KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 1: Online news portal Merdeka Review revealed that the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission instructed radio and television stations to focus on 'damage' by participants on the July 9 Bersih rally while omitting police violence in the reporting.
The portal said an official told this to some 22 electronic media representatives at a seminar themed Contents Management 2011 held at MCMC yesterday.
“A media representative who attended the seminar told Merdeka Review that the guidance was given by the MCMC official in response to a question from one media practitioner. In fact, the MCMC official who gave the guidance had asked that his words to be taken off the record,” the report added.
It said the seminar aimed at establishing an official "platform between MCMC and government agencies and other private broadcasters" with regard to their compliance with the license conditions and provisions.
The latest 'guidance' followed a report by The Malaysian Insider that news editors in the mainstream media had been told by the authorities not to mention the name "Bersih" in a bid to deny publicity.
'Thank you'
Earlier, PAS central committee member Hanipa Maidin 'thanked' the government and the tightly-controlled media for promoting the Bersih rally through their warnings and reports.
"Whatever it is, we thank the police, the Home minister, Perkasa Apa pun kami berterima kasih kepada polis, pak menteri dalam negeri, Perkasa, UMNO Youth, Utusan Malaysia, RTM and TV3 for helping to promote the rally on July 9 without any charge.
"For all your good deeds, the reward is only from Allah," quipped the PAS lawyer.
The Bersih rally calling for widescale electoral reforms has come under attack from UMNO and its right wing leaders, with the party's offshoot Perkasa raising the spectre of a racial riot should organisers refuse to heed warnings from the police to cancel the rally.
More than 120 people have been arrested to date for donning Bersih's yellow t-shirt, declared an offence by Home minister Hishamudin Hussein and police inspector general Ismail Omar, who also threatened protesters with a "possible loss of lives" during the rally.
Meanwhile, PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man called on rally participants on that day to record provocative incidents.
Saying there had been threats of violence in past rallies which were later blamed on PAS and the rally organisers, Tuan Ibrahim said he expected more such provocations this time around.
http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/berita-utama/3046-govt-to-media-black-out-police-violence-during-rally.html
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