My version of the truth

No Holds Barred
Malaysiatoday
(...) Now, on the second point about the government needing to protect people from lies and making sure that they are given the truth, this is again something we most welcome and would certainly be prepared to meet him to talk about it in greater depth. Maybe he can join us at the National Press Club or some other suitable venue for a night of fellowship, two cases of wine, and ten crates of beer. Knowing the members of the Press Club who are heavy boozers, I am confident that most Bloggers and members of the media would be extremely happy to join him in this fellowship, especially if the wine and beer flows non-stop.

On a more serious note though, there are some very alarming news coverage coming from what the Minister would call the ‘mainstream media’, which borders on rabble-rousing and sabre-rattling and would most certainly fall within the ambit of a crime under Malaysia’s Sedition Act. I have been monitoring the government-controlled media and it absolutely perturbs me that they appear unaware of the adage ‘loose lips sink ships’. And, of late, there are undoubtedly many loose lips let loose in the government-owned media.

Dear Information Minister, let us get one thing very clear which I hope you will also make clear to the government-owned media. First of all, no Malay states fell to Chinese hands on 8 March 2008 like how they are spinning it in the government-controlled media. What happened was that some Barisan Nasional-led states fell to Pakatan Rakyat, which has now formed the new state governments. Furthermore, it is not about Malays losing political power to the Chinese, also like how the government-controlled media is spinning it. It is a coalition party of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dayaks, etc., losing some of their states and their two-thirds majority in Parliament to another coalition of Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Dayaks, etc.

In short, some political power shifted from the left pocket to the right pocket; that’s all. Anyway, let us, for the sake of argument, go along with the government propaganda and agree that some ‘Malay states’ fell into ‘Chinese hands’ -- even though we know this is not true. Is that so wrong? Where does it say in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia that this should not be allowed? In fact, the Constitution is even silent on whether the Prime Minister must be a Malay or whether a Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak, etc., can become the Prime Minister. Let me enlighten you on the correct term to use here. It is called ‘democracy’, something that still eludes Barisan Nasional. more...