Check, some news just isn’t right

The Star (Used by permission)
by AZMI SHAROM

The irresponsible, unfounded and silly abound on the Net. It is up to responsible news organisations to verify the truth of the matter before picking up the story.

HEY! Guess what? The other day I was wandering around Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur and I saw a group of Hindus discussing something in their temple compound.

You know what? I think they want to make Malaysia a Hindu state!

They are somehow going to get two-thirds of both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara along with the Council of Rulers to change the Constitution and make us a Hindu state.

No, don’t laugh. I recognised a politician in there among them, so it must be true.

How can you tell this story is true? Well, you are reading it in a newspaper aren’t you? And to make sure this story is truly credible, I’m going to make the same assertions on my blog.

Does this sound stupid to you? It does? Well, that is because it is.

Now in the world we live in today, anyone with a computer can say any old thing, no matter how obtuse, and then get it out for the whole planet to see.

For example, the “scoop” that a bunch of priests and politicians are going to turn this country into some sort of Christian state.

It’s a wild accusation – irresponsible, unfounded and silly.

However, on the information super highway, you get a lot of silliness and this is to be expected.

In my view, this freedom to be as dumb as you can be is a price worth paying for the freedom of expression the Net gives us.

However, I find it is surprising that this “scoop” would be carried by a newspaper. Aren’t newspapers supposed to work within this strange thing called “journalistic principles”?

Shouldn’t a newspaper check out a story first by doing a spot of investigating? I don’t know, perhaps by calling the organisers of this “insidious” meeting of Christians and asking them.

The conversation could sound something like this: “Hello Padre, are you going to convince Parliament and the Council of Rulers to make this a Christian state? You aren’t? Are you sure, because a blogger said you are.

“What’s his name? I don’t know because he uses a pseudonym. Perhaps there is some other way you want to do it, maybe by force?

“What did you say? Oh, yes, Christians make up only 7% of the population and there is no Christian Army to call upon.

“I see, so it’s just a silly accusation then? Right, well, thanks for your time Padre.”

There you go, simple. No need to do a Woodward and Bernstein with midnight visits to underground car parks to meet informers named “Deep Throat”.

A simple phone call is all it takes.

Speaking of simple, it came as no surprise at all to me to hear Ibrahim Ali jumping on this story and then proceeding to rave and rant.

He promises to lead a crusade against Christians, and that he and his jolly Perkasa pals will be the first to lay down their lives.

What a brave man he is because I would have thought that such language would definitely bring the law down on your head.

I mean what if some Buddhist said he wanted to wage war on Muslims, he would have been locked away under the ISA or the Sedition Act before he can say “bad karma”.

But then it doesn’t take much bravery to say such things where Ibrahim Ali is concerned. Especially if the de facto Law Minister has given you the freedom to make such comments.

He said we have to live with such comments and he won’t use the Sedition Act.

This is because people say such things on the Net anyway and to single out Ibrahim Ali would not be right.

Hey, that’s good to know. So if lots of people say the same thing on the Net, then the Government won’t take action against any single person? This is a fascinating new policy.

Does this mean that if, say, a thousand of us put on our blogs, tweets and Facebook that we want an armed rebellion, no action will be taken?

Sanctions for Malaysian Press Union Boss

Hata Wahari

(Asia Sentinel) Utusan Malaysia inquiry finds leading journalist guilty

Malaysian National Union of Journalists President Hata Wahari has been found guilty of eight charges filed against him by his employer, Utusan Melayu Bhd, at the conclusion of a domestic inquiry.

The charges are widely regarded to have been triggered by Hata's statements about the lack of freedom in the country's mainstream press. A 16-year veteran reporter with the Malay-language paper, Hata was elected to head the journalists' union last September. The paper is owned by the United Malays National Organization, the country's biggest ethnic political party. He was ordered to appear before the domestic inquiry in January. He could face a severe reprimand, a salary cut or dismissal. The final decision was delayed for two weeks.

