via mark13383.multiply.com
Here's why. For all those who reads the daily papers, we all know about the recent murder of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. It was stated in the papers (in the beginning) that she was shot twice before the assailant blew himself up (which we all know is to make sure she died). However, this very morning I read the papers and something VERY VERY INTERESTING caught my attention on the murder case.
- Pak Lah shocked by killing
- Pakistanis in Msia stunned
- 32 killed in rioting, says official
- Shoot on sight orders issued to cops
- Al-Qaeda said to be behind murder
- Investigators rebuild mangled head
- PM says no change in schedule for Jan 8 elections.
From this list written in the papers, I can already say that the media thinks we're stupid!! Why? Look carefully and read again. Pak Lah shocked by killing, well aren't we all? So no sursprise there. Pakistanis stunned, if I'm one of them I would be too, so nothing special. 32 killed in rioting, is just an official report of what happened. Shoot on sight orders to cops, I have NO IDEA what's that suppose to mean. But.. check out the next one... Al-Qaeda said to be behind murder.. WHAT A DUMBASS STATEMENT!!! Come on!!! PEOPLE OF THE MEDIA AND WHOEVER SAID THAT BULLSHIT, WE'RE NOT IDIOTS!! I'm not a pro Al-Qaeda or a supporter, in fact I'd want them all caught like every other person. However, putting the blame on them is really something I don't think that Al-Qaeda would even be interested in - BECAUSE THEY GAIN NOTHING!!!
Why am I saying this? Because, if you put pieces together and logic the whole situation. The FIRST reason why they are blaming Al-Qaeda is because whoever said that is trying to protect the person who's really behind the whole thing by diverting the publics attention to Al-Qaeda. DO YOU THINK WE'RE THAT STUPID?!! LIKE WTF? In my opinion, this is something someone would do because they are afraid that she will win the elections. And the FIRST person that comes to mind is the person who said it is the current minister. Go figure!!
If anyone out there besides those listed in my multiply account is reading this, go think about it and see if what I say is true and logical. The public has spoken!!
:: The media is there to give us half truth and all lies ::
Dec 29, 2007
Media Thinks We're Stupid
Wooo....everybody being marginalized?
dipetik: fishingmini.blogspot.com
SOOOO TRUE.....LOL
I received this e-mail yesterday. It was hilarious but at the same time soooo true. Nevermind the english but the message was clearly stated. For those who think that the message may be racist, you need to go get your head examined.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN ADVISE FROM THE CHINESE TO INDIANS
Indian was not the only one being marginalize in Malaysia. The Chinese, Kadazan, Iban, Malanau,Orang Asli and even The Malay themselves were being marginalize by UMNO/BN. I'm aChinese yet what I going to said is not a racist stuff yet something which how we Chinese manage to survive.
If you think that the government is helping us, you are dead wrong. Why is our Chinese primary school is so big and some of them were even bigger then the Sekolah Kebangsaan? It was from our donation money. We work like mad to get those money. The government nor the MCA didn't even give us a penny on it. We work like mad to built those school and make them bigger because we believe that good education will bring future to our children. We even hire good teachers from China to teach our student where as the school is paying them (donation money), NOT THE GOVERNMENT.
When our children want to further their studies, do you think UM, UPM or MARA will accept us? Hell not with their stupid quota!! So what do we do? Again we work like mad,borrow money from bank and some even dare to borrow from Ah Long to send our children on board to further their studies. Some might asked why you want to waste those money sending your kids outstation? If you look at the recent world ranking about our local university, you will know why we Chinese send our children away.
You think the Government is sincere in running those local university? Lol, the ranking and the current unemployment rate show a good example of those so call UMNO's University. Back to basic, where do we find the money? Work from the bottom, don't complaint much, be hardworking, and keep in your mind that the government and MCA DID NOT HELP US IN SETTING UP OUR CAREER. We have to learn them ourself, we are not born to be a business man. We are just like everyone, we are NOT special.
People keep complaining that we Chinese is damn rich but do we steal from you? Do we force you to buy our products? Do we force you to make business with us? No cause we do it sincerely and we earn those money with our own hand. So what is the moral of this story? 3 main point!EDUCATION is damn important! Even you have no money to eat, you MUST make sure your children go to school!! Education is their future,you screw them up and your child future is gone! UNITY! Even you see we Chinese support different parties like MCA, Gerakan or DAP, we are united under 1 topic, EDUCATION!
