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From: CNN
Date: 04 May 1999
Time: 03:44:42
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- In an unusual show of defiance, journalists petitioned Malaysia's government today for more press freedoms.
Fifteen reporters handed the petition for the repeal of laws limiting the media to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at Parliament.
"I shall read it," a smiling Abdullah said. "I will let you know."
The petition, signed by 581 journalists from 11 newspapers, was presented on World Press Freedom Day to protest the sweeping Printing Presses and Publications Act.
It allows the government to shut down so-called subversive publications and requires publishers to renew printing licenses every year.
The law was used to close three newspapers during a crackdown on the opposition in 1987. Since then, self-censorship has prevented a free press from thriving, the journalists said.
"There is a growing feeling among the public that the local media cannot be trusted, that it is controlled by the government," their statement said. "We call on you to repeal the act in order for mainstream media to regain its independence and credibility in the eyes of the public."
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was named one of 10 worldwide "Enemies of the Press" on Sunday by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
The group accused Mahathir, who has ruled for 18 years, of controlling most major news media, rewarding journalists who self-censor negative news, and harassing members of the foreign news media.
Topping the list were Yugoslavia's Slobodan Milosevic, China's Jiang Zemin and Cuba's Fidel Castro.