to draw the wool over Malaysian people’s eyes, not only about events in their own country but over what is being seen about their own country by the rest of the world!

We ask whether such arbitrary tampering and doctoring is seriously what has been laid down by the BN Government when it comes to National Content Regulations? If so, who makes these decisions and on what grounds are the public being deliberately misled in this way at short notice at the whim ?

What guided Rohaizad Mohamed, Senior Vice President of Broadcast Operations, in his split second decisions about what to cut out and censor and what to leave in?  Is it just a “self-censorship” judgement call by the station as to what UMNO would be happy to see and what not?  Or is there some list of key matters to abide by?

Sarawak Report will be seeking clarification from Astro on these matters and also seeking a copy of the National Content Regulations to try and find out exactly how censorship is practised in Malaysia and for what purpose!

BBC must respond and Al Jazeera must investigate

Censored under the National Content Regulations?

The seriousness of this issue can not be under-estimated with regard to the reputational risk to the BBC and to Al Jazeera.  How these programme makers respond will define their trustworthiness as news organisations and discover to the world what comes first, money or the truth?

If the BBC is prepared to allow its news to be censored for the convenience of authoritarian regimes, then its value as Britain’s bastion of freedom and objectivity would surely become questionable, as would its continued funding by the British taxpayer!

The integrity of the BBC seems to have been threatened by the doctoring of its reports by Malaysia's satellite broadcaster Astro!

The BBC in London has issued a statement saying it is urgently seeking explanations over the apparent doctoring of one of its news reports by the Malaysian satellite broadcaster Astro.

A copy of the allegedly censored report has been circulated widely on You Tube since the weekend, showing how what was broadcast to viewers on Astro differed from the original version that was shown elsewhere in the world.

The established BBC reporter Emily Buchanan had produced a two minute report on the Bersih rally, detailing the days events.  This was included in bulletins offered by BBC World, one of the Channels carried by Astro.

However, thirty seconds appears to have been cut out of the doctored version on Astro, after the removal of three separate sequences, one of which showed a policeman on a motorbike apparently firing at demonstrators.

The two other sequences that were removed included interviews with demonstrators, explaining why they felt they had to take to the streets to defend the right to fair elections.

Deplorable during the week of World Press Freedom Day!

After Sarawak Report notified the BBC about what had happened yesterday the Corporation responded with a strongly worded statement signalling apparent outrage.

It is an established rule that none of its reports should be tampered with or doctored by channels carrying its News Service and the statement makes plain that this is a potentially deeply serious breach of its contract with Astro:

BBC Statement

“The BBC is carrying out urgent enquiries after it was made aware that output from its BBC World News channel may have been censored in Malaysia.

The broadcast of anti-Government protests in Malaysia was apparently edited before it was re-broadcast on Malaysian satellite television, with sequences removed from the original BBC version.

The BBC is making urgent enquiries to the Malaysian operator, Astro, to establish the facts.

A BBC spokesman said: ”During the week of World Press Freedom Day, it would be deplorable if access to independent and impartial news was being prevented in any way. We would strongly condemn any blocking of the trusted news that we broadcast around the world including via distribution partners.”

Not supposed to tamper with content - but it seems that Al Jazeera's coverage of Bersih 3.0 may also have been doctored by Astro!

The BBC is believed to still be awaiting a full explanation from Astro as to what could possibly have happened during this case.

The company is apparently taking some time to respond to the urgent questions that have been put and it is believed that there may be further delay over the public holiday.

However, the quality of the editing of the package would indicate that this was indeed a professional and carefully executed attempt to put the authorities in Malaysia in a better light.  If so, the exposure of such manipulation is likely to seriously backfire on both the reputation of Astro and international standing of BN.

Al Jazeera’s reports ‘also tampered with’ by Astro!

"Our camera was kicked to the ground" - it seems Astro did not like Harry Fawcett's account of police brutality agains protestors and censored Al Jazeera's report as well!

Astro, the only satellite channel to be licensed by the BN Government is owned by one of the country’s richest entrepreneurs, Ananda Krishnan, known for his close links with the ruling UMNO party.

Astro dishes have even been offered as a free incentive to some longhouses in Sarawak in the run up to the federal elections, presumably in an attempt to both curry favour and to influence their thinking in favour of the government.

The doctoring of the BBC’s report would appear to show just how biased and subservient Astro is to UMNO’s political agenda.

And in the past hours more information has started to emerge that the channel carried out a similar tampering exercise with the Al Jazeera report on the march by the reporter Harry Fawcett!

