A senior editor from the mainstream media told me today that he feared "the time is just right for Ops Lalang".
"And this time they surely will include the internet/bloggers. And of course the obligatory slap on the wrist for NST. Notice how many times in the past few days the media has been mentioned in not so good light," he said.
He went on to list "a few things going on that will serve as good ingredients for Ops Lalang 2".
There were 7:
RRenegade editors making Putrajaya look bad
AArticle 11
DDr M's Roadshow
PPepper spray
PPublic dismay/disgust over lame Putrajaya leadership
CCans of worms coming out, eg suspect business deals
UUnbridled web news."
Lame excuses for trying to act not lame, if you ask me. But sure makes you wish you were a blogger or a renegade editor, not both.
Sdr Rocky,
ReplyDeleteDo Not Spook The People
Pardon me for saying that it’s not a good idea to spook the public with loose talks about the repeat of Operasi Lalang.
Before you and anybody else start legitimizing an Operasi Lalang-type of action, it's wise for you to understand the 1987 Operasi Lalang and the background leading to it.
We are nowhere near the 1987 explosive situation. I was there. I was Group Editor of Berita Harian then. We are not even near the 1998 reformasi street protest.
So please be judicious when making reference to Operasi Lalang.
Even then the publication of some newspapers were suspended not under the ISA but under the Printing Presses and Publications Act.
The government can act on the newspapers and other media organizations without resorting to ISA. It does even have to use the Printing Presses Act. Its power of persuation is potent enough.
We should be nurturing freedom and responsibility and not spreading fear, doom and gloom.
The PM had clearly said at this week’s media conference in Putrajaya that he was all for freedom with responsibility, and promised not to be hasty in acting against the Press. I was there listening to him!
Also you should not equate the removal of editors and the censuring of newspapers with law and order action as manifested by the 1987 Operasi Lalang.
Thank You.
Lalang pun lalang lah bro...what to do. Better stay in jail than watch the state-sponsored comedians in action everyday. Can you imagine Mr Khairy shouting Condoleeza Rice to go home...and later at night meet his father in law who was primarily responsible for bringing Ms Rice here? Maybe they'd have supper together and Khairy would ask Abdullah..."So what song did Rice play on the piano?" And Abdullah would tell his son in law, "waaah..you lost your voice man...shouted so loud aa?" Aaaallll this while Israel is lining up the entire border with Lebanon with Merkava tanks. Come on laa...kalau berani sangat what don't UMNO Youth just rent an AirAsia plane and go fight in Lebanon? Kalau setakat jerit jerit slogan saja itu my old mother yang ada kencing manis pun boleh bikin.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up Bru. At least here in the blogsphere we can disagree with each, respect one another's view and practice the right of reply that is not found in the newspapers like the NST (Now Sakit Time) and Berita Harian (or Betita Hairan?) Haha....many beritas today are menghairankan.
ReplyDeleteKadir has a point. Situation today is not as bad as in 1987. But it can be if we are not careful.
But there are other ways of maintaing law and order other than using ISA and closing down newspapers. I say, sack the editors man! Why burn the net, spray the mosquitoes.
Zam, Kadir, Munir, Samad Mahadi and Shiv were all "sacked" from their jobs in one way or another. Sack Kali, Brendan, Hisham and Hoo Kay Tat! Why close down their newspapers? The newspapers are not guilty.
Ops Lalang started with Chinese school issue championed by MCA but was hijacked by the DAP. The MCA was split. Economy was recovering from recession. Mahathir was deemed weak. Tengku Razaleigh and Musa gand up to challenge Mahathir. The Umno Youth responded to Chinese demand. Held a fiery rally in Kg Baru. Najib was the ringleader. A lone soldier shot up Chow Kit. A Malay man died and Chinese man injured. Rumours abound. Parents kept their children away from school......the rest is history. Do not let history repeat itself.
ReplyDeleteDato' Kadir,
ReplyDeleteThe issue of primary concern today is religious discontent, and it can quickly turn explosive.
Feelings are running high on both the Muslim and non-Muslim sides.
Look out for the Federal Court's decision on the Lina Joy case -- it will be a historic day, for one reason or another.
D Dr M's Roadshow
ReplyDeletehttp://malaysiancartoons.blogspot.com/2006/07/taking-breather-at-loaf.html
The only current issue which I think is highly explosive is the IFC/ Article 11 but fortunately AAB has at last acted before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the rest are highly contentious too, I think there are subtle and "civil" ways/ options to manage them, if that is what the administration wants to. It should be ok IF AAB is consistent and does not apply double-standards. i.e one for the "views" which are agreeable with him/ government etc and another for the rest.
As for the Editors, it is not too much for our people to expect certain degree of patriotism from Malaysian newspapers/ media. However if everything is one-way street (liberalisation, globalisation, US/ western aping, Singapore agenda), then it will be extremely difficult even for the most progressive of Malays/ Muslims in this country to simply unquestionably accept spins after spins...
The Malay Agenda/ Muslim Agenda in
this country is inextricably linked to the National Agenda. Stop pretending otherwise under the pretext of liberal western values just because by doing so, our media may on the surface look wiser and enlightened (on par with so-called advanced countries).
there are some uneasy feeling on the ground. The lost of rights(some) by the non Malays and the over zealousness of some Malays as far as religion is concerned.
ReplyDeleteHowever the other issue is there is some things that have been built on lies. and these lies have been or being exposed, mainly by bloggers. So this could be the main reason to have an Operasi, which will be used to keep the truth away from the rakyat but the issues among Malays and non-Malays will be used as an excuse for the Operasi.
Datuk Kadir,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your enlightening piece.
You are older than me.Perhaps, wiser.
But you are not the only one who knows about Ops Lalang.
We were all alive, and kicking when Ops Lalang happend. Some of our friends, colleagues/compatriots were among those tsrgeted.
We would not wish for another Ops Lalang -- God Forbid!
Having said that... I dont think Rocky bro is trying to spook the public with "loose talks" about the repeat of Ops Lalang. Neither he is spreading doom and gloom.
"We are nowhere near the 1987 explosive situation", you say.Maybe.
What is happening now, Datuk, is that bloggers like you, Rocky, Jeff OOi, RPK -- have sent the shivers to some people.
You have exposed some very real issues here. Malaysians are every aware of what is going on.
Bloggerslike you have got credibility.
You know certain people are feeling the heat. These are people in powerful positions and have influence over the PM.
At stake is not just politics, sir. It is billions of ringgit in business investment etc...
Yes, indeed, you heard the PM said some very encouraging things. That was then.
Tomorrow, somebody else whispers something to him -- and that would be a different story.
I love my PM. He is a good and decent man. I can't say the same for the people around him.