Most observers expect Hata to be dismissed. If he is sacked, he would be the third Utusan Malaysia (translated as Malaysia Courier) employee to lose his job because of union activity. Former NUJ president Yazid Othman and NUJ-Utusan Malaysia chairperson Amran Ahmad were also dismissed earlier. As with Yazid, Wahiri would be forced to give up the chairmanship of the union.

The country's political parties own most of Malaysia's major dailies and television stations, in Malay, English, Chinese or Tamil languages. Utusan is just one of several newspapers controlled by UMNO. Although opposition parties own their own publications, they are under strict licensing rules that require renewal each year. While the mainstream press face the same restrictions, their ownership serves as an even bigger impediment to impartial journalism. The Internet largely supplies the country's only independent journalism, a fact that appears to account for fast-growing online readership.

"I just issued a press statement asking the editors to please go back to our real function, to submit unbiased information to the public," Hata told Asia Sentinel in January when he was suspended and placed under house arrest. "At the moment, Utusan is doing propaganda for the government. They have raised up racial issues, so that is why they are losing the trust of most of the community in Malaysia. Everybody, even the common public, feels the same way.

"We have to go back to our original mission, not act as a propaganda tool for the government," he said. "That is why I issued that statement. I feel I have the support of all of my friends, from the political parties and from other NGOs."

Utusan Melayu charged the journalist with, among others, "revealing company secrets." However, Hata told local media that the eight charges he faced had nothing to do with company secrets but rather stemmed from reports published on the Web sites Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider and in The Sun newspaper and the Merdeka Review.

The NUJ head has repeatedly criticized Utusan for its increasingly strident views on Malaysia's perennially tense race relations, saying the paper makes things worse with its rhetoric. He told Asia Sentinel that such policies have led to dwindling circulation for the paper, which was once the leading Malay-language publication in the country.

NUJ general-secretary V Anbalagan told local media the decision against Hata was "highly expected of Utusan Malaysia. I have to stress that Hata is only airing his views as a union person in highlighting the interests of the workers and mainly bread-and-butter issues." Hata's comments, he said, are protected by the NUJ constitution.

"Utusan Malaysia has no authority to take action or punish a union official,' Anbalagan added. The journalists' union, he said, would back Hata whatever the repercussions.

Malaysia's Center for Independent Journalism issued a statement saying it regretted the guilty verdict and urged a write-in campaign to Utusan's management because it is "within the right of an NUJ president to speak for the dignity and integrity of the profession, and reject political interference in the newsrooms. Fair comment is allowed as part of the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

"Yet," the statement said, "the fact that punitive action can be taken against a journalist union leader for criticizing the lack of the very freedom that is foundational to the work of journalists speaks volumes of the state of press freedom in Malaysia."

A blow against press freedom

Utusan Malaysia's swift ruling against its reporter Hata Wahari is a warning to all media practitioners in the country.

PETALING JAYA: Utusan Malaysia reporter Hata Wahari’s guilty conviction by the Umno-owned newspaper is a serious blow to Malaysia’s already-scant press freedom.

The conviction by the Malay-language daily, which may see Hata sacked in the near future, is a warning to media practitioners to toe the line, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said.

“Hata’s conviction is a serious blow to press freedom. What company secrets is he exposing about Utusan that caused him to be punished?” CIJ publicity officer Chuah Siew Eng asked.

“It is an open secret that Utusan has been using unethical media practices. It is not surprising how editors there openly justify the control (over them) by their political masters, which they accept as a given,” she said.

Hata was pronounced guilty earlier today after a three-man domestic inquiry panel accused him of criticising the Malay-language daily.

Late last year, Hata, in his capacity as president of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), accused Utusan of unfair political coverage of the Barisan Nasional (BN).

He also attacked the newspaper in early January this year for playing up racial rhetoric in its pages, attributing these factors to its declining total circulation.

Between 2005 and 2009, Utusan Malaysia’s total circulation dropped by as much as 21%.

However, these warnings were not appreciated by Utusan’s top management, which promptly canned the outspoken journalist for his views.

Chuah said that Utusan’s editors valued political patronage over all else.

“Utusan does not see the traditional role of the press, which is to be a public watchdog on the powerful,” she said.

