The speech by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the Mass Media Conference 2007 last Friday is more significant for what he omitted than what he said.
Eight years ago, when he was first appointed Home Minister, some 600 journalists in Malaysia which in the subsequent year grew to over 1,000 journalists, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3 presented a memorandum to him calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act and other repressive laws fettering the development of a free and responsible press.
Abdullah had given a solemn undertaking to the Malaysian journalists that he would give their memorandum serious consideration.
Eight years have passed and Abdullah has still to respond directly to the 1999 memorandum on press freedom which has the support of over 1,000 journalists.
The Mass Media Conference 2007 on Friday is most disturbing for more reasons than one. In particular, the conference was organized by the Internal Security Ministry which seems to reflect an increasingly intrusive and invasive government role in the sphere of mass media.
In his eight years first as Home Minister and later Internal Security Minister with direct responsibility over the media, the arsenal of repressive instruments and laws fettering media freedom had been left intact, whether Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act or the Police Act.
At any time, these repressive instruments and laws could be resorted to and re-activated. There has been no move whatsoever towards new legislation to create an environment which fosters greater openness, accountability and transparency like the Freedom of Information Act and Whistleblowers Protection Act.
What is very disturbing is that there are more and more signs of government obstruction of the development of a free and responsible press, as for instance, in the latest government directive to expand the blackout of the Opposition from government television and radio stations to private stations.
Is Abdullah’s speech on mass media last Friday a final answer after eight years rejecting the memorandum by over 1,000 Malaysian journalists to him when he first became Home Minister calling for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act and other repressive laws fettering the development of a free and responsible press?
Waste of time ….
This is Malaysia ….
Pak Lupa-lah: “Err, bila memo tu? 1999? Dah lupalah… sangat sibuk kat bulan madu, you know-lah…”
Badawi always uses the tactic of “remain silent” when he faces tough questions. There we have it, 8 years of silence. We have our final answer loud and clear. No question there.
yawn….Zzzzzz…
Pak lah sudah tidur la. What memorandum, maybe can be found in the landfill near Putrajaya.
Pak Lah, you serve the country, you serve humanity, please please don’t abuse your rights given by us, no leader can self proclaim his authority, making unwise judgement, making unsyncronize plan, inevitably causing everyone to suffer for your mistakes? which we been telling you from the beginning, it isn’t going the way we’re all hoping or desiring, we’re just playing our parts as your good peoples, aligning our authority when they are blinded by all the power and greed. Nobody is perfect, we need constant communication instill within our sincere communion, constantly aligning ourself from negative influences instead of eaten by it, we need to put down our ego and start listening and responding towards the truth which is always the win-win situation for everyone, our wholeness is at your hand. Use it wisely or you will be the cause of our failure.
Another question….How to love a country that dosen’t love us? This is a one way track? How to make it both ways?
To Ghost:
Simple. If your country (govt actually) don’t love you anymore, change for better. Give your love to someone more worthy of your love (the opposition) and you will find hope again. :)
It’s too late. Even if you set the journalists free now, they have become too accustomed to the prison conditions. It’s like keeping a wild animal. If it has been fed for too long, it becomes tame, and even if you leave its cage door open, it wouldn’t run away any more.
Malaysian journalists can’t change. Blame it on their political masters.
Our government has too much too hide. As long as they have so much to hide, press freedom will remain suppressed.
Press freedom?
Why should he give the press freedom to crucify him for the myriad misdeeds that he had committed and is still committing.
No matter how stupid he is he isn’t THAT stupid!
True, true! And who says we will not be through with him soon??
YB LKS said:
“Eight years have passed and Abdullah has still to respond directly to the 1999 memorandum on press freedom”.
Politicians have a dreadful habit of making promises when they are in no position to deliver. Then, when they are able to do so, lo and behold, they forget ever so conveniently. I can’t stomach such hypocrites!
And for a man who claims to be religious, such hypocrisy makes my stomach turn! Where is their gods?
“Eight years have passed and Abdullah has still to respond directly to the 1999 memorandum on press freedom which has the support of over 1,000 journalists.” Kit
Isn’t not obvious that the Malaysian public has been had time and again. How many times do you need before you vote for an alternative coalition to take over the reins of government???
Be careful, he might just infiltrate blogosphere and illegalize all activity on internet that publishes anything regarding the government. Perhaps using the same model like China on internet. Then we can see how this country really turn in communist country, a regime government control where citizen are just part of the system.
We already have race-biasness, gender-biasness.. We don’t want anymore crap from Pak Lah administration.
“And for a man who claims to be religious, such hypocrisy makes my stomach turn! Where is their gods?”
When God had the 10 commandments cast in stone and asked Moses to take it down to his people, he never had to work with an editor, never had to worry about the Press and Printing whatever Act etc, or to resort to self-censorship to publish his 10 commandments. He believed in free press.
Time to change!
You can have any thing when you are in power! Free press for every one!
undergrad2 Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 23: 45.40
“When God had the 10 commandments cast in stone and asked Moses to take it down to his people, he never had to work with an editor, never had to worry about the Press and Printing whatever Act etc, or to resort to self-censorship to publish his 10 commandments. He believed in free press.”
GOD believes in a free press. And so must we.
GOD gave all people a birth right i.e. we are all born free; freedom to do what is right and righteous and to be considerate of the rights of others without trampling or riding roughshod on them.