When ever UMNO try to disturb our Primary School, we will stand unite to fight for it even tough we are from different parties! This is why they fail to touch our school even they have try for so many years!And last one is ATTITUDE!! No money to eat? If you have money to smoke, drink 'Samsu' for gambling, you still dare to said you don't have money to eat?? Change your attitude first before you complain about your life. Salary too low? Go get other jobs. There are lots of jobs out there looking for people at school leaver like McDonalds, KFC, stores at shopping complex and many more. Too old for those kind of jobs? Then I really got nothing else to said since you don't have to guts to chance your destiny.Life still MUST GO on even you have been marginalize. We Chinese have learn from it. We teach all our childrenthat the government won't help us, work, money and education future (good career). No work no money and no education no future. A simple yet powerful thoughts that keep we Chinese moving in this country.
No2umnO - So....everybody being marginalized by the government. If Chinese are also being marginalized then why all of you vote BN?
Yuran Hapus, Bayaran Kena!
dipetik: cetusan-hati.blogspot.com
Bayar tetap bayar, walaupun PM telah mengumumkan yuran persekolahan rendah dan menengah akan dihapuskan bermula 2008.
PM tak tipu, tetapi bila sekolah memberitahu pelbagai bayaran tetap dikenakan bila anak masing-masing mendaftar semula awal 2008 nanti, setengah rakyat rasa semacam tertipu. Sekolah beritahu, yuran hapus, bayaran sumbangan kekal. Ada setengah kes, dinaikkan.
Berita Bernama hari ini memetik Menteri Pelajaran mengesahkan pelbagai bayaran di awal penggal persekolahan 2008 akan tetap dikenakan.
"Hishammuddin said the fees abolished included the annual RM4.50 and RM9 fees for primary and secondary students respectively, ...."
RM 4.50 - sekolah rendah dan RM 9.00 untuk sekolah menengah - itu saja yang hapus - kata Hishamuddin.
Rasa segar dengan Budget Pak Lah 2008 bertukar pudar.
Kenapa Menteri Pelajaran tak jelas awal-awal lagi? Cakaplah awal sikit, hapus empat ringgit lebih saja. Empat puluh lebih kena bayar macam biasa.
Taklah ibu bapa rasa dipermain saja.
Rujuk: Ucapan YAB Perdana Menteri - Bajet 2008
Dengan itu, yang tinggal hanya yuran tahunan sekolah rendah dan menengah. Saya juga sukacita mengumumkan, mulai tahun 2008, yuran sekolah ini turut dimansuhkan. Saya juga ingin mengumumkan bahawa bermula sesi persekolahan tahun hadapan, ...
KELUHAN SEORANG BAPA
dipetik: acupofcomfort.blogspot.
Bukan Mudah Nak Sebut
Pernah kah kita cuba menyebut sesuatu kepada seseorang supaya dia dapat memahami apa yang kita sebutkan, tetapi akhirnya apa yang ingin kita sebutkan tak keluar tapi apa yang kita TAK ingin sebutkan pula yang terkeluar...
Aku pun mungkin tergolong dalam kelompok manusia sebegitu. Banyak kali aku practice apa yang aku nak kata tapi akhirnya apa yang dirancang tak keluar dan apa yang tidak terfikir pula yang keluar satu-satu.
Sekarang ni aku menggunakan pendekatan yang lebih pratikal! Bila aku memandu, aku gunakan masa itu itu membayangkan keadaan-keadaan yang bakal berlaku dan cuba melihat segala kemungkinan dari pelbagai perspektif. Contohnya cuti sekolah ni bukan lah masa "bercuti" bagi aku. Banyak perkara yang telah, sedang dan bakal berlaku! Maka setting untuk anak-anak, kewangan perlu disusun supaya semua mendapat benefits!
Masa dalam kereta, aku akan menyusun supaya anak-anak boleh memenuhi masa mereka dengan sepenuhnya! Anisa akan tuisyen di sekolah dari 8 pagi sampai 12.30 tgh. Ketika itu ada tiga lagi di rumah yang juga perlu diisi masa mereka! Mungkin aku akan bawa mereka ke perpustakaan atau pun ke kolam renang. Segala-galanya tentang pengisian supaya masa tidak dihabiskan begitu saja.
