Will Journalists Walk for Press Freedom?
There's only ONE way to ensure that what happened to Tamil Osai (Makkal Osai's publication permit renewed) does not happen again: Repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act (read here).
And it won't happen if the journalists themselves don't want it to happen.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Makkal Osai's back!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Call me lazy, UMNO chauvinist ke or whatever but may I ask one thing, How many walks ler you guys want to do. Protest la style lain pulak. LRT protest ke apa ke.
ReplyDeleteAllright enough of talking cock.
Maybe before we all get excited for this walk how about finding out why Makkal Osai got into trouble in the first place?
Yes yes I know freedom of speech press bla bla and all that and I am all for it, though I may be a bit lazy to walk. But out of curiosity, why did they get into this fiasco?
After May 13, its all Malay, Malay and the NEP.
ReplyDeleteNow after Hindraf demonstration, its all Indian, Indian and marginalization.
What is the Chinese contribution to make Malaysia is better place for all?
Please view things in the Malaysian perspective and save the Chinese Malaysians the need to do something about it.
Thank God Makkal Osai is back!!
ReplyDeleteAt least it's an opportunity for the MM journos to venture elsewhere :)
Given the current BAD scenario people speak about the paper...guess Anthony Vengadesan and his sidekicks Bill Taik-jiu and Frankie Goes to Hollywood are determined to kill the paper. red alert..red alert!!
Press on for basic press freedom
ReplyDeleteTo write freely on God's kingdom
Banning to become rare or seldom
Pop-shots taken no longer random
(C)Samuel Goh Kim Eng
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Thur. 24th April 2008.
Salam brader,
ReplyDelete1. The day after tomorrow is my favourite movie.
2. If DSAI become a PM, i want to see him to stop the permit to Utusan Malaysia.
3. Lets them produce their own news paper 'Utusan Keris'.
http://www.penyokong-kj.blogspot.com
more interestingly, The Malay Mail is also back.any comments bro Rocky? link below
ReplyDeletehttp://www.themalaysianinsider.com/mni/malay-mail-to-be-political-sheet.html
Be careful on what you wish Rocky! The reason for Printing Presses and Publication Act is such that no particular racist group will not use our so-called freedom of expression to fan and incite racial animosity. This is a sad country indeed where races do not know the meaning of the word protocol and decorum and where where races do not know or do not want to know where they stand or their station in life and society is. This is not America and we do not have Martin Luther King here but just bad and unhappy people with unhappy childhood who have been watching to much and too many HBO, Starmovie and Cinemax movies. Snap out of it or are we morons ready for bloodshed?! because I don't, do you?
ReplyDeleteI will walk, bro. I am willing to weather chemical laced water to bring that media freedom (NOT absolute) back. Let's walk.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Dr Mahathir denied during the BBC hardtalk that the Act was amended during his time to include the annual licensing clause.
Mahathir mudah lupa!! The permit requirement was always there but the annual licensing requirement was introduced in 1987 after Ops lallang.
Forgive you Dr M, you are going to be 83. You memory is being challenged.
this is a good letter, came out in Star today. something we should all think about.
ReplyDeleteSir,
I note with contempt that those who once denounced blogs and blogging as the idle work of malcontents must now eat their words.
I am, however, distrustful of the new importance many of us place on blogs--especially the temptation to view them as contributing to the Barisan Nasional's relatively disappointing performance in the latest general elections, and the erroneous corollary that blogs are therefore a political panacea.
We tend to forget that, like the traditional media, blogs are merely a medium of communication. While they are certainly a useful tool of citizen journalism, whether or not they are influential depends on what their authors have to say.
The medium in this case is certainly not the message: If, for example, it is true that one's comments in the newspapers are on the order of bat-droppings, then bat-droppings they will remain in cyberspace.
A blog-post, however factual or accurate it might be, is therefore no more than a private opinion made public, and comments on blogs--often the source of controversy--are yet more opinions heaped upon it. What ends up being said can lie equally in the realm of abject fantasy as it does in fact, and the responsibility of distinguishing the two lies solely with the reader. Whether or not this responsibility can be satisfactorily borne by a reader depends fully on his or her intellectual maturity.
It is in this area that the traditional media, such as this newspaper, will in the long run maintain the upper hand. Their ability to report unbiased fact, and well-considered opinion, should be the foundation of their credibility. Meanwhile, those tempted to jump on the blogging bandwagon should remember the bat-dropping metaphor and themselves this: If no one listened to you before, why should they now?
U-En Ng
Kuala Lumpur
Diorang ni tak nak ajak Queen walk sekali ke??kecik hati dia nanti
ReplyDeleteJust another flip flop day for the lame duck PM ...
ReplyDeleteRepeal? NO
A better administration or even more transparent application of the law? YES
Simon Wee,
I emphatise ... plse not forget NEP had a national agenda but is conveniently over shadowed by this perpetual "whats in it for me" oppositions for the whole of its 1970-90 existence.
Ah hell, since Tun Tan Cheng Lok days, the pervading attitude of the time was the same "whats in for me" argument. The loud voice is heard by Immigrants who are not citizen then.
The traditional people and sovereign granted them citizenship under a beri-paksa (to quote Tengku Fariz) by the fucking Brit.
Nevertheless, the traditional people and sovereign (plus the the orang asli who is part of the KSS 1946 gathering) compromised. A constitution laid out and the citizenship.
And this Hindraf has the cheeck to specifically seek to suspend the Constitution. Thats ISA but why are are many defending them?
Is Syed Hamid Albar going to explain what the "breach in guidelines" was that caused Makkal Osai's license not to be renewed in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI have this nagging suspicion that it was because of the connotation of the word "makkal".
