China Press in lonely fight for justice
After the sacking [or demotion, depending on how you look at it]
of the top two China Press editors, some groups have organised
some activities to protest the government's action.
A candlelight vigil was held outside the China Press building
last Friday. Neither I nor any senior DAP leaders were able to
attend,because all of us were at the leadership retreat in
Cameron Highlands. While we were not there, our spirits and
thoughts were with the paper and its staff.
Last night I was invited to speak at a forum on the China Press
issue organised by Merdeka Review and Human Rights Committee of
the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
Reports on the forum were only carried by Oriental Daily,
Merdeka Review and Malaysiakini. The meeting room was huge and
the presence of only about 40 members of the public was a bit
disappointing. None of the Chinese papers sent their reporters
to cover the event which means none of these papers dare to
carry news of the event except for internet media.
The poor turnout for such an important event shows members of
public are still dependent on mainstream media for info. Without
the cooperation of the media, most activities by civil society
won't go very far too.
However, we had a fruitful discussion on the Squatgate Scandal
and analysis on Pak Lah regime and the way the media is now
controlled. Most panellists expressed disappointment over MCA
and the government over the China Press issue. One former
journalist said the Pak Lah-led administration controlled the
press in a more subtle manner. He has monthly meeting with
editors of all local media. He also used Prima Media to buy over
control of all mainstream media.
Some "disobedient" journalists from the Malay media have been
transferred out of KL, mainly to Kelantan, to write nonsense
about the PAS-led government
I see the sacking of the editors as a face-saving measure by
UMNO and the police. After the Squatgate Commission was told the
victim in the MMS clip was a Malay, it created resentment and
unhappiness among many in UMNO. They were grumbling over how a
minister was misled and had to go to China to apologise.
The police were cross and not at all happy over the publicity
generated over the Chinese nationals' complaints as well as
Squatgate. The UMNO guys were unhappy that the issue was exposed
by the Opposition, that it gained so much publicity and that it
affected the relations between China and Malaysia.
As Pak Lah had to pacify his own troops and the police, the
Internal Security Ministry went hunting for a scapegoat. They
could have gone for either me or the Chinese media, but since I
have never said the victim was a Chinese national, I couldn't be
blamed. China Press which has made the blunder in its caption of
the nude squat photo in its evening edition on 23rd November
2005, became the target.
The forum agreed the sidelining of the China Press editors was a
warning to the press to not stray from the government's
position. Both speakers and audience who spoke last night
regretted the racial line taken by Utusan Malaysia and other
Malay media. They want to know why the Malay press put a racial
slant on the issue.
It is beyond stupid that no MCA leaders, as owners and leaders,
spoke up for China Press and it was left to the DAP and civil
societies to defend it.
Nothing much would have been achieved through the forum. We were
preaching to the converted. In its lonely hours, maybe China
Press and its staff will start to realise who their real friends
are.
When the government cracks the whip, many journalists
shamelessly look the other way and won't even extend their
colleagues a helping hand, or a silent "We care" whisper. We
regret the National Union of Journalists did not take up the
matter and voice its protest.
At the end of the day, most of the journalists here are cowards
with a conscious preference for ricebowl journalism over
everything else.
China Press in lonely fight for justice
, teresa kok's
blog
About the author:
Teresa Kok Suh Sim Party: Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Occupation: Member of Parliament (Seputeh), second term
Party position: Publicity Secretary of DAP, National Secretary
of DAP Wanita & Member of Disciplinary Committee
Position held in Parliament:
i) Member of Parliament Select Committee on Review of Penal Code
& Criminal Procedure Code,
ii) Secretary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar
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