In a brief statement, Lim said Prime Minister Najib Razak had added “another casualty in its long list of infamies” following the news portal’s announcement it would cease operations by midnight.
“Najib and Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak may feel proud of their ‘achievement’ in the death of TMI, especially with the government’s blocking of the news portal last month, but to decent and thinking Malaysians, there can be no joy but immense sadness,” Lim said.
However, TMI editor Jahabar Sadiq, in his announcement this morning, cited only “commercial reasons” for The Edge Media Group’s decision to close the portal.
Lim accused the government of ignoring the guarantee of “no Internet censorship” made 20 years ago by Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.
“The Malaysian government under Najib is prepared to take Malaysia backwards to the dark age instead of forward to the Information Society,” he said.
He called on TMI journalists who were about to lose their jobs as well as like-minded Malaysians to “put their shoulder to the wheel” and “keep alive and alight the aspirations of all Malaysians for truth, freedom and justice until the Malaysian Dream is achieved.”