Malay group complains about race bias in newspaper

Perak and Penang muftis endorse move to tick off paper's management

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Malay scholars, which includes the mufti of Perak and Penang, are to complain to the management of an unnamed newspaper which they say carries articles portraying Muslims as extremists and Malaysia as intolerant.

Islamic Organisations Consultative Council of Malaysia (Mapim) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid also said a group who portrayed Muslims in Malaysia as belonging to two groups only bring negative effects.

The group who tried to split the Muslim community by labelling Islam as extreme and moderate has been urged to stop doing so to avoid tension and untoward incidents.

This view was shared by 35 Malay scholars including the Perak Mufti, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria and the Penang Mufti, Datuk Dr Wan Salim Mohd Noor in a discourse recently, he told a press conference, here today, Bernama reported.

They said several writers who wrote articles in the newspaper were biased toward Muslims when they labelled the Muslims as extremists and Malaysia as an intolerant country.

Mohd Azmi said the writers views can create tension among the people and lead to disunity.

“When they (writers) start to label others, they are accusing a certain race, and this is unhealthy. It is as if the Malays cannot be controlled, are greedy, irrational and intolerant. This is insulting. They are supposed to argue with facts, and not put a blanket label on others.”

Mapim and the 35 scholars also agreed to send a letter to the newspaper concerned to make their stand against the management for publishing the biased articles.

(The Bernama report did not name the newspaper concerned, or the “group” they said was trying to split the Muslim community.)

- BERNAMA

108 detained for theft, spreading false info on social media

Police have established four anti-crime teams in each flood-hit area to prevent criminal activities.

FMT

KOTA BHARU: Kelantan police have detained 108 people, including two women, to facilitate investigations into theft and dissemination of false information on social media since floods hit the country on December 17.

Kelantan police chief Mazlan Lazim said during the period, a total of 37 reports were received, involving theft at business premises while two cases involved the spread of false information about floods on social sites Facebook and WhatsApp.

The individuals involved were aged between 14 and 40, he said at a press conference at the Kelantan police contingent headquarters, here, yesterday.

Mazlan said among the districts affected by theft were Kota Bharu, Bachok, Pasir Puteh, Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Gua Musang and Kuala Krai.

“The theft cases are reported to have occurred at night and noon on December 26 to December 28 when the flood waters were at a high level,” he said.

Mazlan said police had set up patrol teams to prevent criminal activities in flood affected areas.

“The team will monitor every area affected by the floods and so far we have four teams in each flood-hit area,” he said.

- BERNAMA

BFM89.9 denies making seditious broadcasts

Allegations by Malay and Islamic groups are baseless, says the radio station.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Radio station BFM89.9 has denied allegations by nine Malay and Islamic rights groups that it made seditious broadcasts on December 12.

It said the only subjects discussed during the hours pinpointed by the activist groups were the AFF Suzuki Cup football matches and the career of American lyricist Ira Gershwin.

“Our records indicate Sharaad Kuttan was on air during the said hours discussing the Suzuki Cup and other unrelated matters, and not as alleged,” BFM 89.9 said in a statement.

“It was also alleged that during 1800 and 1900 hours of the same day, presenters Umapagan Ampikaipakan, Caroline Oh, Patrick Teoh and Ezra Zaid were discussing issues related to animal sacrifice, Malay rights, Islamic matters, including the topic of wearing a headscarf/hijab, but we wish to clarify that based on our records, during that date and time, we were broadcasting a programme titled, “Hari Ini dalam Sejarah Dunia” featuring American lyricist Ira Gershwin.

“The relevant presenters involved in this programme were Umapagan Ampikaipakan and Richard Bradbury only.”

The activist groups made the police report against the station yesterday. The nine included Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association (PPIM), Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia and Pekida Malaysia.

They named radio presenters Sharaad Kuttan, Caroline Oh, Ezra Zaid, Umapagan Ampikaipakan and Patrick Teoh as the offending deejays, saying they made seditious remarks in their morning and evening shows.

The radio station said the allegations were “inaccurate and baseless”.

BFM 5 hauled up for radio shows on Islam

Five radio presenters from BFM 89.9 will be called by police to facilitate investigations after Muslim groups lodged a report today against the business radio station, demanding that it be probed under the Sedition Act.

Deputy Kuala Lumpur CID chief Assistant Commissioner Khairi Ahrasa said that investigations have been opened under Section 505(c) of the Penal Code on inciting or stirring up prejudicial feelings.

The presenters are Sharaad Kuttan, Umapagan Ampikaipakan, Ezra Zaid, Caroline Oh and Patrick Teoh.

Khairi confirmed that police received a report today lodged by Muslim groups including Malaysia Islamic Consumers Association (PPIM) and Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) at the Dang Wangi police station in the capital.

"We will record the statements from all the deejays who were involved," Khairi told The Malaysian Insider in a text message.

Section 505(c) states that it is a crime to make, publish or circulate any statement, rumour or report with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons, or to commit any offence against any other class or community of persons.

If found guilty, the punishment is imprisonment, which may extend to two years, or a fine, or both.

PPIM and Isma's police report was on talk shows broadcasted on December 12, in which they said BFM had "challenged the sovereignty of Islam" by talking about the "Allah" controversy, about wearing the tudung, or Muslim headscarf, and about sacrificial meat.

This police report comes after news that the radio station had been fined RM10,000 over an interview with Iranian-American Muslim scholar Reza Aslan on October 21, 2013, in which he discussed Malaysia's ban on the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims.

Isma vice-president Aminuddin Yahya told Malaysiakini this morning that BFM had a "strategy" to create a "liberal country".

"This is a strategy by the liberals to break apart the racial harmony in Malaysia," he was quoted as saying at the Dang Wangi police station this morning.

"They are trying to destroy the integrity of Islam and create confusion among the people."

PPIM official Mohd Mustaffa Hamzah was also reported as saying that young people would form wrong conclusions about these issues.

"They will begin to hate Islam, the law, the rights of Malays and the New Economic Policy," he said.

The five presenters had been the hosts of the talk shows aired on December 12.

One of the presenters, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider, declined to comment on the police probe until the management had met to discuss the latest development.

The radio station is expected to issue a statement tomorrow. – December 18, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bfm-4-hauled-up-for-radio-shows-on-islam#sthash.ftYUK1dt.dpuf

Malaysia Government Uses Sedition on the Opposition Press

Malaysiakini reporter arrested over story on Penang arrests of opposition members

By John Berthelsen - Malaysiakini

Malaysia’s sedition campaign, which in recent weeks has resulted in charges against eight opposition politicians, apparently has been extended to the country’s independent press, with the arrest on Thursday of Susan Loone, a Penang-based reporter for Malaysiakini (Our Malaysia), one of Malaysia’s most popular news websites.

Loone was told to report to the police in Penang, where she underwent nine hours of questioning and had her cellphone confiscated over the publication of a story on the arrest Sunday in Penang of Phee Boon Poh, the chairperson of a voluntary patrol unit sanctioned by the Democratic Action Party leadership along with 156 members of the patrol unit. Phee is an executive counselor with the DAP. According to Loone’s story, the country’s inspector-general of police, Abu Bakar last Tuesday declared PPS an illegal organization because it wasn’t registered with the Registrar of Societies, calling the organization’s members “gangsters.”

“In a classic case of shooting the messenger, Loone has been detained by police for reporting what somebody else has said,”: according to a statement by Malaysia’s Center for Independent Journalism. “Loone's arrest is the latest in a spate of investigations that are clearly aimed at curtailing legitimate voices of dissent.

