Harakah to miss latest issue, permit expires (fwd)

["M.G.G. Pillai" <pillai@mgg.pc.my>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 21:58:11 +0800
From: aduru@pl.jaring.my
To: pillai@mgg.pc.my
Subject: Harakah to miss latest issue, permit expires


Malaysian opposition paper to miss issue after official permit delayed
      
      KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29 (AFP) - A Malaysian opposition newspaper will
have to cancel its next edition due to government delays in approving
renewal of its publication licence, its managing director said Tuesday. 

      Hishamuddin Yahya said the cancellation of Friday's issue would be
a "financial blow" to Harakah, newspaper of the Parti Islam SeMalaysia
(PAS). 
      
The Home Affairs Ministry earlier moved to curb sales of the newspaper.
Its editor Zulkifli Sulong and its printer are also facing a sedition
charge over an article about the trial of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar
Ibrahim. 

      Zulkifli said the bi-weekly had applied two months ago for renewal
of its annual publishing permit, required for newspapers under Malaysian
law, but had been given no information despite approaching the ministry. 

      Hishamuddin said the permit expired Monday. "There is no news if
it will be renewed. The ministry seems to be sleeping on it," he told
AFP. 

      "It puts us in very great difficulty," he said. "I think officials
have acted on it (the permit) but the minister has not decided.

      "Whether it's procrastination or deliberate is difficult to say.
It should not happen in an efficient government." 

      The Home (interior) Minister is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also
deputy premier and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's preferred
successor. 

      Hishamuddin said Harakah's circulation touched 377,000 for each
issue just before last November's election, comparable to or higher than
major mainstream newspapers. 

      He said circulation was now 277,000 following government moves to
restrict sales to PAS party members under the terms of its licence. 

      PAS more than tripled its parliamentary seats to 27 in the
election, dealing a major blow to Mahathir's United Malays National
Organisation. 

      Hishamuddin also said he understood that an application by PAS to
publish a new daily newspaper had been rejected. 

      In January PAS applied to the home ministry for permission to
publish a paper to be called Purnama. 

      "This government does not care for public opinion or international
opinion," Hishamuddin said. 

      The mainstream press is solidly pro-government, although some
opposition news is carried, and in some cases is owned by businesses
linked to the ruling party.