She added that the inquiry’s decision would also hit the NUJ hard.

“This is the first time in a long while that someone from the NUJ has spoken about press freedom. Now he has been penalised for speaking,” she said.

“It shows how bad the situation (of press freedom) is.”

Premeditated decision

Utusan’s quick sentencing was also a cause for concern.

South East Asia Media Legal Defence Network project coordinator HR Dipendra said that Hata was not given enough time or a chance to defend himself.

“It is as if they (Utusan inquiry) made up their minds even before listening to what Hata had to say,” Dipendra told FMT.

The Utusan’s panel passed the judgment on the embattled reporter a mere 15 minutes after it begun its inquiry at 10.30am.

“If a newspaper can be so quick to criticise and pass judgment about everything under the sun, surely, it would be hypocritical of them to now say that no one can criticise them in return,” Dipendra said.

“For a newspaper that claims to champion press freedom, its actions against Hata are clearly against press freedom.”

Malaysia's Sorry Record on Press Freedom

Najib Tun Razak

(Asia Sentinel) Ruling coalition's 'multi-pronged approach' to curb expression

Malaysia's Barisan Nasional, or national ruling coalition, has gone to extreme ends to control freedom of expression and monopolize the dissemination of information, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based Center for Independent Journalism.

The NGO's report, released Tuesday, says the Barisan "adopted a multi-pronged approach, using the myriad of laws at its disposal to curb expression. The Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 was used to intimidate The Star, China Press and Special Weekly, among others."

A summary of the report, furnished by the center, follows. It is the fourth such report the organization has released.

These publications were issued show-cause letters over various issues, from a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Najib Razak as Mr U-Turn to a commentary on the whipping of women under shariah law. The newspapers were pressured to apologize or make changes to their editorial teams to avoid the risk of losing their printing permits.

Books were also banned and seized under the PPPA, ostensibly to protect public order and morality. Among the banned and seized books were cartoonist Zunar's 1Funny Malaysia, Perak Darul Kartun, Isu Dalam Kartun and Cartoon-O-Phobia. Zunar himself was arrested for sedition on the day of Cartoon-O-Phobia's launch, although later released. Also banned was Kim Quek's March to Putrajaya, which was then released free online.

Government control also extended to the broadcast media. ntv7 producer Joshua Wong resigned in protest, saying his bosses had received text messages from the Prime Minister's Department, complaining about his show Editor's Time's content. RTM producer Chou Z Lam also exposed content interference, saying that a documentary on Sarawak's Bakun Dam was cancelled after only two out of nine episodes had aired.

Shortly after Chou's exposé, his contract with RTM was terminated. On radio, disk jockey Jamaluddin Ibrahim was sacked along with two other Star RFM employees. This occurred after Jamaluddin interviewed a gay pastor on race and relations and opposition Democratic Action Party secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on his radio show.

Internet Control
The government has stepped up its efforts to control the internet. The public are constantly reminded how Malaysia's many repressive laws such as the Sedition Act are applicable online. The home minister announced the setting up of a "special unit" to monitor the internet, especially for postings that could ignite racial tension and cause disunity. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) formed a special team with the police to handle threats to national security and unity in cyberspace. Meanwhile, special guidelines have been drafted to explain the reach of the
Sedition Act and the PPPA online.

The Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 was also used as a tool against expression online. Malaysiakini and Malaysia Chronicle were investigated for their news reports on Najib's opening speech at the Umno general assembly. Blogger Irwan Abdul Rahman was charged for a satirical post on Tenaga Nasional Berhad. Rocky's Bru blogger Ahirudin Atan was quizzed for his posting of rumours of lucrative Information Ministry contracts involving a minister's son.

Sedition
Arrests and harassment under the Sedition Act also continued. Those arrested include blogger Aduka Taruna and PKR supreme council member Badrul Hisham (known as Chegubard) for postings on royalty. Wee Meng Chee (known as Namewee) was questioned for a YouTube video criticising a principal's alleged racist remarks. MCA president Chua Soi Lek and PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar were questioned over remarks about bumiputera corporate equity and the constitution's Article 153 respectively. A "special team" was set up to investigate Penang imams apparently praying for Lim Guan Eng instead of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. And police reports were lodged against MyConstitution which aims to educate people about the constitution's principles; and against a Shah Alam church for planning to stage a play at the Shah Alam Convention Center during the fasting month.