The investigations, the CIJ said, “are taking place after the government's stated intention to repeal the Sedition Act, a hangover from the colonial era. The Act is broadly worded and poses a significant threat to the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Further, the history of prosecutions under the Act show that it is almost exclusively used against critics of the government or State institutions.”

The arrest of Loone, along with the crackdown on Phee and the other opposition leaders, is apparently a manifestation of orders by the United Malays National Organization Supreme Council to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to get tough on the opposition after months of drift on the part of the premier. Malaysiakini, with a daily readership of 400,000, is one of the country’s biggest websites or possibly the biggest, publishing editions in Malay and English, and is fiercely critical of the government.

However, Malaysiakini has not been alone. Choon Mei, the editor of Malaysia Chronicle, reportedly has also been hauled in for questioning. Jahabar Sidiq, the editor of Malaysian Insider, said that although his publication has been threatened with lawsuits, that is pretty much where the intimidation has stopped. Raja Petra Kamarudin, the publisher of Malaysia Today, has long been out of the country after being charged with criminal defamation.

Some analysts regard the new crackdown as an indication of internal weakness on the part of UMNO and the Barisan Nasional, which lost the popular vote in the May 2013 general election for the first time since 1969 but retained Parliament through gerrymandering. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who publicly broke with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak recently, saying he had withdrawn his support of the premier, has accused Najib of being too soft on the opposition.

The party and its components in the ruling Barisan Nasional have not been able to capitalize on growing dissatisfaction with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition. A source close to the Mahathir wing of the party told Asia Sentinel that despite Pakatan’s disorganization and a months-long squabble over leadership in the state of Selangor, if an election were held today in Selangor, which is held by Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat, UMNO would probably still lose the state.

“I was told at the last Umno Supreme Council meeting that some of the members said that since the elections in 2013, the country has been floating around aimlessly,” said a political consultant with close ties to the UMNO leadership. “They suggested that Najib needs to show stronger leadership as Malays like leaders who are pahlawan or warriors. They said that unless the UMNO leadership showed it can be tough and firm, the party would continue losing the Malay ground. Since then, all these actions have been initiated against the opposition. I was also told that one of Najib's main advisers on talking and acting tough is Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, the former Second Finance Minister and Ambassador to Washington.”

Malaysiakini has suffered a long series of attempts by the government force it to pull in its horns, the biggest in 2003 when police raided the website, confiscating four servers and 15 personal computers after members of UMNO Youth complained that it had published a seditious letter to the editor. It has suffered distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks in which it is flooded with millions of simultaneous messages designed to overpower its servers. It was threatened by a lawsuit by Najib himself for defamation in June. The government has refused to issue a license that would allow Malaysiakini to issue a print edition.

The mainstream press – the New Straits Times, The Star and a flock of Malay-language newspapers -- are all owned by the major political parties in the ruling national coalition, as are the electronic media. They can be depended upon to form a noisy claque to defend the government when needed. Lately, After Najib came under attack Mahathir, the mainstream press lined up scores of UMNO members to express their support for Najib, although they never carried anything about Mahathir’s attack.

“Malaysia has embarked on a severe action against numerous activists, opposition politicians, journalists, students and academics. In the past, critics have been arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA), but now it is the Sedition Act that is increasingly used against individuals who have expressed their political, religious or other views,” said Margaret John, the coordinator for the Singapore and Malaysia chapter of Amnesty International Canada in an email to Asia Sentinel. “The arrests are a clear violation of international human rights law and have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Malaysia.”

The two biggest press watchdog organizations, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders, have not issued statements of support, possibly because they have been preoccupied with the brutal murders in Syria of US freelance journalists James Foley and Steven Sotlof by the radical fundamentalist organization Islamic State.

John Berthelsen is the editor of Asia Sentinel

Don't Be Apologetic In Defending National Interests, Media Told

PETALING JAYA, April 18 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has reminded media practitioners not to be apologetic in defending national interests.

This is because responsible journalism is constructive and protect what had been achieved over the years while irresponsible journalism is otherwise, he said.

"Being responsive to national interests and nurturing them are parts of the character of global media.

"Growing information and communication technology that has seen the emergence of online newspapers and news being disseminated via Twitter and Facebook, has posed mounting challenge to the media in defending the national agenda," Muhyiddin said when opening the Malaysian Press Night 2014 organised by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) and Petronas in Petaling Jaya, Friday night.

Deputy Prime Minister said in the course of building a united, stable, peaceful, prosperous and successful nation-state, the role of responsible media practitioners was crucial.

He said sophisticated technology and modernity could not negate the responsibilities of journalists and reporting principles which were universal in nature in the past, present and future.

"The news written cannot be ruthless, they must based on facts and most importantly, fair to the subjects. The determination to uphold journalism profession in delivering fair, accurate, honest and authentic reports should be the focus and emphasis.

"This expectation is consistent with the role of journalists as knowledgeable people who know what they want to convey," he said.

Muhyiddin reminded media practitioners not to be journalists who were lacked of ideas or who became popular for going after false news and sensationalism or were driven by certain agenda.

He said the media's role was not just to deliver the latest information to the community but also to enlighten readers on educational, development economic, political, cultural and entertainment news as an agent of transformation.

Muhyiddin commended the mainstream media for adhering to the principles of journalism and accountability in covering the search for the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines MH370 which entered the 42nd day, Friday.

He said there was no exception of patriotic fervour in the coverage of the MH370 tragedy as the media was bound by similar psychological elements and objectivity in highlighting national aspirations.

"So, let us not be swayed by the travesty that the so-called existence of uniformity or standards of journalism that international set of values had to be observed and performed by local journalists, including in Malaysia," he said while thanking local media for their coverage of the MH370 tragedy.

‘Netizens abusing press freedom’

There is too much press freedom and freedom of expression in Malaysia that many have failed to appreciate and are abusing it.

GEORGE TOWN: If there is no press freedom in Malaysia then how is it that netizens keep slamming the Barisan Nasional federal government for anything and everything, asked Centre for Political Awareness (CPA) president Huan Cheng Guan.

Huan was commenting on the Malaysia’s press freedom hitting a historic low in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index of 147 out of 180 countries.

He said even an innocent reference to kangkung by the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had been distorted to make international headlines.

“If this is not a clear evidence of free press and freedom of expression, what else can it be?” asked Huan said his statement to FMT here today.

Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire had said the World Press Freedom Index was a reference tool based on seven criteria: the level of abuses, the extent of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure.

“I would ask Reporters Without Borders to relook the situation in Malaysia. The truth is there is too much press freedom and freedom of expression.

“Many failed to appreciate it, indeed have been abusing it,” said Huan.

He criticised DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang for practising double standard and being absent-minded in his habitual haste to blast Malaysia’s press freedom index.

He said Kit Siang had forgotten that it was his son, Guan Eng, and other DAP members, including Teresa Kok, who have been fervently suing the media and activists for reporting issues.

He added that Kit Siang was blatantly attempting to ride on the world press freedom report to cast aspersions on the credibility of the federal government.

He added that Gelang Patah MP had again looked at Malaysia through distorted lenses by exaggerating everything while sweeping the “good” under the carpet.

Group denies involvement in Tamil daily fracas

 

 Rajayoga Power Transcendental Meditation Centre Sdn Bhd, or better known as RPT, has today denied it was involved in yesterday’s attack at daily Tamil Malar's office.

