This is the “Democracy Tree” video for which DAP Perak State Assemblyman for Tebing Tinggi, Ong Boon Piaw was arrested by the police on Sunday, 29th March 2009 purportedly in violation of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for “manufacturing, circulating, distributing, displaying” a DVD without first getting a B certificate from the Film Censorship Board.
Boon Piaw, who is out on police bail, will know on April 13 what the authorities propose to do in the case.
In his speech at the MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2008/Malaysian Media Nite 2009 yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak called for a “free, vibrant and informed media empowered to report without fear of consequence and holding governments and public official accountable”. He said that this is the kind of media, with “world-class, fact-based reporting”, which he would like to see emerging “if we are truly to build a democracy that is responsive to the needs of all the people”.
If Najib wants to be taken seriously in his first policy pronouncements, then he must walk the talk and also embrace a “free, vibrant and informed” citizen journalism, like the “Democracy Tree” DVD.
He should stop the Attorney-General and the Police from harassing and persecuting Boon Piaw for the “Democracy Tree” democracy DVD and send a clear and unmistakable signal that there would be no prosecution and that the Film Censorship Act will be amended so that there would be no unreasonable or draconian restrictions to responsible citizen media/journalism like the “Democracy Tree” DVD.
Part 7 – to be uploaded – technical issue.