A pro-establishment NGO Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin (PMSP) has urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block access to online news portal Malaysiakini with immediate effect.

Its adviser Ramesh Rao claimed since the 13th general election, the news portal has been publishing news that are "contradictory, confusing, and slanderous".

Although corrections were made, he said, readers would assume the initial article is correct and subsequent amendments are the result of pressure and threats on the publication.

"The first news is what is accepted and considered to be true by Malaysians who are pro-opposition.

"For them, after editing, (they would say): 'Oh, they have been threatened; someone had called them up; they have bowed to pressure on this one,'" Ramesh told reporters today.

"And when Malaysiakini publishes a correction, it is only a small column at the bottom. They don't apologise openly nor make a consistent statement," he added.

Ramesh was speaking to reporters outside the MCMC headquarters in Cyberjaya, after handing over a memorandum to the commission complaining about Malaysiakini .

He also handed a printout of the supposedly offending articles from Malaysiakini , including news reports, a compilation of readers' comments from its 'Yoursay' section, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

These 23 articles in the English and Malay languages date from Aug 2, 2011 until Aug 14, 2015. A list of the articles was also circulated to the press.

T he complaint was received by MCMC's Consumer Protection and Complaints Bureau chief Ratnawaty Talib, and Ramesh said a copy would also be handed to Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak later today.

He said that since MCMC has been handed copies of the Malaysikini articles, he hopes the commission would exercise its powers under Section 211 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) against the news portal without delay.

He pointed out that its Singaporean counterparts had been able to take action against slanderous blog postings within 24 hours of publication, whereas false news is regularly published in Malaysia.

"Does this mean the MCMC is taking the easy way out, soft, or not doing its job? I don't know," Ramesh said.

Section 211 of the CMA bars online content providers from publishing content that is, among others, false, menacing or offensive with the intent of annoying or threatening another person.

Meanwhile, Section 233 of the same statute bars the improper use of the Internet, including the transmission of content banned under Section 211.

RELATED REPORTS

Nur Jazlan says 'no' to sweating, turning black at Bersih

Sustaining strong institutions for clean gov't

Nurul: Prison restrictions mount for dad amid plot claim

PAS will support no-confidence vote against Najib

Nur Jazlan: Rakyat had placed high hopes on me

Halt threats to press freedom, gov't told

Inflation jumps 3.3 percent in a year

The great escape: Global funds flee M'sia

Did it all happen this way, Rahman Dahlan?

Comparing transparency with pornography is silly

Ringgit opens higher against US dollar

'DAP never got a single sen in foreign funding'

Putrajaya no longer has monopoly on truth

Ku Nan moves to strike out 1MDB suit by PKR

Petronas’ cash squeeze may end Canadian project

Breaking the law with impunity

4.0 CGPA no guarantee of varsity entry, says Idris

Thailand nod on getting evidence from Justo

Lies and more lies in RM2.6b scandal

When the gov’t is afraid of the naked truth

RM2.6b for fighting IS, what’s next?