Time for more democracy and press freedom?

Journalists seeking to record scenes like these have complained over mistreatment by police and the destruction of cameras and equipment.

As the BBC pointed out in its statement, Astro channel’s sneaky censoring of these objective news reports came at the very start of the week of World Press Freedom Day, May 3rd.

The action provides a neat example of just the sort of anti-democratic cheating and abuse of power that brought so many thousands onto the streets of KL in the first place on Saturday.

The Bersih movement has started to wake up the rest of the world to the fact that Malaysia’s expensively crafted image as a friendly and democratic country under BN is in fact a PR sham.

What could have better summed up the autocratic and illegal tendencies of BN than this sanctioning of Astro’s censorship against two of the world’s most respected broadcasters, which were trying to bring viewers an objective account of this event.

What better vindication for Bersih and its call for a cleaner Malaysia!

There was no tear gas in Belgrave Square today, but plenty of dripping umbrellas amid a sea of banners and masks, worn by students determined to defy threats and menaces that they could lose their grants if seen to support Bersih 3!

The rain had not deterred the crowd, who were conscious that their friends and family were facing far more testing conditions back in KL.

About a thousand or had turned up by the time the march was ready to set off in the direction of Parliament Square.

The most striking feature was the number of masks being worn, or scarves carefully pulled almost up to meet headgear, so that only eyes peaked out!  You may try to intimidate us, was the message from the young men and women alike, but you can’t stop us!

If these students are among Malaysia’s future elite, then the future is not with BN and certainly not with the existing management of the Election Commission!  Familiar slogans deploring the corruption, vote rigging and gerrymandering that have kept BN in power for over half a century dominated the gathering.

It was a very good natured group, seeking constant updates from each other about the news from the main march back in Malaysia and delighted at the huge numbers being spoken about.  However, concern started to grow towards midday as more and more information filtered through about tear gas, water cannon and arrests.

Many individuals seemed anxious to explain to the policemen, who were protecting stragglers from traffic, about the situation in Malaysia that they were demonstrating against. The Bobbies received an education on Malaysia’s problems with corruption and vote-rigging and listened politely!

Part of the crowd, Ilham Anwar gets hold of an umbrella!

Cheerleaders led the crowd through a series of chants and songs, belted out with enthusiasm.  Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Ilham, herself a student in London, gave a short and well-received speech.

She admitted that it had made her “pretty nervous”, but her age matched that of most of the crowd and they buoyed her up with enthusiasm.

However, the Embassy opposite were clearly not listening!  Staff had shut down and cleared out.

They had even pulled down the national flag.  Many felt it was a sign of shame and a wish not to be identified as the butt of the criticisms from outside.

Ashamed? The Malaysian Embassy had pulled down its flag

This time the flags were on the outside, waved by the crowd itself.  The message being that patriotism is not the preserve of BN.

The marchers made their way on towards Whitehall.  Because numbers were so much higher than expected the stewards arranged with the police to break the crowd down into three groups.  No fuss, no problems, not threats or aggression.

Message for David Cameron

The London rally was just one of nearly a hundred by Malay expats worldwide, much with the same template. However, there was a particular determination here in London to get one clear message over to David Cameron, just back from a trade visit to KL.

A lengthy letter was ceremoniously prepared by Suaram International’s London branch to be handed in to the Foreign Office by the marchers, so as to educate UK officials in a few home truths.

The main frustration has been over the British Prime Minister’s pat on the back for Najib in response to the PR stunt over repealing the ISA.

Last laugh - the students who made mockery of BN's threats to stop their grants

As the letter explained, this repressive law has been replaced with even more effective instruments against democratic political opposition and freedom of expression.

And the letter also pointed out that within days of the departure of the British PM, new provisions had been raced through parliament to make it easier than ever for officials to rig the elections unmonitored and unhindered.

If even Burma and Malawi have permitted election observers, why is it that Malaysia refuses along with a whole lot of other basic measures to prevent election rigging?

Next time Cameron seeks to praise Najib Razak could he please also seek to promote some freedom and democracy in the country he is so eager to do business with?

Students are being forced to resort to wearing masks at tomorrow’s rally for free and fair elections in the face of threats to remove their grants

Sarawak Report has obtained copies of a highly intimidating email that has been sent out by an official from Malaysia’s Education Department in Washington to all Malaysian students receiving grants in the United States.

Written in dire language, the email blatantly threatens students that if they are “so rash” as to take part in tomorrow’s Bersih rallies calling for Free and Fair Elections they risk “very serious peril” and could be stripped of their scholarships.