Najib recently said that "the government has no monopoly over information and the dissemination of information". With the many creative ways in which Malaysians are expressing themselves – whether online, through flash mobs, "cake parties" or open letters, it is clear that it will be impossible for the BN to control everything that is being said about it. But although absolute control of information may not be within its grasp, the BN federal government has certainly demonstrated that it is not willing to relinquish whatever control it still has. And as discussions persist over whether to extend the reach of the PPPA online, it is equally clear that the government will try to extend its control as far as it can in the coming year.

Stifling online press: ‘A useless move’

KUALA LUMPUR: Several Umno leaders today joined forces with their rivals Pakatan Rakyat in criticising a proposal to regulate online media content, describing the move as “useless”.

Pulai MP Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that it was better to counter the “negative elements” in the Internet as well as voters via a strong online government campaign.

“It’s a silly thing to do,” said Nur Jazlan. “Unless we have jurisdiction to control the content outside of the country, the law would be redundant.”

Nur Jazlan, the Pulai MP, is the son of the late Mohamed Rahmat, an Umno veteran and former information minister.

The news that the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA) will be amended soon to expand its scope to include online media content was reported by Bernama yesterday.

Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam said his ministry was looking to redefine the word “publication” to include Internet content, blogs and social network services.

The proposed amendments, he added, would be tabled in Parliament by March this year.

The Facebook and Twitter “revolutions” have given politicians from both sides ample space to disseminate information and campaign without having to rely on traditional media.

“So does this mean they are going to clamp down on them as well?” asked Nur Jazlan.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin was dead set against the move. “It’s ridiculous. We should be moving towards greater freedom,” said the Rembau MP.

Discourse in media freedom shifting

The idea of regulating online content in Malaysia is not new. It has been ongoing since the mushrooming of blogs and online news portals critical of the BN government.

Attempts to curtail its influential growth started with then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who made a similar proposal to the Home Ministry today.

Recently, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim floated the idea of the “Green Dam”, following China’s footsteps in controlling dissidence in the online realm.

The move was purportedly to curb alleged “spreading of lies” and “libellous contents”, but the general public perception was that it was aimed at crushing dissent.

Public and international pressure forced the government to abandon the idea.

Like his Umno peers, former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said it was not necessary to regulate online media content but stressed the need to strengthen existing law, chiefly the Sedition Act, to crack down on “rumour mongers”.

“It is also impossible to regulate. The future of media is in the likes of Facebook and Twitter. You can’t regulate these things,” he said.

The discourse on media freedom in Malaysia has seen a drastic shift in recent years.

In the past leaders in the ruling coalition would have agreed to such a move in a whiff, but now they agree that free competition of ideologies would help restore Malaysia’s democratic image in the
international arena.

However, Pakatan leaders like PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang and the DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok remain convinced that nothing has changed with BN.

They said that the move to amend the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 was “another measure to further stiffle the voice of the people and tighten government control”.

Press freedom: Malaysia's plunge a surprise

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's drop in the 2010 Press Freedom Index (PFI) rankings has come as a surprise to many local media observers.

The PFI rankings which take into account 178 countries, is prepared by French-based press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Malaysia's fall to 144th place was unexpected, especially when it had moved up a notch last year. This year, it dropped 10 notches to mark its lowest rankings in nine years.

“I am a little surprised,” said Southeast Asia Media Legal Defence Network (SEAMLDN) project coordinator H Dipendra, in response to Malaysia's drop.

“At the very least, I thought we would be able to maintain our ranking. However in the past year, the government has done little to suggest that steps are being taken to ensure and promote a freer press.

“All we have is a little lip service about 'free press',” he said adding that it would be difficult for Malaysia to rise through the PFI rankings, if it did not take steps to address the problem.

Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive officer, Masjaliza Hamzah, said the drop was predictable given Malaysia's consistency in the charts.

