Utusan Melayu … or Ugutan Melayu?

By Azly Rahman

What is the function of a newspaper in a multicultural society? Is it to expand the mind of readers or to instill fear of others –or even of oneself?

Utusan Melayu (I am still familiar with this name rather than Utusan Malaysia) or the Malay Messenger has some good stuff to contribute to society but generally its and mission and vision is to build soul cages of the Malays. The mind of the Malay is warped, distorted, and archived into a realm of fear of itself and of others. Through the Malay language it brings thinking into a tabloidic dimension and relegates politics into a subject of advancing the backwardness of ultra-communalism.

Utusan Melayu is synonymous with Ketuanan Melayu, Tuntutan Melayu, Rasul Melayu, Kongres Melayu, Kesatuan Melayu, and other forms of glorified anomalies of the progressive Malay mind yearning to be free from the shackles of feudalism, superstition, and neo-feudalistic and urban-superstitious beliefs.

Utusan Melayu claims to be “Penyebar Fikiran Rakyat”. But does it expand the mind nor spread the message of peace of the Malays in relation to the much-needed marhaenism with other races?

By calling the Malays not to be “bachul” or “wimp” and to “bangkit” or to rise, the newspaper is showing its irrelevance and outdatedness of rhetoric. Tabloidic and tantric treatment of totalitarian thinking. The Malays are confused what these messages mean because they now have no reason to de-wimp themselves nor to rise. Against who? Are Malaysians not seeing the emergence, though with growing pains, of a two -party system that in which a multicultural coalition is gnawing the roots of ethnocentric-based political alliance that have survived on fear management?

Back to my confusion on the role of Utusan Melayu. On the idea of “kebaculan” and “kebangkitan” (wimpiness and wakefulness)

Perhaps there is a hidden message in all these. The call to de-wimp and rise is a call to arms against the few Malays in power that are using the media to create a false consciousness of who the real enemy is and what the real issue has been. Perhaps the call is to revolt against all forms of authoritarianism and totalitarianism that have made the Malays of these days carry an unpleasant name.

Perhaps the call is to rise against all kinds of organizations, paid or volunteer, that seems to advance the “rights of the Malays” and insist on keeping repressive intact to bludgeon others.

Is Utusan Melayu a threat to the advancement of the Malays? Is it still a popular tabloid that now uses threatening means to maintain readership? Or is it merely a continuation of a cultural transmission of fear and trembling, superstition and sensationalism, to get modern Malays to do shadowboxing/shadowpuppet play with bogeymen and bogeymen created from an old script of Ketuanan Melayu?

I do not know. But is it called Ugutan Melayu or Utusan Melayu?

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23 Replies to “Utusan Melayu … or Ugutan Melayu?”

  1. Utusan and Berita Harian are they paranoia? I think so. Umnoputras are they paranoia too? Yes I think so. Afraid of others? Maybe more like afraid of losing their wealth and at the moment their wealth is inextricably wound to the country’s politics (a great contribution coming from s/o kutty).

    Look at the igp. He could perform and deliver positive results in singapore but could not do so in his own country. What is wrong with him? Simple. Singapore looks at result and performance and nothing else. So he jolly well perform and show results there. But umno looks at money and wealth and opportunities to own ferraris, private yatchs and 50,000sqft mansions and of course political power. And in the process they ignore (maybe sideline) duties and the concomitant need to perform and to show results. “Pay him and maybe he will give you some results” has become the culture of umno and umnoputras. Money. Money. Money. ABBA said it right.

  2. “The mind of the Malay is warped, distorted, and archived into a realm of fear of itself and of others.”

    But there are many oriental-gentlemen-intelligent Malays too who are by and large outside of UMNO – Anwar, Zaid, Khalid Samad, Bakri Musa, Azli, Sharom, Tunku Aziz, Hussein, Art Harun, Haris, Malek Imtiaz, Kuli, etc.

    The Malays with warped and distorted minds ARE IN UMNO!!!

    UMNO Malay leaders are the crabs who are pulling back their community from progressing.
    Little wonder this Ketuanan Community is lagging behind in many areas – education, emotional, social, and finance.
    Thank you UMNO. Thank you Ugutan Melayu.

  3. Putusan 1Malaysia and Berita Hairan will no doubt go on to win many awards at the next media awards ceremony for their efforts in brainwashing the community and to bring about the downfall of the opposition governments.

  4. “Utusan Melayu … or Ugutan Melayu?”

    Akhbar ini telah diutus oleh UMNO untuk mengugut atas nama Melayu (bukan untuk orang Melayu), maka Utusan Melayu, Ugutan Melayu… bagi saya, sama saje.

  5. “On the idea of “kebaculan” and “kebangkitan” (wimpiness and wakefulness). Perhaps there is a hidden message in all these.:

    Ya, the hidden message for “kebaculan” is “kecabulan”.

  6. Please pay attention here:

    MALAYSIA is for all MALAYSIANS.

    If you dont like it then go somewhere else.