The email mirrors numerous verbal threats that are reported to have been issued over past days to students in several countries including the UK.

Many are now resorting to buying masks, so that they can take part in the peaceful demonstrations without being identified by the dozens of Malaysian Special Branch Officers, who are expected to be monitoring and photographing the rally.  Others will undoubtedly be fearful of taking part.

The tactic, which attacks fundamental civil liberties in the students’ host countries, has provoked outrage amongst academics and politicians in both Britain and America. Today, Tom Greatrex MP, a Member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaysia, said:

'Blatant intimidation" - All-Party Commons Committee on Malaysia member, Tom Greatrex

“This apparent attempt to threaten and intimidate students is as unacceptable as it is blatant.

The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to any democracy, as are free and fair elections, and they should not be subverted with threats and intimidation.

William Hague should be making urgent representations to the Malaysian government to ensure any such intimidation of students ceases.”

Criminal intimidation in the ‘Land of the Free’!

The harshly-worded email, addressed to all JPA Scholars nationwide, was sent on Thursday 26th April by one Mohd Nazrol Marzuke, an education and training advisor from the Public Service Department at the Malaysian Embassy.

Threats by email - from the Malaysian Embassy to you!

Timed two days before the Bersih rally, Marzuke explains that it is an “advisory message”  to “remind and reinvigorate the students about their responsibilities”. However, there is no mention of their rights to freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution of their host country, the United States.

The official warning attaches a copy of the Federal Scholarship Agreement for the recipients’ “perusal and attention” and in the light of what is referred to as “recent issues developed” requires that recipients “pay particular attention” to the Paragraphs 5.4 and 5.5 of the conditions under which their education fees have been granted.

Pompously Mr Marzuke demands:

“Please pay close attention to Paragraphs 5.4 & 5.5 and digest the full meaning of those finely-written clauses”.

He goes on to explain that these clauses ban students from becoming associated in “any ways to any activities that may be considered detrimental to the stakes of the government and nation”.

And it turns out that the judge of this vague and sweeping definition of “activities that may be considered detrimental” is none other than “The Government” itself!  Who within the “Government” is not specified.  Yet, the imprecise and arbitrary wording of the conduct code plainly leaves students vulnerable to the political whim of the ruling BN party.   As the email puts it:

“Whoever acts otherwise and breaches the clausal content, the Government will not hesitate to invoke a proper termination procedure as in Paragraph 7″

 

The full text of Mr Marzuke's email threats to Malaysian students across America that they should not participate in the Bersih solidarity rallies planned in 70 cities worldwide

The official warning attempts to end on a cheerful note, as Marzuke wishes his contacts good luck in their finals.  However, nothing can mitigate the extraordinary choice of language that he has used throughout to reenforce his message of intimidation.

Warnings of “very own serious peril” and “rash action that could adversely affect your own self” can only be described as naked threats couched in the most extreme language against the right of any student to peacefully express their views.

By "Government" we mean the ruling political party, BN! - these are the clauses in the Student Contract that BN are trying to use to prevent students calling for greater democracy in Malaysia

Today the London arm of Malaysia’s Human Rights group Suaram made its own statement deploring the intimidation of students and other demonstrators:

“SUARAM wants the police and the government to stop all the harassment to stop the people from practicing their fundamental liberties. SUARAM urges the government to look into the demands of the Bersih 2.0 instead of clamping down on their freedom of expression and assembly.  If the Prime Minister Najib is sincere in listening to the people and practicing the slogan “People First”, then he should not curb people’s rights and freedoms.

We call on the government, as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to end the intimidation and threats immediately and to adopt the core principles of human rights in all laws and policies.[Suaram statement]

Meanwhile, the organiser of Bersih 3, Ambiga Sreenevasan, who was recently designated as a Woman of Courage by US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, sent out her personal message of thanks for the solidarity shown by Malaysians supporting her rally internationally.

The United States designated her as a Woman of Courage - but Malaysian students are being banned from support rallies for Ambiga Sreenevasan's Bersih 3 for free and fair elections

It is believed that over 70 sympathy rallies will be held in cities across the world – rallies that BN are doing their best to prevent through abuses of power, such as these threats to students. [Ambiga's video message]

Legal experts are suggesting meanwhile that the Malaysian Embassy my have overstepped its diplomatic status in its host country by what may be judged as criminal intimidation against residents of that country seeking to exercise their civil rights.

Statements from various universities in the states whose students have been affected by the email are expected to be produced shortly.