Commenting on the government’s move Sunday to block access to whistleblower Sarawak Report website, BN strategic communications chief Abdul Rahman Dahlan says he would support all efforts to stem “gutter reporting by irresponsible media”.

“The time for soft talk is over. I support all efforts, including new laws if need be, to prevent gutter reporting by irresponsible media,” he said on his Twitter account.

The Tweet was one of many by the Kota Belud MP this evening regarding the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) move yesterday to direct internet service providers to block access to  Sarawak Report website.

He said the move does not mean that there is no longer any media freedom in Malaysia, pointing out that legitimate criticism of the government can still be found on other media channels, including those on the Internet.

As for  Sarawak Report, he claimed its articles were full of 'embellishment' and must be put to a stop.

“ Sarawak Report ’s intention in publishing half-truth articles is not to find justice but rather to incite readers against a democratically-elected government.

“Does this mean media rights no longer exist in Malaysia? Not at all. It simply means  Sarawak Report ’s right to spread unverified news is now curtailed,” he said.

'Government has to make a stand'

According to a statement from the MCMC last night,  Sarawak Report was blocked because it threatened national stability and was spreading information of uncertain veracity and was already subject of investigation.

It said the blocking was done under Section 211 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which deals with offensive content and improper use of network facilities and services, respectively.

Abdul Rahman said MCMC’s move may or may not be successful and  Sarawak Report  was likely to find a way to circumvent the restrictions.

However, he said it was still important to impose the restriction because the government has to take a stand.

“MCMC blocked  Sarawak Report . Will it work? Maybe. But Sarawak Reprot will surely find other ways. Then why block? Because it's important for (the) government to make a stand,” he said.

In a related development,  Sarawak Report  has posted instructions on how to circumvent the ban via its Facebook account, and commentators on the page also shared their own tips.

The Facebook page also saw a surge  of ‘Likes’ from netizens since MCMC imposed the block on  Sarawak Report .