CIJ kecam Slapp terhadap media/CIJ condemns Slapp against media

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) mengecam tindakan Bestinet Sdn Bhd yang memfailkan saman terhadap 10 organisasi media dan individu berkaitan laporan Bloomberg bertajuk “Everyone gets a cut, and migrant workers pay the price”.

Laporan tersebut mendakwa bahawa migran dari Bangladesh terpaksa meminjam sejumlah wang yang besar untuk membayar “yuran sindiket” bagi bekerja di Malaysia, yang dikaitkan dengan Sistem Pengurusan Berpusat Pekerja Asing (FWCMS) yang dibangunkan oleh Bestinet dan digunapakai oleh Malaysia sejak tahun 2015.

Tindakan yang diambil oleh Bestinet mempunyai elemen jelas litigasi strategik terhadap penyertaan awam (Slapp), di mana saman dengan tuntutan ganti rugi yang tidak seimbang serta injunksi ex-parte digunakan untuk mencegah wartawan dan pengamal media dalam menjalankan tanggungjawab mereka dalam melaporkan isu berkepentingan awam.

Tindakan terhadap media sebagai tonggak keempat demokrasi ini, mewujudkan suasana intimidasi dan kesan menakutkan terhadap pelaporan kepentingan awam.

Slapp bertujuan membebankan organisasi media dengan kos guaman yang tinggi dan proses perundangan yang rumit, sekali gus memberi kesan menakutkan terhadap kewartawanan penyiasatan dan penelitian awam.

Walaupun tuntutan tersebut mungkin tidak berjaya di mahkamah, ancaman tindakan undang-undang itu sendiri boleh mendorong penapisan undang-undang dan penapisan kendiri, bertentangan dengan Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang menjamin kebebasan bersuara dan seterusnya kebebasan media.

Sehubungan itu, kami memuji keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi yang menolak permohonan Bestinet untuk mendapatkan injunksi perintah larangan bersuara terhadap media, memandangkan kepentingan awam dalam isu ini, selaras dengan Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan serta piawaian antarabangsa dari segi keperluan, legitimasi dan perkadaran.

Kami terus menggesa pihak berkuasa untuk mematuhi piawaian ini dan memastikan sebarang sekatan terhadap kebebasan bersuara hanya dibuat dengan bukti kemudaratan yang jelas serta demi kepentingan awam.

Dalam menangani Slapp, khususnya terhadap media, kerajaan Malaysia perlu mewujudkan garis panduan perundangan yang jelas bagi mencegah penyalahgunaan kuasa oleh entiti yang mempunyai kuasa tidak seimbang, serta melindungi kebebasan bersuara selaras dengan piawaian antarabangsa.

Mekanisme anti-Slapp yang jelas mesti diwujudkan bagi membolehkan penolakan awal terhadap saman yang difailkan semata-mata untuk menyekat ucapan atau pelaporan berkepentingan awam.

Kami juga menggesa agar segala aduan terhadap media disalurkan kepada Majlis Media Malaysia.

Jika Bestinet Sdn Bhd berpendapat bahawa laporan media adalah tidak tepat atau tidak beretika, proses melalui majlis media mungkin lebih pantas dan kurang bersifat adversarial berbanding saman bernilai RM1bn.

Ia juga akan menunjukkan bahawa syarikat tersebut komited untuk memperbetulkan fakta, bukannya menghukum pihak media.

Dalam sebuah masyarakat progresif, litigasi strategik harus menjadi pilihan terakhir, terutamanya dengan adanya institusi yang berperanan sebagai pengantara antara orang awam dan media.

Sifat pelbagai pemegang taruh dalam institusi tersebut membolehkan keputusan dibuat selaras dengan prinsip demokrasi dan pendekatan konsultatif.

Kami berharap pendekatan seluruh masyarakat dapat diambil dalam mempertahankan wartawan dan pengamal media dalam menjalankan peranan mereka melaporkan isu berkepentingan awam sebagai sebahagian daripada usaha mempertahankan kebebasan bersuara di Malaysia. – CIJ

English version

CIJ condemns Slapp against media by Bestinet

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) condemns the actions taken by Bestinet Sdn Bhd in suing 10 media outlets and individuals pertaining to Bloomberg’s report “Everyone gets a cut, and migrant workers pay the price”.

This report alleged that Bangladeshi migrants had to borrow a hefty amount of money so they could pay an alleged “syndicate fee” to work in Malaysia, attributing this to the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS), created by Bestinet and adopted by Malaysia in 2015.

The action taken by Bestinet has clear elements of strategic litigation against public participation (Slapp), actively using lawsuits to file disproportionate damages claims and ex-parte injunctions to silence journalists and members of the media from doing their due diligence in reporting on matters pertaining to the public interest.

These actions against the media, as the fourth pillar of democracy, serve to intimidate and create a chilling environment for them regarding public interest reporting.

Slapp, much like this case here, is aimed at burdening media organisations with exorbitant legal costs and procedural matters that would have a chilling effect on investigative reporting and chill public scrutiny.

Ultimately, even if the underlying claims may not succeed in court, the mere threat of such actions can promote legal censorship and self-censorship among those with these civil duties of public interest reporting, conflicting with Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which enshrines freedom of expression and, by extension, media freedom.

As such, we commend the High Court’s decision to reject Bestinet’s injunction for a gag order on the media, given this issue’s relevance to the public interest in line with Article 10 of the Federal Constitution and international standards of necessity, legitimacy and proportionality.

We continue to urge all authorities to meet these standards, ensuring any suppression of freedom of expression is done only with clear evidence of harm and in the public interest.

In addressing Slapp, especially against members of the media, the Malaysian government must endeavour to create clear legislative guidelines that prevent undue harms and pressures against all people in Malaysia perpetrated by entities with disproportionate powers, protecting the freedom of expression in line with international standards.

Clear anti-Slapp mechanisms must be established to allow for early dismissal of lawsuits filed primarily to stifle speech or reporting on matters of public interest.

Further, we urge for all grievances and complaints against the media to be directed to the Malaysian Media Council.

If Bestinet Sdn Bhd believes the reporting by media outlets was inaccurate or unethical, a media council process could be faster and less adversarial than a RM1bn lawsuit. It would also signal that the company is focused on correcting the record rather than punishing the press.

In a progressive society, we should see strategic litigation as a last resort, especially with the existence of such an institution that seeks to mediate issues between the public and the media. Its multistakeholder nature allows for decisions on the media to be made that are congruent with a democratic society and a consultative approach.

We hope to see a whole-of-society approach in defending journalists and members of the media in performing their role of reporting on public interest matters as an extension of defending freedom of expression in Malaysia. – CIJ

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