The RPT support team, in an email reply to Malaysiakini, expressed shock over the incident and said it should not have happened.

“RPT is not involved in anyway with the incident at their (Tamil Malar) office as we are a law-abiding entity. We do not condone any such acts of violence as we believe in moderation.

“RPT strongly denies any involvement in the incident, and any attempt to link us to it is merely for some cheap publicity,” they said.

The new Tamil daily's office at Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, was attacked by three-parang wielding men at 11am yesterday.

Following the incident, Tamil Malar's managing editor SM Periasamy lodged a police report, in which he stated he suspected RPT of being behind the attack.

Mulling legal action against daily

RPT, founded by V Balakrishan, who is widely known as 'Datuk Seri Guruji' or 'coat-suit Guruji' as he always pictured in a suit.

Tamil Malar's editor Rajeswary Ganesan (left)  also claimed the attack was not the first experienced by the daily after exposing the alleged Guruji “cult”.

She alleged the daily has been harassed and threatened by an unidentified man through phone calls, warning them to stop writing about ‘Guruji’.

“However, we will not stop writing about it. Today we wrote that Guruji could come to sue us if he did not agree with what we write, but until now he still has not shown up,” Rajeswary was reported to have said.

RPT noted that the daily has been publishing articles against it, meant the tarnish its reputation.

“We have sought legal guidance pertaining to this matter and our solicitors are in the midst of preparing the legal paper work,” they said.

Intruders smash up Tamil Malar office

They claimed they were followers of a spiritual group, say witnesses.

KUALA LUMPUR: Unidentified persons armed with a parang and an iron rod today trespassed into the Tamil Malar office here, destroyed some equipment and injured an employee.

Their motive remains unclear, but the injured worker, M Ravindran, told reporters they claimed to be followers of a prominent spiritual guru.

Witnesses said the four intruders, who appeared to be Indian men, all wore crash helmets. They showed up at about 11.30am. While one of them waited on the ground floor, the other three rushed up to the first floor and smashed up office equipment and furniture.

Tamil Malar publishes a daily newspaper. Its office is in Jalan Ipoh.

Ravindran said only he and two other employees were in the office at the time.

“We were shocked by the sudden ambush,” he said. “They used a parang and iron rod to smash a number of computers and glass doors in the office.

“They said they were followers of ‘Guruji’.

“One of them asked me where he could find our managing director, SM Periasamy, while the rest entered the accountant’s room and took her hand phone and money.

“They also stole another hand phone, belonging to our front desk officer.

“They spoke rudely to us, using derogatory words. They warned Tamil Malar not to write about Guruji again.”

Tamil Malar was launched last August and is known for its criticism of V Balakrishnan, the founder of Rajayoga Power Transcendental Meditation Centre. He is often referred to as ‘Datuk Seri Guruji’.

Periasamy told reporters he regarded the attack as an attack on the media.

“We are a neutral Tamil daily which publishes news of public interest,” he said. “It is not right for anyone to approach us in this way.”

The veteran newsman said he did not discount the possibility that the attackers were indeed followers of Balakrishnan, as they claimed.

But he also acknowledged that they could be merely using his name without actually being his followers.

Tamil Malar is also well-known for articles criticising Batu Caves Temple Committee chairman R Nadarajah.

This was not the first time that Tamil Malar was the target of attackers claiming to be Balakrishnan’s followers. Last year, a police report was lodged against several people for creating a disturbance at the newspaper’s office. Those attackers also said they were supporters of “Guruji”.

“There were a few other similar incidents in which the targets were people opposed to Guruji,” Periasamy said. “These included a molotov cocktail attack at the Malaysia Hindu Sangam office in 2010.

“But at the moment, we do not want to accuse anyone.”

He said he would lodge a police report.

Suspension on The Heat lifted

The Sun Daily 
by Karen Arukesamy

PETALING JAYA (Jan 27, 2014): The Heat will be back on the streets soon with the Home Ministry lifting its suspension on the newsweekly today.

Confirming this, the publication's editor-in-chief David Lee Boon Siew said that the ministry notified the decision in a letter dated Jan 24.

A statement on the its website said the newsweekly will hit the streets on Feb 7 after the Chinese New Year holidays.

It is learnt that the ministry's decision was conveyed to the newsweekly’s publisher Satria Kiara Sdn Bhd in a letter dated Jan 24, 2014 that was signed by Publications and Quranic Text Division head Hashimah Nik Jaafar, on behalf of the ministry’s secretary-general.

It was reported that the lifting of the suspension allows the newsweekly to continue its operation without any change to its current publishing permit.

The Heat was suspended "indefinitely" on Dec 19, 2013 allegedly over its November 23-29's front-page article entitled “All eyes on big-spending PM Najib”.

However, the ministry later clarified that the suspension was for allegedly not informing them of the changes in the publication's ownership, in addition to an alleged refusal to respond to two showcause letters.

"Red Pencil Protest" pushes for press freedom

Join protest, bloggers, social media urged

Soldariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) has urged all media practitioners, including bloggers and proponents of the social media, are urged to take part in the Angry Media Movement’s (Geramm) 'red pencil' protest tomorrow.

Geramm’s propaganda director Edy Noor Reduan (left) said in a statement today that all media practitioners are exposed to "iron fist punishments" handed out by the authorities following the indefinite suspension of news weekly The Heat that was imposed on Dec 19.

In the protest that starts in front of the Bar Council on Lebuh Pasar Besar in Kuala Lumpur at 2pm tomorrow, the group of media personnel and other supporters will demand for press freedom and for revocation of the suspension order on The Heat.

The weekly was suspended shortly after it ran a story about the spending traits of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, though the Home Ministry has denied that this was the reason for its suspension.

Edy said that if a report from any media outlet is inaccurate, affected parties have avenues to pursue legal action.

"The suspension of The Heat is discrimination against media personnel and closes the space for other media outlets to relay the truth. If The Heat can get suspended, others too can suffer a similar fate," he added.

Bring red pencils along

Geramm has encouraged those who wish to join the protest tomorrow to wear red and also to being red pencils, the theme of the protest, with them.

Participants will gather along the sidewalks and restaurants near the Bar Council before the protest starts with a prayer recital, followed by the declaration of Geramm's eight demands for press freedom.

The ‘red pencil’ protest is to act as a symbolic message to convey the opposition of journalists to restrictions on press freedom that exist in the country.

In a separate statement, Geramm also advised those taking part in the protest to refrain from making partisan slogans during the event, as all calls should correspond to the battle for press freedom.

"All slogans should correspond to the call for press freedom, not to provoke any party," it said.

All editors, journalists and columnists in the industry are invited to join the protest, with civil society members and supporters also welcome.

Press Release: Repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act; Independent Regulation to Preserve Independence of Media

The Malaysian Bar reiterates its call for the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and for the establishment of an independent Media Council.

The Malaysian Bar calls into question the recent decision by the Ministry of Home Affairs to suspend indefinitely the publication permit of the weekly publication The Heat.  No clear explanation has been given for their decision to do so.

It appears from news media reports that the decision to suspend the publication permit for The Heat was made before the publisher had been given the right to be fully heard pursuant to section 13B of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 or before the process of being heard had been completed.

An indefinite suspension is an oxymoron, that is, a contradiction in terms, and is effectively a revocation.  The indefinite suspension of The Heat would appear to be in breach of Article 13 of the Federal Constitution, which provides that no person shall be deprived of property save in accordance with law.  Article 13 does not mean merely following the written law, but adhering to the due process of the law and natural justice.

