In a report by The Malaysian Insider, the Penang government said Putrajaya should instead have taken legal action against the news portal if there was indeed an offending article that had been carried rather than impose an outright ban.

Expressing shock over the move, and demanding the ban be revoked, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told reporters at a press conference today there were other things the government should have banned like the Goods and Services Tax, among others, instead of access to a news portal.

“We urge the federal government to revoke the ban. If they want to ban, then ban the Goods and Services Tax and other provisions that hurt the economy.

“We condemn the ban strongly. There is no justification.”

He said the Penang government had resorted to taking legal action against “hostile” media organisations that published unfavourable reports about them instead of barring the media organisations.

Lim was also of the opinion that Putrajaya’s move to ban the news portal would hurt Malaysia’s media freedom standing.