By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today
FMT EXCLUSIVE: Kee Thuan Chye belongs to the old school of journalism. One that upholds a syllabus of integrity, critical thinking and reporting without fear or favour.
And in a time when the media is heavily pressured to foster the right political alignment, 56-year-old Kee is grateful to have hung up his journalist hat.
Kee's journalistic career spanned a noteworthy 32 years throughout which he graced the seats of editor and associate editor of the country's two main English dailies.
But these high-ranking positions paled in comparison to the social responsibility that he believed a newspaper should undertake and which he was prevented from executing.
“Mainstream journalism today is worse than it was during my time,” he deplored. “Everything is controlled now. Editors get calls from the Home Ministry and have to apologise. You can't say anything unflattering about a minister. And I blame (former prime minister) Mahathir (Mohamad) for this.”
“During his time there was a running joke in the newsroom that all Mahathir needed to do was f**t and it would make for 20 paragraphs on the front page. He started this whole rot and the media has deteriorated since. So what journalism is there left?”
When prompted to answer his own question, Kee replied that he didn't know what to say. But of course he did. And when he leaned forward with an answer, he didn't bother mincing his words.
“Mainstream journalism is a PR rag that serves the government, provides entertainment and spins the news in a manner that hurts the opposition,” he said forcefully. “It saddens me. Young reporters entering the profession are being taught the wrong values.”
“This is why we should be grateful for the emergence of online media. It is a godsend in bringing alternative news and truth to the people. And we need this because we're not yet ready for total neutrality or developmental journalism.”
Kee explained that developmental journalism is one that is geared towards the development of a country but not at the expense of being constructively critical.
Unfortunately, he added, it had become a dirty word in Malaysia for its propensity to unearth the unsavoury details of parties and politicians.
“But let's not forget that criticism also spurs development,” he said. “The problem with our mainstream journalists is that they're not even questioning which is the first step towards being critical.”
Kee has allowed his critical eye to roam beyond newsprint and onto the stage in the form of plays. In many circles he is known as a journalist, playwright, actor and poet.
“I'm a dabbler,” he chuckled in response to which of those roles best fit him. “I dabble in many areas which is why I haven't mastered anything.”
But that's where he's wrong. Kee has mastered the art of seeking the truth and in the process, he has discovered his own answers to the questions that hang over our nation.
On the education system
“The government needs well-educated people if it wants to realise the goals of its Economic Transformation Program (ETP). And the graduates we are producing today are not up to scratch.
The government has spent the past decades lowering the standards of education and the passing mark in order to pass more students. And for what?
They are hopeless graduates who can't even hold themselves during an interview. And then they have to undergo re-training which incurs more cost.
I don't see any signs at the moment of the education system being revamped for the sake of improvement. And in any case it's going to take a long time for it to be hauled up to a certain level. So things don't look very hopeful right now.”
On Talent Corp's role in stemming brain drain
“It's a tall order. Who in their right mind, having made it overseas, would want to come back to uncertainty? And how would they know that they would get to be on a level playing field?
A friend in Washington said that where he works everything is based on meritocracy but he cannot expect the same if he were to return home. The government is desperate now and is going to try everything it can to bring well-educated, well-qualified Malaysians home.
It should be given a chance to exhaust every avenue but as far as I'm concerned, these are still dreams. (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) is a damn good dream merchant. If he wasn't the prime minister, he would be a salesman.”
On ketuanan Melayu
“Ketuanan Melayu has been abused and interpreted according to the whims and fancies of the ruling party in order to suit their agenda. It claims that questioning Ketuanan Melayu is akin to questioning the royalty. That's nonsense!
The royalty's position is already enshrined in the constitution. You cannot question it. And no right thinking non-Malay who has been conditioned to be subservient would question the constitution.
But we question the existence of ketuanan Melayu when equality of all citizens is also enshrined in the constitution. My contention has always been that there is a contradiction in the constitution itself which our founding fathers overlooked.
If you take away the whole notion of ketuanan Melayu and just accept that all Malaysians are equal because the constitution states so, then there won't be an issue. Then it will be ketuanan rakyat as PKR said.
Politicians have been using ketuanan Melayu to play to the gallery. They say different things to the Malays and the non-Malays, and then they go to their Malay mainstream media and spread all kinds of nonsense and racial propaganda. Now that is being anti-national.”
On the younger generation
“I always have hope for the younger generation but they must be well-educated politically. They must know what is right for the country and mustn't become absorbed by the system. They must not be sold on the illusions sold by the incumbent ruling party.
An they shouldn't waste their opportunity to vote. What they need to do is study the options carefully and ask themselves which of the two would give them a better hope for the future, for change and for the better.
Do they want to stay with an incumbent that has a baggage of corruption and finds difficulty in reforming itself because there are so many warlords running the show? Or do they want to have a newbie who is untested but without quite as heavy a baggage?
They should also ask themselves why the ruling coalition is still founded on race-based parties and if they still want such parties to dominate the political scene.”
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