The timing and speed of such indefinite suspension by the Ministry of Home Affairs gives rise to the perception that the Government is seeking to muzzle and punish a member of the media for an article it published in its 23 to 29 Nov issue headlining a report on the alleged “big spending” of the Prime Minister.

The suspension of The Heat is an unwarranted attack on the freedom of the press specifically, and an attack on freedom of speech and expression generally.  Action against The Heat is merely the latest event in a long list of State actions to suppress the press.  Other instances include incidents during which the Minister of Home Affairs harassed a Malaysiakini journalist who was asking him questions, and threatened to shut down newspapers that reported his speech in Malacca on the following day; and the physical assault and abuse of media professionals by the police during the BERSIH 3.0 public assembly in Kuala Lumpur on 28 April 2012.

A free press is a fundamental feature of a vibrant and accountable democracy.  An independent press acts as a disseminator of information, and as a check and balance of elected representatives and government.  The wellbeing of a democratic nation is dependent on, amongst other things, a healthy, professional, ethical and independent press.

The Malaysian Bar reiterates its position that the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 should be repealed.  It is offensive to the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.  It is an archaic piece of legislation that no longer holds any relevance in a modern democracy.  The Act has been used and abused to influence, bully, intimidate, threaten and punish the press.  Such legislative and governmental control of the press, including licensing regimes, should end.  The recent court decision against the Ministry of Home Affairs, in relation to Malaysiakini’s application for a newspaper licence, is a reminder of this.

This is not to say that a newspaper, or any publication (whether print or online), is at liberty to publish anything with impunity.  It is time that Malaysia provides for independent regulation of the press media.  Complaints regarding objectionable press stories and material should be dealt with by an independent Media Council to be established — consisting of journalism practitioners and civil society representatives, and with minimal or no government representation — or, alternatively, a Media Ombudsperson.  Such a Media Council or Media Ombudsperson should be able to regulate media owners, publishers, editors, and journalists regarding offensive content and conduct.

There should be a clear separation between the role and purview of owners of media, and professional journalists and management.  There should be no pressure or interference by owners of media in the management of editorial and news content of any publication.  Any breach of such restrictions should be dealt with by the Media Council or the Media Ombudsperson.

Additionally, the press is liable to be held to account by the law just as any Malaysian citizen, for example, the laws on defamation. 

Malaysia needs, and Malaysians deserve, a free and independent press, as well as a press that is ethical, responsible and fair.

Christopher Leong
President
Malaysian Bar

Weekly The Heat suspended indefinitely by Home Ministry

  

The issue of 'The Heat' news weekly which is believed to have got its publishers into trouble with the 

Home Ministry. – December 19, 2013.

News weekly The Heat has been suspended “indefinitely” by the Home Ministry, believed to be over a front-page article on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s expenditure, sources close to the publication said.

Senior editor-in-chief at HCK Media Chong Cheng Hai declined to comment when contacted.

However, this evening, The Ant Daily, which is in the HCK Media stable, confirmed the suspension.

A statement on its website said: "The Heat has ceased publication in compliance with a suspension order served by the Home Ministry. The news weekly will not be published on December 21 as scheduled.

"We will keep our readers, subscribers and advertisers updated on further developments through this website, and other channels.

"Subscribers will be compensated accordingly, through an automatic extension of their subscription period."

It is learnt that the weekly's reporters were informed about the suspension during an editorial meeting today.

When asked about the suspension of the weekly, Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he was not aware of it.

The weekly, which focuses on politics and socio-economic issues, had been issued a show-cause letter last week. Editor-in-chief David Lee Boon Siew had also been summoned to the Home Ministry in Putrajaya and told to tone down its reports.

The Malaysian Insider understands that although the show-cause letter did not specify the offending article, it was over a report entitled “All eyes on big-spending PM Najib” published in its November 23 to 29 issue.

It is believed that HCK Media, the publisher, had been given 14 days to reply to the show-cause letter.

Rosmah had recently come under fire from opposition lawmakers for using a government jet to attend a women's summit in Qatar last month.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim had said the Cabinet had approved Rosmah's use of the government jet, causing opposition MPs to accuse the Cabinet of acting irresponsibly and in an undignified manner.

Umno’s Pengerang MP Datuk Azalina Othman, who had accompanied Rosmah on the trip, later revealed in Parliament that it was Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had chaired the Cabinet meeting that approved the use of the government jet for the trip, not Najib.

The issue was also raised at the recently concluded Umno general assembly where Federal Territory delegate Affandi Zahari defended her use of the aircraft.

“Rosmah's safety is paramount and if anything happened to her, it will only upset the prime minister.

"This involves the security of his wife. If anything happened to her, it will affect him emotionally," said Affandi.

In his winding-up speech at the general assembly, Najib sang Rosmah’s praises, highlighting two instances when Rosmah had helped Malaysia.

One was when she contacted the Egyptian president's wife to secure the release of a Malaysian student arrested on suspicion of being a spy.

The second incident was when Malaysian students were stranded in Egypt during the Arab uprising.

Najib said Rosmah had used her good relations with the Saudi Arabian royal family to allow the students to enter the country from Egypt although they did not have visas.

The Sarawak Tribune, an English-language newspaper published in Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu, in Sarawak, was indefinitely suspended in 2006 following controversy pertaining to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.

The newspaper, which was established in 1945, reappeared in 2010 as the New Sarawak Tribune.

The Star newspaper's licence was revoked in October 1987 at the height of the Ops Lalang during the tenure of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The newspaper resumed publication in April 1988. – December 19, 2013.

BLOG: For New Straits Times to be truly repentant …

The newspaper now acknowledges that the report, written by Farrah Naz Karim, was “groundless” and “false”, and that it “should not have been published”.

Last Friday, the New Straits Times ate humble pie and apologised to four NGOs for having defamed them in a front-page report it published last year that carried no substance and offered no evidence whatsoever to support its accusation that they were involved in a plot to destabilise the Government.

The newspaper now acknowledges that the report, written by Farrah Naz Karim, was “groundless” and “false”, and that it “should not have been published”.

When it came out on September 21, 2012, I was appalled by its blatant disregard of journalistic ethics – in fact, of any kind of ethics. I thought it pathetic that the newspaper had sunk so low. This was the worst transgression the paper had committed perhaps since 1998, when it carried on its front page a couple of stories that were editorials rather than news reports aimed at assassinating the character of Anwar Ibrahim after he was sacked by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for accusing the latter of paranoia and resisting the need to weed out corruption and cronyism.

For those who may not remember the contents of the 2012 story, which carried the headline ‘Plot to destabilise govt’, let me recap the essentials. I know it well because I have since used it in my workshops on writing for the media to promote the need for ethics in journalism.

The story was well played up because it was the front-page main story of the newspaper. Its first paragraph, or lead, read:

Investigators probing into the financial background of several non-governmental organisations have uncovered attempts by foreign hands to destabilise the government.

This was a lead given to sensationalising. The accusation it made was serious. The reader would be prompted to ask what the evidence was and to find it in the next paragraph, but this was all that NST offered:

Sources revealed that from 2005 to 2011, almost RM20 million, courtesy of the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) had allegedly been channelled to:

Suaram (RM1.6 million);

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) (RM4.6 million);

Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd (RM298,000);

and others (RM13.3 million).

