The arrest of Harakah editor Zulkifli Sulong under the Sedition Act was an effort to ban the popular PAS tabloid, said managing director Hishamuddin Yahya. In an article he wrote for Harakah Online today, he said that under Section (9) of the Sedition Act, a conviction of either Zulkifli or Harakah's printer, Chia Lim Thye, would mean an automatic suspension of the publication for one year.

Zulkifli and Chia were charged this morning in court for publishing an article allegedly written by KeADILan deputy president Chandra Muzaffar. The said article, which appeared on Aug 2 last year, accused the media for working in concert with the judiciary in the persecution of sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. Both pleaded not guilty and will claim trial on May 22.

Meanwhile, Harakah said it had already sent a letter of explanation to the Home Ministry. The paper received a show-cause letter last month from the Ministry as to why it should not be banned. According to the Ministry, the tabloid had violated the conditions of its printing permit because it was being sold to non-PAS members. Harakah was given a Jan 8 deadline to answer the show-cause letter.

However, Zulkifli told malaysiakini yesterday that the newspaper had yet to receive a reply from the Ministry.

A Home Ministry official today confirmed that they had received Harakah's explanation letter. Assistant chief secretary of the Publishing Control Division Tengku Mahmood Tengku Ismail told malaysiakini that the Ministry, however, needed more time to study the letter.

"We have to examine the letter very closely and a decision will be made in two weeks time," he said.