According to ex-journalist Lester Melanyi (pic), Tan Sri Dr James Masing had commissioned him to arrange for the sabotage of Radio Free Sarawak ahead of Election 2013. ― File pic

KUCHING, July 23 ― Former journalist Lester Melanyi has claimed that Sarawak Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing commissioned him to arrange for the sabotage of Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) ahead of Election 2013.

According to Lester, who is in the news for accusing Sarawak Report of forging documents on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Masing made the request during a meeting within the campaign period for the 13th general election.

The former Sarawak Tribune editor claimed he then managed to find an individual in London who could disrupt transmissions by RFS, which was founded by Sarawak-born British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown who is also the editor of Sarawak Report.

“I asked this person, who is living in London, to do something to the radio station and told him that James Masing would pay him handsomely for doing the job,” Lester told Malay Mail Online in an exclusive interview.

“This person just did that to the station,” he said, declining to reveal the action or the person’s identity, apart from saying that he is a foreigner who has been living in London for years.

“If you can't do it in Sarawak, then you do it from London,” he said, referring to the disruption of RFS programmes in Sarawak.

Lester said the disruption prevented RFS from being able to broadcast throughout the entirety of the campaign.

He added that the payment that was due — according to him — from Masing was never made.

When contacted by Malay Mail Online yesterday, Masing declined to comment on Lester's allegation, beyond saying he has no recollection of any such encounter.

Lester’s claim against Masing was in retaliation for the latter describing him as a “disgraced and discredited” journalist.

Masing had criticised Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan for turning to Lester in a bid to defend Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak against allegations published by Sarawak Report and the opposition.

Lester has released two video accusing Sarawak Report of forging documents on 1MDB for a conspiracy to remove Najib from office.

Masing, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak president, has said that Lester's credibility was questionable, but offered no explanation.

“If he (Masing) said I am a disgraced and discredited former journalist as what he was reported to have said, then he should remember that who helped him to jam Radio Free Sarawak?” said the aggrieved Lester.

“He should honour his promise to pay this person for doing the job for him. Now, he must be accusing me of taking all the money from Masing, which in fact is not true.”

Former RFS staffer Susan Lee confirmed that there was a major disruption to RFS’s ability to broadcast to Sarawak before the 2013 general election.

“I did not know what had happened to RFS and who did that, even now; but I remember the disruption lasted a few months,” Lee, who now works as a public relations executive with a private company, recalled.

Lee, who joined after Lester parted ways with RFS, recounted that the disruption remained even when she left at the end of 2013.

The radio station, which broadcasts in English, Iban and local Sarawak Malay languages, is popular with the Sarawak's rural population , mainly because of its anti-Barisan Nasional commentaries and coverage of issues such as native customary rights land, corruption, abuse of power and the alleged marginalisation of the Dayak community by the state government.

RFS also broadcasted programmes favourable towards opposition parties, especially PKR and its candidates, before it was jammed in 2013.