It also claimed:

From last year, several other set-ups, namely Bersih, Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, Lawyers for Liberty, Liberal Banter Sdn Bhd as well as the International Republican Institute, began receiving funds from NED, an organisation that had been claimed to have “played a significant role in attempting to destabilise legitimate governments and replace them with client proxies”.

Who were the sources? Are they reliable? Is the mere claim about NED’s role in “attempting to destabilise legitimate governments” enough for the report to stand on?

Without substantiating anything, the report then proceeded to demonise Suaram, the human rights NGO that had angered the Government for bringing the Scorpene submarine issue to the French courts:

Sources also revealed that Suaram, which is under several investigations, including for allegedly raising funds while operating as an unregistered society as well as for serious violations of at least five sections of the Companies Act … had four known foreign funders.

The targeting of Suaram went on for several paragraphs. As for its four foreign funders, there was nothing said about their having enlisted Suaram’s help in destabilising the Government, merely that they gave Suaram money. Any intelligent reader by now would have begun to doubt the credibility of the report and realised that the newspaper was actually embarking on a hatchet job on Suaram. As Kua Kia Soong, Director of Suaram, recently put it, NST was behaving like “the ruling party’s media assassin”.

Kua is also right in remarking, “And a poor assassin at that!” Because NST did a poor job that actually made it look stupid. If you wanted to shoot down anyone, you should at least have the ammunition to do so. NST was shooting blanks. And they were flying about without any direction.

NST thought its report could gain legitimacy by quoting an academic, but of course that was wrong thinking. Even worse, it had to pick Chandra Muzaffar, who had already come to be regarded as a ruling party abettor, not only because he was also Chairman of 1Malaysia Foundation:

In an interview with Berita Harian last night, International Movement for a Just World (JUST) president Professor Dr Chandra Muzaffar said NED had been known to lend substantial financial support to NGOs in particular countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

He claimed it had been uncovered that such efforts had been going on aggressively over the past five years in the name of democratic freedom with the objective of making people rise up against leaders who were allegedly deemed to be cruel.

Chandra made numerous claims about NED’s activities in the Arab world, Russia, South and Central America. He also said “the credibility of such an organisation which claims to support institutions of freedom and democracy was questionable as it could threaten global security”. Why and how is supporting freedom and democracy a threat to global security?

His claims were sweeping and bore no direct relation to the Malaysian situation. Even if NED were indeed as heinous as he said it was, did he have any proof that it was using Malaysian NGOs to destabilise the Malaysian government? How were these NGOs destabilising the Government? What means were they using? It was surprising that this so-called intellectual had not thought of that himself.

The report ended with:

He added that those behind the body included Zionist groups which maintain good relations with the Jewish government.

Why was that relevant at all?

Clearly, the entire report was characterised by a lack of understanding of what it was actually trying to do and of how it could be effectively done.

It did not even get the other side of the story, i.e. interview Suaram, Malaysiakini, Bersih or any of the other NGOs it named as being in cahoots with NED. This was journalism that was neither fair nor balanced.

Lawyers for Liberty advisor Eric Paulsen was prompted to ask, “If NST had been a proper media organisation with integrity, why didn’t they ask Chandra Muzaffar about his track record or from where he receives funding?”

“I cannot understand the stupidity this country can sink to,” said Masjaliza Hamzah, Executive Officer at the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).

What befuddled me then, as it still does now, is why the experienced journalists of NST didn’t realise at the time that a report like this could not hold water because it lacked evidence, made sweeping statements and was unconvincing about its so-called sources. Why did they proceed to publish – on the front page, no less – such a sensationalised, ‘nothing’ story?

Even if they were doing it to serve their political master and major owner, Umno, and knew they were being unprofessional, they must surely have realised that they needed to be intelligent about it and do it right?

Well, in the end, some justice has prevailed. To get out of the defamation suit filed against it by Bersih, Suaram, CIJ and Merdeka Centre, NST has apologised and agreed to pay the four NGOs RM120,000. The amount is of course minuscule, considering that the NGOs have suffered significant damage to their reputation because of that reprehensible report.

One important question remains, however. What action will be taken by NST itself against the staff members responsible for the publication of something that was “false” and “should not have been published”?

I ask this for the sake of accountability for a transgression that is highly serious. I ask this because we don’t seem to have been upholding it in this country.

With Ling Liong Sik having been acquitted of cheating the Government and the Attorney-General not appealing the verdict, who is to be held accountable for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) multi-billion-ringgit fiasco?

With the rakyat’s money being misspent by government departments year after year, as exposed by the Auditor-General, who have been held accountable and brought to book so that it doesn’t happen again?

With the Serdang Hospital having experienced ceiling collapses at four areas within it in the last three years – the latest being the one last week in the intensive care unit for newborn babies – why hasn’t anyone been held accountable? Do we wait till there are fatalities?

With Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan having transferred RM10 million out of the country illegally in 2008, why was he cleared of wrongdoing whereas the moneychanger involved in the transaction got fined and lost his licence? Why wasn’t Hasan held accountable?

Accountability should be seen to be upheld not only in the public sector but also in the private sector. So the people responsible for the NST’s dastardly report have to be punished, if they are still working there.

This is what I propose. In degrees of accountability starting with the lowest – which should determine the severity of the punishment – the people to be held accountable are 1) the reporter; 2) the news editor who gave the reporter the assignment; 3) the editor-in-chief who must assume full responsibility for everything the editorial department of the newspaper does.

There may be others in the editorial decision-making process who were involved, like senior editorial executives. They should also be punished.

Only when this is done, can it be said that NST has realised its grave mistake and truly repented.

It will also set the standard for professionalism, and renounce the practice of gutter journalism.

* Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to MSN Malaysia

* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit , now available in bookstores.

Mukhriz: Alternative media as capable as mainstream to influence

Penulis Tamil juga mangsa royalti

Golongan muda tampil bersuara menuntut hak yang dinafikan sejak dahulu.
COMMENT

Honorarium dan royalti adalah hak pengarang. Perkara ini ditegaskan secara lantang dan berterusan oleh penulis Tamil generasi baru, M Navin sejak tahun 2005.

Perjuangan guru Bahasa Tamil di SJKT Taman Melawati, Gombak itu kini semakin menampakkan hasil, walaupun terus mendapat penentangan hebat daripada kelompok pengarang veteran yang menerajui Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia.

Saya mengikuti polemik, isu dan kontroversi ini menerusi akhbar-akhbar Tamil tempatan dan media sosial, khasnya Facebook sejak beberapa bulan lalu. Rakan-rakan yang terlibat secara langsung dalam bidang penulisan Tamil juga selalu menyampaikan berita terkini.

Peluang untuk mendapatkan maklumat lanjut muncul apabila saya bertemu Navin di sebuah restoran di Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur pada 7 September 2013.

“Masalah bermula pada suatu majlis pelancaran buku esei mengenai sekumpulan pengarang wanita yang menghasilkan karya Bahasa Tamil, tidak lama dahulu.

“Presiden Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia, P Rajendran dan Ketua Jabatan Pengajian India, Universiti Malaya, Dr Krishanan Maniam memperkatakan buku itu dalam acara di Kuala Lumpur,” kata guru berumur 31 tahun itu.

Rajendran khabarnya mengeluarkan kenyataan yang melukakan hati kelompok penulis. Katanya, pengarang wanita kaum India di Malaysia dapat menulis semata-mata kerana pengarang lelaki bermurah hati memberikan ruang dan peluang kepada mereka.

