It’s rare to see Malaysia’s traditional press give the federal opposition, Pakatan Rakyat, a fair hearing. Ding Jo-Ann imagines what it would be like if our media produced fair and honest coverage of the political parties and their candidates during the next general election.
New Straits Times
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The threat of foreign funding
Why don’t civil society organisations register as societies in Malaysia, resorting instead to being listed as companies? And don’t Malaysians deserve to be suspicious of groups which are highly critical of the government and which are propped up by foreign funding? The Nut Graph speaks to political scientist Wong Chin Huat on the still-unfolding issue of Malaysian groups and their foreign funding, and the threats they potentially pose to the nation.
Looking beyond the Chua-Lim debate
MUCH has been said about the 8 July debate between DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. The debate, titled “Whose policies benefit the country more?”, drew conflicting responses. For example, theSun reported that “Lim went on the offensive”, while Malaysiakini said it was Chua who took […]
The print media’s failures in Bersih 3.0
IT’S been all about Bersih 3.0 this past week. Stories, tweets, photographs and videos have been shared. And numerous reports have been published by the national press. And yet, anybody reading just the national print media would be left with an incomplete picture of one of the most historic moments in Malaysia’s political development. Ding Jo-Ann shows how the press in Malaysia failed readers in their coverage of Bersih 3.0.
Believing in Malaysia
AWARD-winning journalist Zainon Ahmad is a story-teller. He has many stories because he has been reporting from the frontlines for more than 30 years. He joined the New Straits Times in 1978 and rose through the ranks to become the paper’s assistant group editor in 1997. From the mid- to late 1980s, he was made […]
Umno leaders’ advice on racial remarks
WHEN racist remarks are made against non-Muslim non-Malay Malaysians, Umno leaders call for calm and for these citizens not to be “clouded by emotions”. But when non-Malay Malaysians raise legitimate demands for fair and equitable treatment, they are told that Malay Malaysians are “sensitive”, prone to “uneasiness and anger”, and should not be provoked. Is Umno saying that non-Malay citizens’ feelings are less important, and that Malay citizens are less capable of restraint?
Receiving live bullets “comes with the job”?
SHOCK and outrage were expressed by many when DAP Member of Parliament (MP) Tony Pua received a death threat in the form of a live bullet and note on 11 Aug 2010. Such threats are unacceptable and should be thoroughly investigated and stopped. But according to one senior editor, receiving death threats is “part of an MP’s job”.
Ronnie Liu’s wriggle
THE fiasco over support letters has put Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liu in a tight spot. To shift the spotlight away from himself, he has appealed to his political colleagues to focus on fighting the Barisan Nasional instead.
Reporting on Sibu
Investigating frontpage stories after the Sibu by-election… (© clarita | morguefile.com) (Corrected at 5.55pm, 18 May 2010) THE day after Sibu fell to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in a closely-watched and fought by-election, what kind of frontpage stories greeted Malaysians in the press? With some newspapers relegating the news of the week to a second […]
Can children marry?
“If the syariah court grants the marriage, there is no reason for anyone, not even the civil courts, to question the sanctity of the marriage.” SELANGOR mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid, stating that syariah courts could hear applications to approve marriages involving Muslim girls under 16. Currently, Islamic family law allows girls 16 and […]