Aku sendiri pun penuh dengan jadual tersendiri. Hari Selasa petang aku kena drive ke KL sebab keesokan hari ada mesyuarat di Putrajaya. Lepas mesyuarat ada follow up di Macee. Dalam masa yang sama aku kena buat visa untuk ke India.
Pada 29 November pun ada satu lagi mesyuarat di Putrajaya. Kadang-kadang aku terfikir...apa yang perlu aku buktikan pada diri aku ni? Tak cukup ke kerja yang sedia ada dan aku menambah lagi kesibukan yang sedia ada sibuk.
Kalau dilihat perancangan tahun depan, jika kedua-dua mesyuarat ini berjalan lancar, maka tahun depan akan ada rally seluruh Malaysia dari bulan Mac sehingga Ogos bermula dari Penang dan berakhir di Sarawak.
Mungkin gaji bulan ni akan dihabiskan untuk persediaan keperluan persekolahan anak-anak tahun depan kerana masa ni belum sibuk sepenuhnya. Raya haji pun tak perlu nak berhabisan kerana biasanya persediaan raya puasa digunakan juga untuk raya haji!! Killing two birds with one stone.
Sebelum tutup sekolah aku mendapat maklumat tentang kutipan wang para pelajar. Walaupun buku teks percuma dan yuran persekolahan dimansuhkan tetapi sebenarnya banyak kos persekolahan lain yang melonjak. Kini ibu bapa dibebankan dengan kutipan wang untuk PIBG, kelas komputer, Majalah sekolah, Folio dan kertas peperiksaan yang akhirnya melebihi yuran yang dimansuhkan. Bagi yang tak tahu, yuran yang dimansuhkan itu hanyalah RM 9.00 jer!!!
Sebenarnya kekangan hidup semakin serius!! Apa tidaknya...dengar sahaja percuma buku teks, pelajar diwajibkan membeli buku kerja! Bila yuran sekolah tiada, datang pula kutipan wang untuk benda-benda lain.
Ramai yang terlepas pandang....walau gaji kakitangan kerajaan naik tapi keuntungan sebenar dirasai oleh peniaga dan penjual juga! Sebagai pengguna, kita tidak lebih dari sebiji mentimun...ikut mana pun mesti kena punya....
The 'privatisation' of Allah?
dipetik: uzairsawal.blogspot
The Internal Security Ministry had prohibited the word 'Allah' to be used by non-muslims as 'Allah' refers to the Muslim God. The Herald, published by Malaysia’s Catholic Church, has translated the word God as 'Allah' which is refused publication by the Internal Security Ministry. According to the ministry,
“Christians cannot use the word Allah. It is only applicable to Muslims. Allah is only for the Muslim God. This is a design to confuse the Muslim people,”
Is this really the case where 'Allah' is only for the Muslim god? Let’s have a look at Farish A. Noor arguments - What 'Allah' means?
For a start, the word 'Allah' predates the revelation to the Prophet Muhammad and goes way back to the pre-Islamic era. Christians had been using the word long before there were any Muslims, in fact. Furthermore the word is Arabic, and is thus common to all the peoples, cultures and societies where Arabic - in all its dialects - is spoken, and is understood by millions of Arabic speakers to mean God, and little else. One could also add that as 'Allah' is an Arabic word it therefore has more to do with the development and evolution of Arabic language and culture, and less to do with Islam. It is hard to understand how any religion can have a language to call its own, for languages emerge from a societal context and not a belief system. If one were to abide by the skewered logic of the Minister concerned, then presumably the language of Christianity (if it had one) would be Aramaic, or perhaps Latin.
A poster in Lim Kit Siang’s blog pointed out 3 very good points,
1. The term 'Allah' was in use long before there was Islam religion in the world.
2. The term 'Allah' was used to refer to God by Arabic-speaking Christians before Arabic-speaking Muslims existed.
3. Malaysia is probably the only nation where the use of the term 'Allah' by Christians to refer to their God is prohibited, whereas its use to refer to Christian God has never been prohibited in many countries in the Middle-East and the Americas.
