ABSTRACT
The Malaysian government’s Vision 2020 statement declares that ‘No effort will be spared in the creation of an information-rich Malaysian society’ (quoted in Martin and Feldman 1998). Yet, shortly after the Asian economic crisis hit, the international media were described within government as the biggest obstacle to the country’s economic recovery (PERC 1999b: 9).1 Aspirations for a Malaysian niche in the knowledge economy remained, but official sensitivity to critical and investigative reporting heightened considerably. When the economic crisis brought an internal UMNO power struggle to a head, resulting in the dismissal and subsequent imprisonment of Deputy Prime Minister Anwar, this sensitivity intensified and extended to all forms of media. Indeed, a new phase in the struggle between authoritarian rule and freedom of expression and information was entered.
