At the end of January the government announced that it was ready to amend the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) to include online news sites. Conventional publications need an annually renewable permit, and the government hopes to introduce an amendment to the PPPA in March that would require news websites to secure such a permit too. The Internet had been a relatively uncontrolled source of news after the prime minister at the time, Mahathir Mohamad, pledged not to censor the Internet when the Multimedia Super Corridor (a government-designated zone that aims to promote Malaysia's information technology capabilities) was set up in 1995. Information from the Internet was a major force behind the surge in opposition support in the 2008 general election. The new announcement has alarmed Malaysia's online community. The editor of a popular Internet newspaper, Malaysiakini, stated that the proposed changes in the law would be the final nail in the coffin for press freedom in the country. According to an official at the Ministry of Home Affairs, the amendments are meant to close legal loopholes and make the law more inclusive.