In his Chirstmas speech, Abdullah reminded Malaysians not to allow extremist tendencies to take root and undermine interracial harmony in the country. In fact UMNO has the most extremists and narrow-minded ministers trying to 'reserve' and 'privatise' the word 'Allah' for Muslims.
How could they claimed 'ownership' of the word 'Allah' when Christians are the first to use the word 'Allah'?
When the Malays first reached Tanah Melayu, they unrighfully claimed the ownership of this land, ignoring the true Orang Asli of this land
“I am the first to reach this land, therefore this is my land”
When it comes to the word 'Allah',
“I am not the first to use this word, but this is still my word!”
They privatised God this time!
Do Malaysian Muslims understand what ‘Allah’ means?
No2umnO - Rasanya artikel ni sesuai dibaca oleh Menteri menteri mangkuk kat Malaysia, terutama Johari Baharom.
By Farish A. Noor
At the time of writing this, I am in Cairo in the company of my Egyptian
friends who are Muslims, Catholics and Copts. Eid has passed and I attended
several dinners and celebrations where Muslims and Copts celebrated
together, visiting each others’ homes and ate til we could not eat any
further. What is worse, Christmas is upon us and so once again Muslims,
Catholics and Copts will be heading for the communal table for the communal
feast and there will be much licking of chops, munching of bread, gobbling
of sweet deserts and drinking for everyone. It is all simply too pleasant to
belive, yet it is real and this is what life is like for many in Cairo, the
‘Mother of civilisation’ and home to more than twenty million Egyptians from
all walks of life.
What is most striking to the outside observer like me - though rather banal
for the Egyptians themselves - is the fact that in all these celebrations
ranging from Eid for the Muslims to Christmas for the Catholics and Copts
the word ‘Allah’ is used to denote that supreme and singular divinity, God.
Catholics and Copts alike exclaim ‘Masha-allah’, ‘Wallahi’, ‘ya-Rabbi’,
‘Wallah-u allam’, and of course ‘Allahuakbar’ day in, day out, everywhere
they go. The coptic taxi driver blares out ‘By Allah, cant you see where you
are parking??” as he dodges the obstable ahead. The Catholic shopkeeper
bemoans “Ya Allah, ya Allah! You can only offer me two pounds for the scarf?
Wallahi, my mother would die if she heard that! Ya-Rabbi, ya-Rabbi!”
Yet in Malaysia at the moment yet another non-issue has been brewed to a
scandal for no reason: The Malaysian Catholic Herald, a publication by and
for Catholics in the country, has been told that it can no longer publish
its Malaysian language edition if it continues to use the word “Allah” to
mean God. Worse still, the country’s Deputy Internal Security Minister
Johari Baharum recently stated that “Only Muslims can use the word Allah”
ostensibly on the grounds that “Allah” is a Muslim word. The mind boggles at
the confounding logic of such a non-argument, which speaks volumes about the
individual’s own ignorance of Muslim culture, history and the fundamental
tenets of Islam itself.
For a start, the word ‘Allah’ predates the revelation to the Prophet
Muhammad and goes way back to the pre-Islamic era. Christians had been using
the word long before there were any Muslims, in fact. Furthermore the word
is Arabic, and is thus common to all the peoples, cultures and societies
where Arabic - in all its dialects - is spoken, and is understood by
millions of Arabic speakers to mean God, and little else. One could also add
that as “Allah” is an Arabic word it therefore has more to do with the
development and evolution of Arabic language and culture, and less to do
with Islam. It is hard to understand how any religion can have a language to
call its own, for languages emerge from a societal context and not a belief
system. If one were to abide by the skewered logic of the Minister
concerned, then presumably the language of Christianity (if it had one)
would be Aramaic, or perhaps Latin.
The Minister’s remark not only demonstrated his shallow understanding of
Muslim culture and the clear distinction between Arab culture and Muslim
theology, but it also demonstrated his own lack of understanding of the
history of the Malays, who, like many non-Arabs, only converted to Islam
much later from the 13th century onwards. Among the earliest pieces of
evidence to indicate Islam’s arrival to the Malay archipelago are the stone
inscriptions found in Malay states like Pahang where the idea of God is
described in the sanskrit words ‘Dewata Mulia Raya’. As no Malay spoke or
even understood Arabic then, it was natural for the earliest Malay-Muslims
to continue using the Sanskrit-inspired language they spoke then. Surely
this does not make them lesser Muslims as a result?
