VZCZCXRO6356
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHKL #0313/01 0541129
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 231129Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5968
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS PRIORITY
RUEHKL/ISLAMIC CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2016 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM PGOV KISL KPAO MY
SUBJECT: CARTOON CONTROVERSY ENVELOPS MALAYSIA'S PREMIER 
ENGLISH DAILY 
 
REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 232 (NOTAL) 
     ¶B. KUALA LUMPUR 267 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Thomas F. Daughton for reasons 1.4 b, d. 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A new cartoon controversy erupted in Malaysia 
on February 20 when the country,s second-largest 
English-language newspaper, the New Straits Times (NST), 
published a syndicated cartoon poking fun at the global 
Prophet Muhammad cartoon controversy.  Muslim NGOs and the 
Islamic opposition party immediately lodged police complaints 
against the newspaper, claiming that the cartoon insulted 
Islam.  The NST responded by prominently reprinting the 
cartoon above an editorial that accused its detractors of 
engaging in personal vendettas and seeking political gain. 
The internal security ministry then summoned the newspaper,s 
chief executive officer and editor-in-chief for an 
"interview," and demanded a written explanation for the 
NST,s actions.  Prime Minister Abdullah's decision 
concerning possible punishment of the NST is expected 
shortly.  Observers suggest the controversy is being fueled 
by the ambitions of the new minister of information.  As the 
NST is owned by the prime minister's own political party 
(UMNO), eventual punishment seems likely to be confined to 
the newspaper's senior editors.  End Summary. 
 
My Funny Cartoon is Your Offensive Caricature 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On February 20 the NST published a syndicated 
"Non-Sequitur" cartoon from the U.S. depicting a caricaturist 
doing a sketch while waiting for customers.  A sign next to 
him reads, "Caricatures of Muhammad While You Wait!"  The 
cartoon,s caption reads, "Kevin finally achieves his goal to 
be the most feared man in the world..."  The day after the 
cartoon's publication, three Muslim NGOs and the Islamic 
opposition party, PAS, lodged police reports against the NST, 
alleging that the cartoon was insulting to Islam.  PAS Youth 
Chief Salahuddin Ayub, who filed his party's complaint, told 
the media, "The act of publishing the cartoon could threaten 
national security, as it is defamatory and can weaken 
national unity."  PAS and the NGOs collectively demanded that 
unspecified "action" be taken against the newspaper and its 
editorial staff. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The latest cartoon controversy follows recent GOM 
punishment of two newspapers that printed "offensive" 
caricatures of Muhammad.  On February 9, after the Sarawak 
Tribune printed one of the now-infamous Danish cartoons, 
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi used the Printing Presses and 
Publications Act to suspend the paper's publication license 
and operations indefinitely (ref A).  The PM, who is also 
internal security minister, declared any future publication 
of the Danish cartoons to be illegal.  The GOM then suspended 
publication of the Chinese-language Guang Ming Daily for two 
weeks starting February 16 after it published a photo of a 
man reading a newspaper in which the Danish cartoons were 
published. 
 
The NST Counterattacks... 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Unlike the cartoons published in the Sarawak Tribune 
and the Guang Ming Daily, the NST,s cartoon contained no 
image of Muhammad.  And while the two punished newspapers 
printed front-page apologies in response to initial police 
reports lodged against them, the NST promptly counterattacked 
in its February 22 edition.  The newspaper reprinted the 
offending cartoon on page 3 and, in an editorial appearing 
directly under it, accused the NGOs, PAS and unnamed 
"powerful" individuals of engaging in personal vendettas and 
seeking political gains.  The editorial implied that the 
NST,s editors were being targeted for retribution in 
response to the NST,s "truthful" reporting.  The editorial 
concluded with the NST,s rationale for its strong public 
response to the police reports: "What are we saying of our 
own selves and our country if we allow people with personal 
motives to capitalize on religious and racial sensitivities 
to victimize others?" 
 
¶5. (C) The NST's senior foreign news editor, K.P. Waran, told 
poloff that the controversy would have likely been defused by 
the prime minister had Abdullah not been traveling abroad 
when it flared up.  Waran claimed the PM had seen the cartoon 
and found nothing offensive in it.  He said the NST's 
editorial staff believed that newly appointed Information 
Minister Zainuddin Maidin (ref B) wanted to act as 
"supereditor" of all major newspapers in the country.  He 
further speculated that Zainuddin "wants to replace the NST's 
senior editors with his own people, and will use the cartoon 
 
KUALA LUMP 00000313  002 OF 002 
 
 
controversy as the pretext" for such action.  Waran noted 
that the cartoon was not reviewed by the subeditor in charge 
of the newspaper's multiple-page comics section, where it 
initially appeared in the normal daily section allocated to 
syndicated cartoons.  He believed the editors would have 
stopped its publication had they noticed the cartoon's 
content in advance, but the editor-in-chief chose nonetheless 
to reprint the cartoon to defend the NST from "uncalled-for 
criticisms." 
 
And the Government Responds In Kind 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) On February 22, the internal security ministry 
summoned the NST,s CEO and editor-in-chief for questioning. 
They were interviewed by the ministry,s secretary general 
and presented with a "show-cause" letter demanding an 
explanation of their actions in printing (and reprinting) the 
cartoon.  The letter allows the NST three days to prepare its 
reply.  The dispute has been prominently covered by the media 
here, including on the NST,s entire front page February 23. 
 
¶7. (C) Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin told the media 
February 22 that the cabinet had discussed the NST cartoon 
issue during its regular meeting that day.  Following that 
meeting he said, "The action of NST to re-publish a cartoon 
deemed to belittle the Holy Prophet is not wise and an 
uncalled-for provocation."  Zainuddin admitted the cartoon 
could be interpreted in a number of different ways, but 
asserted that "not everyone could look at it intellectually." 
 According to press reports about the closed cabinet meeting, 
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar joined Zainuddin in 
condemning the NST,s actions and called for punitive action. 
 Other ministers, including Law Minister Nazri Aziz and Works 
Minister Samy Vellu, reportedly desired no government 
response.  Prime Minister Abdullah is expected to announce 
his decision concerning punishment of the NST and its editors 
soon after the GOM receives the editors, written 
explanations for their actions. 
 
¶8. (C) COMMENT:  Zainuddin showed more than a little daring 
in manipulating the cartoon controversy to his advantage 
while the prime minister was out of the country.  The new 
information minister was nonetheless careful to tell the 
media that a final decision would not be made until Abdullah 
returned.  While Zainuddin has put the PM in a sticky 
position, the notoriously non-controntational Abdullah seems 
unlikely to fire him after less than a week in office.  If 
the GOM takes action against the NST, it will probably be a 
matter of replacing senior staff rather than suspending the 
paper's publishing license.  The New Straits Times is, after 
all, Malaysia's oldest newspaper and one of the oldest 
English-language dailies in Southeast Asia, an establishment 
standard long owned by the country's main political party. 
Whatever the outcome, the assertion of power by the new 
information minister does not bode well for press freedom in 
Malaysia, particularly for the limited number of outlets not 
controlled by the parties of the ruling coalition. 
LAFLEUR