The Home Ministry is not satisfied with Suara Keadilan's reply to its show-cause letter and will wait for another letter from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat organ before deciding on the fate of its publishing permit.

The ministry's secretary of control of publications and al-Quran text Zaitun Ab Samad said the explanation would be reviewed at a panel meeting before a decision was made.

"The decision could be positive or it could be negative," she said, adding that it would depend largely on the reply given by Suara Keadilan.

NONEZaitun said any decision to renew the permit, which expired yesterday, also depended on the views of "Panel 13", a special committee under the ministry that evaluates publishing permit applications.

Suara Keadilan was issued a show-cause letter demanding an explanation for its front page report in the June 21-29 edition which said the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) was bankrupt.

Replies given to three show-cause letters

Aside from the show-cause letter dated June 28, the ministry had also issued the journal with other show-cause letters in January, February and in April this year.

Yesterday, the publisher's lawyer replied to the three show-cause letters sent prior to June 28.

"We will send a letter to Suara Keadilan to inform them that the ministry is not satisfied with their reply," Zaitun said, but she would not reveal the contents of the letter.

She also denied reports that the ministry would decide on the status of the journal's permit today.

"No decision today. I said we will review," she said, adding that the decision would be determined by the panel headed by ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam.

She added that heads of department in the ministry would also be consulted on the decision.

Suara Keadilan, which was awarded a printing and publication permit in 2007, had its permit suspended for three months in 2008.

Meanwhile, Suara Keadilan chief editor Dzulkarnain Taib said it was waiting for further instruction from the home ministry.

"Of course we will reply. But I do not think that our reply would be much different from what we have provided earlier. We will wait until we see the letter before we can comment," he said when contacted late this afternoon.