Krishanan pula membuat kenyataan bahawa penulis wanita di Tamil Nadu, India sudah mula menghasilkan karya-karya berunsur lucah; dan mujurlah penulis wanita di Malaysia yang menghasilkan karya Tamil tidak berbuat demikian.

“Saya mewakili kumpulan Vallinam menulis rencana balas menyelar kata-kata mereka berdua yang boleh dilihat sebagai menjatuhkan martabat pengarang wanita di Malaysia.

“Kami meminta kedua-dua mereka menarik balik kenyataan yang dikeluarkan semasa majlis pelancaran buku itu. Jika tidak, kami akan memulaukan semua acara anjuran Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia,” kata Navin yang berasal dari Lunas, Kedah.

Malangnya sehingga kini tiada sebarang maklum balas daripada mereka yang terbabit. Sikap itu menyebabkan khalayak pembaca dan penulis Tamil – khususnya generasi muda dalam kumpulan Vallinam yang diterajui Navin – semakin menyampah dengan sikap Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia yang diterajui generasi lama.

Mana pergi duit hasil jualan buku?


Secara kebetulan, seminggu selepas kejadian itu, persatuan berkenaan mengadakan majlis pelancaran sebuah antologi cerpen. Cerpen-cerpen Tamil yang terbit di pelbagai media khabarnya dipilih dan dibukukan oleh Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia tanpa izin pengarang terbabit.

Tiga daripada penulis yang karya mereka termuat dalam antologi berkenaan membuat kenyataan tidak akan menghadiri majlis pelancaran berikutan isu lama yang belum selesai. Mereka ialah Tayagi, K Balamurugan dan Pandian. Ketiga-tiganya pengarang lelaki yang tetap tidak bersetuju dengan kenyataan seksis yang dikeluarkan oleh Rajendran dan Krishanan.

“Tayagi dalam kenyataannya yang disiarkan di media menegaskan bahawa walaupun mereka bertiga tidak akan menghadiri majlis pelancaran antologi berkenaan, bayaran royalti bagi mereka tetap perlu dibayar,” Navin menceritakan kepada saya dalam pertemuan kami.

Permintaan seperti itu sebenarnya adalah sesuatu yang amat baru dalam arena penulisan dan penerbitan karya Bahasa Tamil di Malaysia; sama ada di akhbar, majalah atau buku. Saya menyedari hakikat ini hasil penelitian sejak seawal tahun 1993.

Ketiga-tiga pengarang itu – dengan sokongan kumpulan Vallinam – menegaskan bahawa Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia sudah pun melakukan kesalahan dari segi Akta Penerbitan kerana menerbitkan karya mereka tanpa izin, persetujuan dan kebenaran.

“Rajendran dan sekutunya amat marah dengan keberanian Tayagi, Balamurugan dan Pandian bersuara menuntut hak royalti. Tambahan pula, sejak awal penulisan Bahasa Tamil di Malaysia, tidak pernah ada pengarang Tamil yang berani membuat tuntutan demikian,” Navin menghuraikan.

Saya berpeluang bertemu Tayagi dan beberapa pengarang lain semasa majlis pelancaran sebuah kumpulan sajak oleh Poongulali Veeran di Petaling Jaya pada keesokan hari dan mereka mengesahkan apa-apa yang diceritakan oleh Navin.

Majlis pelancaran antologi cerpen oleh Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia tetap berjalan. Sebulan kemudian, selepas asakan demi asakan daripada ketiga-tiga pengarang terbabit, persatuan itu mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa jualan antologi berkenaan dihentikan serta-merta.

“Umum mengetahui bahawa kebanyakan stok buku sudah habis dijual pada majlis pelancaran. Sebagai lumrah dalam dunia sastera Tamil, politikus dan pihak berkepentingan akan membeli buku-buku dengan memberikan sumbangan yang banyak semasa majlis pelancaran.

“Maka, tentu sahaja Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia sudah mendapat keuntungan yang banyak menerusi antologi yang dicetak dan diterbitkan tanpa izin pengarang,” Navin mendedahkan.

Persatuan penulis Tamil sukar digugat


Maka, katanya, amat mustahil untuk mengatakan bahawa Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia – yang juga penerbit buku berkenaan – tiada wang untuk membayar royalti dan honorarium kepada penulis.

Oleh kerana amat kecewa dengan sikap serta amalan tidak adil dan kezaliman yang dilakukan oleh Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia, Tayagi dan rakan-rakannya tidak menolak kemungkinan membuat laporan polis demi menuntut hak.

Perkembangan ini pasti sahaja mengingatkan saya kepada isu penipuan royalti teks Komponen Sastera Dalam Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Malaysia (Komsas) melibatkan beberapa rakan penulis kaum Melayu yang didedahkan menerusi Free Malaysia Today sejak Ogos 2011.

Sebagai pemilik tunggal syarikat ‘Perunding Media, Motivasi dan Penerbitan Uthaya’ serta presiden Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan), saya terlibat secara langsung dalam usaha membantu sekumpulan pengarang itu.

Tentulah perjuangan menuntut hak royalti menjadi amat sukar apabila Kementerian Pelajaran/Pendidikan dan menteri sendiri tidak cukup “jantan” untuk tampil membela nasib pengarang Melayu yang tertindas.

Dalam isu melibatkan tiga pengarang Tamil ini pula, tentulah tidak ada gunanya mengharapkan bantuan politikus dalam MIC mahu pun mana-mana menteri dan timbalan menteri daripada kalangan kaum India.

Sejak mendapat tahu kisah penipuan royalti daripada Navin pada 7 September 2013, saya menghubungi pelbagai pihak – termasuk tetapi tidak terhad kepada wartawan, penulis, NGO, jabatan dan politikus – dan khabarnya Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia memang “sukar digugat” kerana mendapat sokongan pihak atasan.

Namun begitu, bagi saya sebagai individu yang menentang penindasan dan kezaliman, kesalahan tetap kesalahan dan saya tidak teragak-agak untuk bersuara bagi pihak kelompok minoriti yang tertindas.

Berbalik kepada isu melibatkan Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia, Navin menegaskan bahawa kesalahan pertama persatuan itu adalah menerbitkan (membukukan) karya-karya penulis tanpa izin. Sebaliknya mereka sesuka hati memilih cerpen-cerpen yang tersiar di akhbar dan majalah Tamil tempatan.

Kesalahan kedua adalah bahawa persatuan itu menjual antologi berkenaan dan mendapat keuntungan. Akan tetapi, mereka tidak mahu membayar royalti walau satu sen kepada para penulis terbabit.

Penulis generasi muda berani tuntut hak

Tuntutan dan permintaan bagi bayaran honorarium dan royalti bagi karya Bahasa Tamil di Malaysia adalah sesuatu yang amat baru; sama ada karya disiarkan di akhbar atau majalah atau dimuatkan dalam antologi.

Secara mudah, akhbar, majalah dan penerbit buku Tamil berpendirian bahawa pengarang Tamil tempatan harus berterima kasih dan terhutang budi kepada penerbit kerana sudi menyiarkan karya mereka!

Saya secara peribadi amat menyokong keberanian kumpulan Vallinam yang diterajui Navin bangkit memperjuangkan hak royalti bagi pengarang Tamil di Malaysia.