    I repeat.

    MALAYSIA is for all MALAYSIANS.

    If you dont cant accpet it then go somewhere else.

  7. According to umno, Amerika Syarikat dan Britain turut mempunyai undang-undang pencegahan mereka yang dikenali sebagai Anti Terrorism Act dan Patriot Act. ISA (Malaysia) adalah salah satu undang-undang yang dirujuk oleh mereka.

    Do the Americans and British arrest reporters and opposition MPs under their Anti Terrorism Act dan Patriot Act? The monkeys currently detained in Gitmo are not reporters and opposition MPs!

  8. Everyone knows that Utusan is a tool to achieve the means of UMNO to stay in power by whatever means.

    UMNO owes it existence to the Malays and to perpetuate that UMNO has to continue to mislead them that they are under threat. Instead of instilling values and build up the skills for long term survival, it continues to harp on made up threats.

    Contrary to what many think, what UMNO and Utusan is doing is to ensure the long term decline of the race. The theme of continue to protect and offer special priviliges will weaken the race and lead to decline of ability to stand up in the world and compete.

  9. for a start, DO NOT BUY OR SUPPORT utusan melayu newspapers OR ANY NEWSPAPERS that give sensitive articles to forward hatred among the multi-racial rakyat.

    luckily, the majority of rakyat knows what is right and wrong except for these newspapers and certain bn ministers,macc officers and police personnels who are so very arrogant.

    because of greed,favourtism and power, they have gone over-board in their responsiblities and has forgotten that we the rakyat are the actual people who put them there to serve us humanly and fairly. they even tend to forget that their lucrative salaries and peaks are also paid by the rakyat and NOT BN OR FEDERAL!!!

    as said and repeat…DON’T BUY THESE HOOLIGUNS NEWSPAPERS unless you are one of them too so that in the end, we hope newsprints should be reported fairly and honestly WITH RESPECT to all living things!!!

  10. The newspaper vendor told me Utusan Melayu tak laku anymore, most of them who go for Bahasa reading will opt for Metro. Is this true?
    Looks like people of all races are not happy to be manipulated and insulted. Year after year, Utusan has grown old but has never grown up, an option he chooses to be his destiny. My sympathy to u.

  11. I have another article to another local paper which of course is also not published by the editor, which I wish to share here…

    “Media Should Not Show Extremism in Expression

    Dear Editor,

    I am a subscriber of ______ and I praise the liberal approach in your selection of articles, commentary and letters which gives a balanced view of news, information and advertisements.

    As my office subscribes to another local daily, I occasionally give quick glances through the paper. I am surprised and dismayed that the news and article expression approach is unbalanced and to a certain extent biased. The back page containing the top world news stories will always contain articles on the brutality of Israeli forces towards Palestinians, violence against Muslims and how the West is bullying others. Even in the previous relatively peaceful times in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict situation, the above issues were given special focus. Most of these news were translated from news agencies such as Associated Press and Reuters but captions under the photos are observed to be written locally with strong language, probably written under extreme anger.

    On 18 Jun, an article in the ‘Letters to the Editor’ page titled “Bahasa Melayu terpinggir di negara sendiri” (scanned & attached) contain a suggestion for a by-law to disallow the use of other languages except Bahasa Melayu and English in signboards. This suggestion was untimely when the government is continuously promoting racial harmony. What actually is the author of this article thinking when he is writing this? (See attachment – underlined in red).

    Malaysia has been rated highly for press freedom in Asia. In view of a multi-racial, multi-religious plural society of Malaysia, let the press be an instrument of unity by showing tolerance and a balanced approach in the news and articles published taking into account the sensitivities of all races and religions.”

  12. Sdr Lim Kit Siang,

    You have burnt The Star in 1996, which was televised during your election campaign.

    I wonder why you picked The Star?
    I don’t see much bias in The Star compared to Utusan & BH. .

    In fact The Star also did advertise for PR & opposition parties in the past few GEs regardless of its political origin. During the Malaysia-Singapore dispute of water supply fr Johor, The Star, despite being a Malaysian newspaper, also published Singapore’s side of the story.

    I see it as a well balanced and unbiased newspaper which is very very successful.

    I read The Rocket newspaper & find every article in it all ‘against the ruling govt’, discriminating news etc. Harakah is also the same. Why can’t DAP produce a good newspaper to also contain neutral news. I think the latest edition of the Rocket News with the headlines “Mother of All Scandals” including Ong Kah Chuan is very very ill timed & shocking which reflects a poor image of DAP going to such extreme to publish MCA leaders in bad light. This will drive away moderate DAP supporters in the next GE.

    Take my advice, be moderate. That’s why we need a moderator.!

  13. UM is the mouthpiece of Umno
    UM will ensure 1Malaysia is ultimately achieved
    To drive away all pendatang, so Malaysia is all 1 big family of Umnoputra
    Was UM warned over the recent seditious articles that it published?
    Of course not, only seditious to nonUmnoputra

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