“Malaysia has always been at the bottom one-third of the Press Freedom Index,” she said.

Others have improved

Masjaliza said that other countries may have done better in terms of press freedom this year, pushing Malaysia (who has been stagnant) further towards the bottom.

“If other countries improved (in the PFI rankings), then you'll be pushed down,” she said.

Masjaliza also blamed the drop to non-state actors such as right-wing Malay rights NGO Perkasa and Jaringan Melayu Muda (JMM) and their repeatedly call to use the Sedition Act against media practitioners.

A few days ago, a group of Jaringan Melayu Muda (JMM) members demonstrated outside The Malaysian Insider's office in Kuala Lumpur.

The protestors were allegedly unhappy with the online portal's coverage of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

This has prompted local regulatory body, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to initiate an investigation into JMM's claims.

Cyberspace attacks were also noted as common, with FMT and popular blogsite Malaysia-Today overwhelmed by hackers.

Dipendra said that it was difficult to justify if the government's current stance on the media was better than it was during former PM Dr Mahathir (Mohamad)'s era.

“The drop in index suggests that we are regressing rather than progressing,” he said.

More access now
However, Dipendra admitted that Malaysians had more access to information now than compared to Mahathir's era.

A thorn in many a newspaper's side, Mahathir's administration was peppered with media-unfriendly actions, including the infamous Operation Lalang, which saw the revoking of several publishing licenses.

“During Dr Mahathir's time, journalists were more afraid to push the envelope, therefore there were less violations against the media,” Masjaliza said.

She also said that it was unnecessary for Malaysians to muse if Najib's stance on the media was better than Mahathir's.

“We shouldn't be comparing Najib against someone who was in power for 22 years. We don't want to make comparisons where the benchmark is so low,” she said.

“When Najib first came into power, he said that the media was going to be (in a) better (shape),” she said.

“It's not necessarily better, although the rhetoric seems to be better.”

Joining in the rhetoric, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin issued recently a warning to the media recently saying that it was not free to do as it liked. Ironically, he said this at a media liberalisation forum.

Futile to ban newspapers, says Najib

The Sun
by Zakiah Koya

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19, 2010): The prime minister believes that press freedom is crucial to national development. As such, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said banning newspapers would be counter-productive and a futile exercise.

"Malaysia’s position is that we support press freedom and a responsible press. Without free media, the world cannot be as integrated as it is today.

"Restricting freedom and holding back globalisation in any way that would be counter-productive and a futile exercise – banning newspapers would be essentially futile,– Najib said when closing The Creation of a Global Citizen: Media Liberalisation and New Political Realities forum today, held ahead of the Umno annual general assembly which starts on Thursday.

The forum was attended by 22 political parties from 21 countries and Umno clubs.

Najib said it was vital to ensure that the media carried and amplified the voices of reason. "Such voices must be carried in much more assertive manner – responsible voices must be louder."

Defining "global citizens" as "individuals who are part of a community but have a sense that they are bigger and broader than their own town and nation", Najib said the main challenge facing global citizens was the rise of extremists which had managed to come together due to the advance of internet and information technology.

"Whether we like it or not, IT has made us all global ctizens," said Najib, stressing that the problem was not between different religions but "between extremists of different faiths".

"What we need to do as a globalised solution, is to re-isolate the extremists of all faiths. Make voices of the moderates to be louder in the media and the Internet, with voices of leaders of different faith.

"If we allow extremists to dictate, the outcome is that we will not resolve the situation," he said.

He also said that globalised trade and commerce had tied economies so close together that "a crisis anywhere is a crisis everywhere".

"Globalised travel has brought about globalised disease and globalised environment degradation. Misinformation, lies and hatred have never spread more quickly and been more damaging than ever before," he said.

"As long as there is open democracy, there is freedom of the press – of course with limitations – as long as the limitations are not suffocating.

"We cannot be too judgmental in what is good and what is bad for the country – as long as the outcome is a nation that is progressing and the people are well off.

"It is tempting to talk about the good old days when life was simpler but the option is to move forward and face the challenges," he said.