All of us should have right to voice out our thought on government wrong doings. We appointed them, they were not born leaders. If the government wants to act like dictators, we might as well appoint the sultans to be our leader and he alone will appoint his ministers because all this time we pay the sultans and his kerabat allowance which is from our tax money.
ReplyDeleteI've walked walks before -- last year, three walks..
ReplyDeleteSo, I'll walk for this!
This is Makkal's power.I think the Federal govt.is intentionally trying to flex their muscle to clamp down on opponent who opposes to their "bodek policy".
ReplyDeleteWhy? To frustrate any moves by States to issue letters to Makkal Osai to print, publish on their behalf and thereby circumventing the PPPAct?
ReplyDeleteBro,
ReplyDeletea) SHA has not come clean on this Makkal Osai about-turn in eventually granting a renewal. He's flexing his bristles as a new broom in the ministry to see how far things can go with the PPPA guidelines. He's definitely fidgeting with his responses to the MSM who unfortunately let him off too easily.
b) Now, let's assume that the top editors of the MSM rags represent 10% of their fraternity while the downline 90% are 'subservient' because they do not have any control on editorial oversight on what gets published.
Can we not highlight these 10% lot with the angle that they are living on BN crutches (ala UMNO's NEP) and are gainfully benefiting from the sweat put in by real journalists? In other words, shred every single editorial piece from the MSM. .
Bloggers have put 'bad' politicians in the Net-spotlight and I think the same can be done with these political machais as well.
Similarly, it's incumbent for PR MPs to bring up PPPA in parliament with the view of incorporating a divestment of any political equity within the fourth estate establishments. Let's see if AAB can truly hold his word about transparency within the MSM.
Ultimately, as we seek to have separation of powers for the judiciary, the fourth estate should be free as well whereby journalists are able to write "the news as the first draft of history".
Then, perhaps, the journos will walk or take the LRT to work wearing yellow t-shirts.
Bro,
ReplyDeleteI strongly support any effort to uncover corruptions and wrong doings within umno-bn govt, doesn't matter if it comes in malay, tamil or mandarin language.
sinatra umnoputra sila bangun dari tidur. the record shows the umnoputra goverment has always feared from an independent or non-BN testicle carrying Press. as of such the banning of Makkal Osai is the banning of every newspaper in this country.
ReplyDeletewell, as an umnoputra breast feeder i doubt you have the capicity to fathom that. most umnoputras weid kerises to tell the rest of us that their libido is still functioning.
so encik sinatra, sila buat kajian tentang sejarah umno dengan tradisi mereka dengan media di negara ini.
malaysians will no longer lay down and play dead any longer. so wake up and smell the teh-tarik. Indian bashing, and temple demolition, fored conversions and other violations will only put the nail on Umnon and Barisan's coffin.
encil sinatra, i suggest you prepare a funeral digre for Umno and Barisan. just watch it crumble like a datuk exposed for sexual tirade.
Rocky Bro,
ReplyDeleteCan some legal mind confirm that a state government have the right to issue permit to print under PPPA. If this is possible, then we don't have to worry about Non Renewal again!
May be the BN know about the loop hole and immediately renew the license for Makkal Osai.
Should not allow them the cheap and free publicity.
Shiok Guy
P/S: Do visit the Art Exhibition call Artists with Autism 2008, at The Pavilion today. Today is the last day.
here are some info:
http://shiokguy.blogspot.com/2008/04/art-exhibition.html
The letter posted by Anonymous 12:59 pm makes a very important point, namely that blogs should not be trusted blindly as a source for truth or balanced information. There is a grain of truth in the author's claim that blogs can often be amplified private opinions. And it is because of the far-reaching nature of blogs that responsibility and thoughtfulness in blogging is crucial, especially given the Malaysian context (i.e., its society characterised by people of various races and religions and the importance of fostering social harmony and fair discourse).
ReplyDeleteFor instance, there are Malaysian bloggers with bigoted or extreme views who can inflame racial hatred or suspicion amongst the readers, an examplary of which is http://www.barkingmagpie.blogspot.com/).
On the other hand, a balanced, principled, people-uniting blog upon which confidence can be placed would be Haris Ibrahim's blog (http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/).
The contrast between the views, motives and tones of these two blogs cannot be starker.
We should appeal to blog readers to apply good judgement and wisdom when taking in information written in blogs. Readers should be able to differentiate blogs that are written accurately, with evidence, and in good faith, and those written with extreme passion or chauvinism, insecurity or fear.
I'll walk for a freer press. No one should be given arbitrary powers to stop public discourse.
ReplyDelete-vanitha-
Dear Suaramalaysia, first of all thank you for being the stereotypical rapid opposition supporters, you were just what I had always imagined. Oh and guess what, very much similar to the other UMNO rabid supporters I saw on recent talks too.
ReplyDeleteRight,
Back to what I was asking, why did Makkal Ossai got into trouble in the first place? Apart from the
bla bla bla UMNO thing, what did they do? Because before I start shouting profanities to the government I would like to know if indeed Makkal Ossai is worth it. If indeed out of the blue moon Makkal Ossai was taken action for no credible reason then by all means I will walk as well, in fact I will also drive, take the LRT and even buy goreng pisang for Makkal Ossai.
Because something like this has happened before. I initially thought that things were indeed that bad and got swept with the Internet trend. Even went to Jalan Ampang even though I was not invited. Then lo and behold, the true face comes forward.
So enough with the anti UMNO rhetorics. I am sorry for thinking critically, but I have learned since I was eleven that never believe anything you read from an Internet and always double check it.
I am not those idiots who like some of you sir's who would swallow just everything that RPK writes. For that is just as similar as those Zombies whom you claim read only Utusan and NST.