Navin selaku pemilik Vallinam Publication menerbitkan buku rakan-rakannya sejak tahun 2005. Beliau memastikan pengarang menerima royalti yang setimpal. Budaya etika penerbitan profesional yang diperkenalkan oleh Navin adalah sesuatu yang amat luar biasa dalam bidang penerbitan buku Tamil di Malaysia.

Pada 15 September 2013, tiga lagi buku baru dilancarkan oleh Vallinam Publication; iaitu kumpulan esei oleh Navin, kumpulan puisi oleh Poongulali dan kumpulan cerpen oleh Balamurugan. Navin memastikan rakan-rakannya menerima royalti sebaik buku terbit.

“Suka saya menyarankan kepada para pengarang Tamil supaya memulaukan mana-mana akhbar dan majalah yang tidak membayar honorarium bagi karya kreatif yang disiarkan. Jika penulis terus tunduk, selagi itulah penindasan dan kezaliman akan berterusan,” pinta Navin dengan tegas dan berani semasa diwawancara bagi makalah ini.

Sejak awal, pemuda itu menerima sokongan moral daripada pengarang veteran seperti Dr M Shanmuga Siva yang menyetujui perjuangannya. Kini, Navin mendapat sokongan padu daripada sekelompok rakan-rakan pengarang generasi muda yang turut ada kesedaran tentang hak royalti dan etika penerbitan.

“Saya benar-benar berharap mentaliti pembaca dan pengarang karya Tamil akan berubah. Jangan terlalu mengagung-agungkan Persatuan Penulis-penulis Tamil Malaysia dan menyangka mereka berkorban kerana sudi menerbitkan karya kita.

“Pada realiti, persatuan itu mengaut keuntungan besar dengan memeras keringat para pengarang Tamil,” kata Navin yang pernah terlibat secara aktif dalam persatuan itu sebelum menyedari kepincangan yang wujud.

Saya tidak pasti apakah kerajaan dan kementerian serta agensi kerajaan yang tampil menyalurkan dana dalam jumlah yang besar kepada persatuan penulis Tamil menyedari segala hakikat ini.

Uthaya Sankar SB mengucapkan Selamat Menyambut Onam kepada masyarakat Malayali dan Selamat Hari Malaysia kepada rakyat Malaysia.

New Tamil daily MD gets death threat

The managing director of new Tamil daily, which will hit the streets on Aug 1, fears for his life as there are people who do not want him to go ahead with the project.

KUALA LUMPUR: The managing director of a soon-to-be-launched Tamil daily, who has been assaulted twice in the past month, has been receiving death threats every day.

SM Periasamy said he had been receiving phone calls threatening to kill him if he went ahead to launch the daily, Tamil Malar.

“Now I realise that the calls are not due to business rivalry but from people who feel their wrongdoings will be exposed if I launch the newspaper,” he told FMT today.

Periasamy is expected to launch Tamil Malar on Aug 1.

“An Indian man called my house today and told me to stop launching the newspaper or risk being shot dead in a week.

“Since, they know my house telephone number, I believe these people know me well,” he added.

Periasamy formerly served as the general manager in two prominent Tamil newspapers — Malaysian Nanban and Makkal Osai.

He lodged a police report after he was assaulted last month.

“I have lodged more than five police reports on the death threats so far. But, until today there is no action from the police,” he said, adding that he was also concerned over the safety of his family members.

Periasamy is well known in the Tamil newspaper industry. He began his career with Tamil Osai in 1988. From there he moved to Malaysian Nanban before joining Makkal Osai in 2005.

He was sacked from Makkal Osai last year after an management tussle.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/07/03/new-tamil-daily-md-gets-death-threat/#sthash.UT83fKuk.dpuf

Alternative media running amok for no rhyme or reason

by Joe Fernandez

COMMENT It's not surprising that malaysiakini has incurred the renewed displeasure of Umno Government supporters in the wake of GE13 on 505. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/231538, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/231652

Aug 2010, to the best of my recollection, is the month malaysiakini did an about turn in its "making a difference for the better" editorial policy and began emulating the racist Malay media like Utusan Malaysia to degenerate into mindless rhetoric and polemics, often downright news manufacturing under the guise of straight news reporting, instead of contributing in a healthy manner like before to the debate. Janji Di Capati!

Going back and forth between trouble-creators, instigating or provoking them in the process, is not journalism. Journalism is following the news as it happens, not making things up. Why canai or goreng stories, adding sambal and belacan? We have better things to do in this country than indulge in endless politicking.

An example is shameless Anwar Ibrahim apologist Terence Netto writing a story alleging that Hindraf Makkal Sakthi chairman and Deputy Minister-designate P. Waythamoorthy was maintaining an ominous silence on the death of a Dharmendran in police custody.  http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/231260

The May 27 story, complete with quotes in Netto's highly indisciplined language, but attributed to Opposition MP Kulasegaran, was obviously an attempt to blacken Waytha's image as much as possible. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) still seems to be smarting from the Hindraf leader's move to sign a non-political Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Barisan Nasional (BN) on the eve of 505.  http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/231592

In fact, Waytha did issue a stern statement on the incident on May 23 i.e. before the so-called Kula story. It was carried in Free Malaysia Today whose senior journalists were once with malaysiakini before they were hounded out of existence one by one. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/05/23/lame-excuses-from-the-cops/

Hindraf has an important role to play in Barisan Nazional, for want of a better term, re-inventing itself and re-emerging as Barisan Nasional through every component party in the coalition opening its doors to all races.

Hindraf activists, for example, could join Umno if they are interested in politics and strive to change the racist party from within to accept that there must be no deviations and distortions in the implementation of Articles 153 and 3 of the Federal Constitution and the New Economic Policy, among others.

Needless to say the onus is on Hindraf, as 3rd Force allies of Sabah and Sarawak, to ensure that the parti parti Malaya keep out of Sabah and Sarawak in line with the Malaysia Agreement.

The most dangerous trend in malaysiakini is to hype up the rhetoric and polemics on a particular issue for no rhyme or reason until things reach an explosive point.

A case in point is an ex-Judge citing the Federal Constitution to state that government schools must be in the Malay medium. What the Judge seemed to be suggesting was that the Government stop financing Tamil and Chinese schools. Of course, the Judge could have better articulated his presentation.

malaysiakini mindlessly went to town with the ex-Judge's remarks just as they did before GE13 with remarks by Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa and Zulkifli Noordin. The more the trio opened their mouths under malaysiakini's insatiable hunger for rhetoric and polemics, the worse for the BN if not Umno in Malaya.

Again, rhetoric and polemics is what malaysiakini is all about.

Good bullshit we can understand. At least, if for nothing else, it's entertaining.

But malaysiakini is just plain bad bullshit and it's getting to be more than boring and certainly dangerous.

They seem to begrudge giving even a little space to Sabah and Sarawak -- even for carrying Kaamatan and Gawai Dayak greetings on May 30/31 and June 1/2 respectively --  although these two nations will decide the future of politics in Malaysia. Witness the fact that PR obtained 80 parliamentary seats in Malaya and nine in Borneo, and BN obtained 85 parliamentary seats in Malaya and 48 in Borneo.

I can speak with some authority on the subject. I used to be the Sabah correspondent for malaysiakini from 2008. This was despite myself telling them in 2000 that they were not functioning like how an alternative media should, apparently toeing the dictates of its then known foreign backers and investors, and ticking them off for exploiting Indian journalists as cheap labour.

While it lasted, I seemed to have a carte blanc to publish anything in malaysiakini and Sabah and Sarawak got some space. Anything I contributed was uploaded within minutes. Of course, these were all initially non-political stories.