The ruckus that has resulted thanks to the threat not to allow the
publication of the Malaysian language edition of the Christian Herald
therefore forces observers to ask the simple question: Why has this issue
erupted all of a sudden, when the word Allah was used for so long with narry
a protest in sight? At a time when the Malaysian government is already
getting flak as a result of the protests by Malaysian Hindus who insist that
they remain at the bottom of the economic ladder despite fifty years of
independence, now it would appear as if the Malaysian government cannot get
enough bad publicity.
The administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came to power on
the promise that it would promote its own brand of moderate Islam that was
pluralist and respectful of other cultures and religions. But time and again
the Malaysian public - first Hindus and now Christians - have felt necessary
to protest over what they regard as unfair, biased treatment and the
furthering of an exclusive brand of Islam that is communitarian and
divisive. The latest fiasco over the non-issue that is the name of God would
suggest that Prime Minister’s Badawi’s grand vision of a moderate Islam has
hit the rocks, and is now floundering. Just how the ministers and elite of
this government is to regain their course is open to question, but what is
clear is that some Ministers should get their basic knowledge of their own
religion in order first.
End.
Dr. Farish A. Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and historian based at
the Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin; and one of the founders of the
http://www.othermalaysia.org research site.
i hate malaysian politics
Friday, December 28, 2007
kantabesar.blogspot
Come on!!!!!!!.The deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,[seriously i hate this guy] impliedly says the mentri besar of Pahang, Dato' Seri Adnan Yaakob,[don't know where he came from maybe kerajaan langit...heheheheh]
was right to make obscene gestures and wriggle his buttocks at the opposition -- one which would land us in court if we did what he did. The poor man, don't you understand, you idiots, was provoked. "So, I was not surprised that he had reacted in the manner he did," he said. What was this grave provocation? Let Dato' Seri Adnan tell you: "They shouted nasty remarks like "hancur Barisan" and "mampus Barisan" (destruction and death to Barisan (National Front). The people must understand, he intoned piously, any statements such as these is "sudden and grave provocation". Besides, he went "in and out of the nomination centre about four times to ensure the situation was under control and that all National Front had enough drinking water".
Further more, the PAS crowd called him a "samseng" (gangster) -- a pardonable assumption since only five months ago, he beat up a PAS supporter at the nomination centre in Bentong in the runup to the General Elections. (But this is not what happened: the crowd, not just PAS supporters, called him "bodoh" (stupid), "samgseng", and worse.") Be that as it may, he still behaved as the honourable mentri besar of Pahang should not. Dato' Seri Abdullah, on the other hand, sees this incident as proof of the opposition's freedom of action. They could load photographs -- taken, as the New Straits Times proudly tells you to divert attention away from it, by "unknown photographers" -- on to the Internet. The photograph can be seen on http://www.harakahdaily.com. Videotapes and blownup photographs of the incident are regularly shown by the PAs campaign. "They should realise they have the freedom in this by-election to conduct their campaigns. They cannot turn around and say the election is not free and fair," he added.
Ah, now we know! The Sanggang byelections is fair because the opposition can upload photographs of the incident on to the Internet. This no doubt is why the mentri besar of Pahang intends to download these photographs to explain to the people of Sanggang why he behaved as execrably as he did. But if indeed the byelections is free as he says it is -- as no doubt he would of the general elections was and, no doubt, the UMNO divisional elections -- why does he have to repeat it at every possible moment? What has the uploading of photographs on to the Internet got to do with campaign freedom? Or is the deputy prime minister telling us, as the Prime Minister is quick to deny, there is censorship of Internet? And that the government has decided, on this occasion, to allow it. But, the speed with which the National Front reacted to Dato' Seri Adnan's provocation does indicate its nervousness at the incident.
However one looks at it, the National Front must be returned in Sanggang which Dato' Abdullah Kia held until he died last month for UMNO's continued health. So, it pulls no stops in the name of a free and fair election. The federal information ministry rushed 70 information officers to keep mosques and suraus untainted by PAS "and to safeguard the integrity of Islam", working no doubt on UMNO's belief of PAS as un-Islamic. But UMNO itself makes no mention of countering the officially termed PAS lies.
