The Election Commission's (EC) decision to monitor the Internet during the upcoming general election has caused concern among certain quarters who questioned if the move was aimed at curbing the opposition campaign further.

In a statement today, Charter 2000-Aliran - which represents 34 civil society and media groups - said the Internet served as a popular 'last frontier' for the opposition and government critics who have limited access to the mainstream media.

"Denied such access, they use the Internet to transmit their views quickly to the public to counter Barisan Nasional's propaganda.

"We therefore wonder whether the move is aimed at not only curbing opposition campaigning but also further restricting the sharing of vital information among Malaysians," said its coordinators Dr Mustafa K Anuar (photo) and Anil Netto.

Yesterday, EC secretary Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the commission would work closely with the Energy, Communications and Multimedia Ministry to keep an eye on 'cyberspace campaigning'.

Internet censorship

Mustafa and Anil said the move would also jeopardise the commission's integrity and lead to a conflict of interests.

They added that the authorities' so-called monitoring of e-mails actually constituted a blatant disregard for the public's right to privacy of communication.

It also smacks of Internet censorship, which Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration had vowed not to carry out, they stressed.

The duo said if the decision to monitor the Internet was triggered by concern for 'sensitive issues', then it was imperative that the commission explained what it meant by 'sensitive'.

"Our recent past shows that this term can often mean anything and everything including issues not related to national security. Issues that threaten the ruling coalition's grip on power may also be considered 'sensitive'," they added.

Mainstream media

The coordinators also called on the commission to keep tabs on the mainstream media as well if it was truly committed to fair and healthy elections.

"In previous general elections, they have resorted to unethical and unprofessional one-sided coverage of election campaigns. State-run television stations - which are actually public property held in trust - should not be abused for partisan campaigning.

"There is a distinction between property owned by the state and property owned by the BN. RTM1 and RTM2 do not belong to the BN."

On another issue, Charter 2000-Aliran expressed hope that the EC would impose a ceiling on the expenditures incurred by political parties and not merely by individuals as this could help stem money politics.

It said the commission should also remind contesting parties that a caretaker government during a general election campaign period does not have the moral authority or the political legitimacy to offer 'developmental goodies' to the voters in the weeks leading to the election.