But it was not until Jan 2011 that I received an email from Editor in Chief Steven Gan laying out the new "more exciting" editorial policy.

Subsequently, malaysiakini first banned me from writing on PKR, next Dap, then Sapp, and thereafter on Jeffrey Kitingan and Hindraf Makkal Sakthi. I was banned from writing about Hindraf after P. Uthayakumar accused malaysiakini and Steven of being racists for not highlighting Indian issues especially deaths in police custody.

malaysiakini's agenda was clear: no adverse reporting on Pakatan Rakyat and no space to be given to any movement from Sabah and Sarawak towards a 3rd Force in the Malaysian Parliament or any alliance between Hindraf and Sabah, Sarawak activists. All that was deemed to be counterproductive for PR.

Finally, they placed a moratorium – whatever it means -- on my political stories for malaysiakini. I was not in the mood to go back immediately to writing non-political stories although I began with malaysiakini as a non-political writer. The political situation was building up towards 505.

malaysiakini, the last I know, also did not pay a lawyer who defended it and me in Sabah on a defamation case. The malaysiakini lawyer has only collected RM 1, 000 so far.

I prepared the entire case myself under the oversight of the lawyer who appeared in court for us and worked out an out-of-court settlement with the concurrence of malaysiakini. The lawyer decided that I could present the case better. He stuck to authorities i.e. looking for the law and pointing it out to the Court and citing decided cases for principles.

I advised the lawyer, on behalf of malaysiakini, to file contempt of court charges against the other side and the Court, as a result, struck out the case without a hearing. malaysiakini was upset over the contempt of court filing and took the view that I had “exceeded” the bounds of my authority.

It seems that as in the Taib case, they rather cringe, crawl and grovel sadistically before the other side and apologise profusely in the local media and malaysiakini.

I was hoping that sanity would return to malaysiakini after GE13. No such luck since the politicking in the country continues and provides even more cannon fodder for malaysiakini. Even so, it did publish my pieces earlier this year on the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Sabah and other issues.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/219442, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/219964, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/220024, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/222048, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/222853,

We don't need an online version of the mainstream media from the Opposition angle.

The rot in malaysiakini began when Pakatan Rakyat leaders, especially one who thinks that he's god's gift to politics -- not Anwar Ibrahim -- began influencing the online news portal's editorial policy in the wake of Jeffrey's departure from PKR.

There's public suspicion that many malaysiakini reporters are on the take. Such perceptions, in any case, go with the job.

In line with the new editorial policy, a "racist" editor in malaysiakini allegedly began getting rid of the online news portal's Indian journalists. Perhaps they could now afford to pay more and no longer wanted cheap labour. They cannot afford to be stingy with non-Indians and get away with it. Those victimised, exploited for so long as cheap labour, have their own stories to tell.

Now, there appears to be moves afoot within the Najib Administration to act against malaysiakini.

If the Government can succeed with this move, the country can avoid the prospect of the people, especially the Malays, turning against each other. This is no exaggeration.

If any action is taken against malaysiakini over its editorial policy and direction, similar action must be taken against Utusan Malaysia.

However, while Utusan Malaysia has been a miserable failure in that the Malays are turning against it, malaysiakini has succeeded, and that's another reason to incur the wrath of Umno and the racist Malay media.

FMT, known to be run by moneybags who claim links with Daim Zainuddin, is no better. They wanted me to whack the shit out of PR.

malaysia chronicle is under the direction of the Chinese in Parti Keadilan Rakyat. They once rewrote a Jeffrey Kitingan piece that I did for them at their request. Black came out as white and white came out as black. The greys were removed. That was the first and last Jeffrey piece I did for them. They wanted me to whack the shit out of BN and the Kitingans. Obviously, they think that Sabah is their grandfather's property!

Malaysia Today, financed by moneybags linked to Umno warlords, is into post-GE13 bullshit to disorient and confuse non-Malay politics.

It must reckon that all Chinese are stupid. The Chinese can buy MT at a loss and sell it at a profit.

In a bizarre post-505 claim recently, MT said that Umno, BN and the Malays were light years ahead of the Indians and Chinese in politics. I suppose MT couldn't resist exposing its stupidity in this manner. Sometimes, one can be one's own worst enemy.

MT removed my login recently, insist that my comments be first screened by their so-called administrators, and no longer use my articles and now, it seems, my comments as well are no longed published. Others seem to have a licence to post their comments, unmoderated, complete with vulgarities.

This was after I posted an unmoderated comment identifying the moneybags who financed their so-called study on the ground conducted a year before GE13.

Daim Zainuddin's forecast of the GE13, indeed so-called prophecy, was based on the outcome of a year-long study.

I told Malaysia Today in my comment that I forecast the GE13 results, the cheating excluded, without being financed by any moneybag. The only error I made was that PKR, on the wave of a two-party/coalition system, collected the seats in Sabah which I had expected to fall to Star.

Daim’s concern, behind the MT hype, is understandable. The corporate sector has been contributing heavily to the Umno/BN coffers for GE purposes. The Opposition is making every GE an increasingly expensive outing for Umno/BN. Henceforth, the corporate sector would probably refuse to contribute even a sen to the ruling coalition. Umno is already in big trouble financially because of GE13.

MT doesn’t want to hear that Umno/BN is also in trouble on two other fronts: (1) the veterans and young Malaysians, especially Malays, who find themselves left out as candidates by a small clique in the ruling coalition are flocking to the Opposition; and (2) fewer and fewer Malays are registering themselves as voters and even when they do, they don’t turn up to vote because they see it as an exercise in futility.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin no longer seems to be in control of MT. He didn't seem to mind publishing things that he didn't agree with.

Other online news portals and Blogs are linked to various political parties on both sides of the political divide.

Their common enemy is the emergence of a Borneo-based 3rd Force in the Malaysian Parliament. Why should the people of Borneo be held to ransom by a struggle for power in Malaya?

No alternative media is truly free, fair and independent.

In that sense, they are no better than the mainstream media.

Again, while the mainstream media has been an appalling failure in recent years, the alternative media has had some dubious success to the alarm of Umno.

Is Malaysiakini campaigning for Pakatan Rakyat ?

By Saravanan

Malaysiakini is a Malaysian online news website and its editorial news claims to be built on independent news. Even though there has been reports of some high profile PR leaders like Sivarasa who are shareholders of Malaysikini, they still claim to be independent and fair in their reporting. On 28/04/2013 at Port Klang, on a PR campaign session, a senior member of Malaysiakini team Jiwi Kathaiah was surprisingly one of the speakers of the night campaigning for PR. For 45 minutes this Malaysiakini reporter was giving a one sided view of HINDRAF bashing. How is it so can Malaysiakini claim to be, so called 'Independent' but its team is very actively involved in PR campaigning ? Does it not compromise on their journalistic ethics ? Should SUHAKAM and the Election Commission be notified of this ? Could this senior Malaysiakini team member continue to be a team of Malaysiakini but on his supposedly free time go on PR ceramah's to campaign for PR and at the same time be entrusted to cover HINDRAF related news and report in an unbiased manner ? Do not journalists have some kind of code of ethics in their profession ? Malaysiakini must come out strongly and deny this if it indeed is not true as they are responsible to the their many paying subscribers to report independently and not slanted towards a political party. Stern action must be taken to Jiwi Kathaiah and reprimanded for his clear and open posturing towards PR.