The gross abuses of citizens’ rights concealed within the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act or the Police Act are ungodly – certainly unchristian and unislamic; surely the tenets of Buddhism or Hinduism would never condone such excesses and abuses either. Such irreligious and repressive laws must be amended. God certainly cannot condone the sinfulness of Barisan Nasional.
How can Barisan Nasional exert such repressive powers and insult the freedom that GOD has given? Is BN greater than God?
BN is God.
The other theory is Pak Lah has been sleeping since 1999.
Time to wake up, Mr. Prime Minister, Sir.
Now that they guy is married, he now has someone to keep him awake. But that is at night when he should be sleeping. So he sleeps during the day. No wonder there is no change!
Not sure any of you guys noticed this article in yesterday The Star:-
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/2/nation/18188520&sec=nation
Get ready to see more hantus coming out to haunt all the blogs and websites. Someone need to engage Ghost Busters and send those fellows into outer space!
Nation
Monday July 2, 2007
Umno recruiting team of writers to fight ‘cyber war’
KOTA KINABALU: Umno is set to do battle in cyberspace ahead of the anticipated general election by assembling a team of writers from every state to counter allegations about the party and its leadership on certain websites.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Azalina Othman Said said she had been recently tasked by party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take charge of this “cyber war.â€Â
“This is among our key strategies in preparation for the elections. The other is getting our members to register as voters,†she said yesterday after opening the Kota Kinabalu Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings.
Azalina, the Youth and Sports Minister, said all state Umno liaison committees would be asked to identify writers willing to assist the party in this cause.
However, she declined to explain how these writers would carry out their duties nor did she name the websites that had purportedly spread the allegations.
Earlier, in her speech when opening the Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings, Azalina said certain websites appeared to be stepping up their attacks against the country’s leaders.
“We need to counter these blatant lies. If we remain quiet, our worry is that some of our members and civil servants will be influenced by all these nonsense,†she added.
Azalina said she was aware that many party members liked visiting certain websites and could end up believing what was posted there.
On the other hand, she said, there was a tendency among opposition party members not to believe any negative report about their leaders.
“We want Umno members to support and defend their leaders. If they are sitting in a coffeeshop and hear others talking badly about the party leaders they should counter those lies immediately,†Azalina added.
In a related development, she said the opposition had resorted to moving their members and supporters to seats they were confident of winning in the coming polls.
“…//…What is very disturbing…the latest government directive to expand the blackout of the Opposition from government television and radio stations to private stations….//..†– YB Kit
On page 1 of today’s The Sun July 4th is the report that Dr Lim Keng Yaik retracted and blamed it on “misconception†(that he “was out of the country and was not familiar with the issueâ€Â), and that his “Energy, Water and Communications Ministry had withdrawn the letter Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission sent to a private television station asking it not to screen speeches of Opposition leadersâ€Â.
..//..“Abdullah had given a solemn undertaking to the Malaysian journalists that he would give their memorandum serious consideration..//..†– but to give “serious consideration” is a nice way of saying “no promises” on that score.
Eight years later after he became PM and Home Affairs Minister the repressive laws – Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, the Sedition Act, the Internal Security Act or the Police Act – are still there because, according to PM, “whether we use them depends on the situation. Even if we don’t use them, we leave it there. When we discipline our children we don’t throw away the cane even if we don’t use it but hang it up as a reminder to them.â€Â
His justification is the same hackneyed one of the media being expected to be responsible to maintain harmony in a nation that had seen terrible incidents in past when racial sensitivities had been incited by irresponsible speech.
So far it appears that he is still true to his word that the “cane†is still hung up as a reminder but not really used. For it is generally accepted as a fact by BN’s apologist and detractors alike that the mainstream papers, especially the Sun (not shackled by ownership control by political parties) and to an extent NST, have given reportage and commentary more critical than, on comparative basis, during Dr Mahathir’s tenure. No one has so far been charged for disseminating false news under Pak Lah’s administration. In the Internet domain, we have the irrepressible RPK who is still free to spin his truth with no official clampdown.
For so long as “ketuanan Melayu†and its concomitant policy of NEP as an ideology prevail and constitute the cornerstone of the ruling party’s perpetuation of political power in this country, there is always the cane, hung up and ready to be used against overt challenges thereof.
That’s the reality. I suppose we’re supposed to be grateful that there is improvement by a notch in the cane not being readily used with alacrity so far.
Memo? What memo?
I refer to the news article
‘Azalina said she was aware that many party members liked visiting certain websites and could end up believing what was posted there.
On the other hand, she said, there was a tendency among opposition party members not to believe any negative report about their leaders.’
Does it mean that we should believe negative reports about the Opposition leaders, and we should NOT believe negative reports about BN leaders?
And ..we must selectively choose to believe only the good reports of the BN leaders, and not from others??
YEAH RIGHT!!!!
What kind of lopsided and ridiculous logic is that??? BN people can do no wrong???!!!!..they are angels and gods???!!
Another case of Minister spewing rubbish…
Any law that gives power to any single organisation to abuse should be repealed.
The government says that it keeps the law out of fear that the media would act irresponsibly and incite violence.
But let’s examine their respective arsenal:
1) Media
Weapons – Words
Enforcement – Non-binding. Even if some blog or article spews unlimited hatred and calls for mass slaughter, people wouldn’t have to follow his calls unless they already agree with him in thee first place.
2) Government
Weapons – The Law
Enforcement – The judiciary, the police etc.
So as you can see, the ones who are most dangerous when they abuse their powers irresponsibly isn’t the media as the government claims, but the government.
cheers
Journalists go to the government to ask for a free press, and they get pressed for free – you know where!