The Pahang information director-general, Dato' Zainal Abidin Kadir, says UMNO regarded the by-election as "very important". PAS clearly does not understand this importance: the PAS candidate, the suave lawyer and former National Front MP, Dato' Hishamuddin Yahya, raises local issues in the polls, like the distribution of Felcra shares only to those known to UMNO. This is nothing new. After all, state governments withdraw deposits from banks and cancels professional services from those whose staff is perceived to have campaigned for the opposition. The national agenda is, it would seem, to divide the country into those who support the UMNO leadership and those who do not.
more...
UMNO FITNAH TIDAK APA
Posted by Haniza Talha
Oleh Zulkifli Mohamed
Fitnah terus menjadi amalan Umno Permatang Pauh. Selepas mengedar VCD layang pengakuan paksa Sukma Darmawan, bagi menfitnah Anwar Ibrahim, kini pengikut ‘mazhab Islam Hadhari’ itu menabur ribuan risalah layang memutarbelit kenyataan Anwar, kononnya beliau menyokong tuntutan Hindraf untuk menghapuskan hak istimewa orang Melayu. Saling tak tumpah macam media pembohong milik mereka.
Pada hal, Anwar menyokong hak Hindraf berhimpun secara aman dan menyokong tuntutan hak kaum India yang terpinggir dan tertindas, namun menolak tuntutan Hindraf berkaitan Artikel 153, Perlembagaan Persekutuan tentang hak orang Melayu dan agama Islam.
Nampaknya pembentukan ‘modal insan’ gagal diterjemahkan oleh pemimpin Umno, biarpun dipimpin oleh bekas Imam Masjid Negara, Pirdaus Ismail yang sanggup me- lakukan apa saja untuk menang, hatta menyepak peti undi pada pilihan raya lalu, sepertimana didedahkan di mahkamah oleh tiga orang saksi SPR iaitu Pengurus SPR Negeri Rahim Salleh, Pengurus Pilihan Raya Permatang Pauh, Muzamin Mustak dan Penolongnya Siti Asmah Salleh ketika perbicaraan petisyen pilihan raya Permatang Pauh pada tahun 2004.
Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail mengulas perkara itu berkata tindakan Umno mempelbagaikan fitnah ke atas Anwar, membuktikan selama ini fitnah dalam bentuk VCD tidak berkesan.
Justeru itu, katanya Umno terpaksa meniupkan api perkauman melalui isu Hindraf pula. Namun beliau yakin pengundi Pematang Pauh tidak mudah menerima tohmahan tersebut.
“Saya yakin pengundi Permatang Pauh tidak mudah menerima tohmahan tersebut dan yakin mereka dapat menilai dan mengenali personaliti Anwar,” jelasnya.
Keadilan kata Azizah, jelas mempertahankan hak yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan - hak untuk berkumpul dan menyuarakan hati rakyat.
“Ini tidak bererti kita setuju keseluruhan tuntutan Hindraf,” katanya.
Jelas ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh itu lagi, kerajaan BN mesti mendengar dan mengkaji apakah yang menjadi isu berkaitan kaum India iaitu golongan minoriti dalam negara kita dan memikirkan cara terbaik menanganinya.
“Mereka (Hindraf) meminta pampasan daripada Ratu Elizabeth kerana nenek moyang mereka telah dibawa secara paksa ke Malaya pada masa itu untuk menjadi buruh paksa bagi membina jalan keretapi dan buruh di ladang-ladang milik British.
“Selepas itu nasib mereka tidak terbela sehingga mereka menjadi golongan minoriti yang tersisih dari arus pembangunan perdana. Malah boleh dikatakan kemudahan infra-struktur yang paling minima mereka perolehi di ladang-ladang. Kemudahan sekolah, elektrik dan kemudahan asas lainnya begitu daif sekali,” katanya.
Walau bagaimanapun, jelasnya Keadilan sama sekali tidak bersetuju dengan dakwaan dan gesaan yang melampau dan ekstrim.
“Kita memang bersimpati dengan kesusahan kehidupan mereka ini.”
“Kita amat bersimpati dengan nasib pendidikan di SRJK Tamil dan tahap ekonomi mereka yang lemah. Keadilan tegas dalam memperjuangkan kepentingan semua kaum tanpa dibatasi kepercayaan agama dan budaya,” ujarnya.
ZAM BUKTIKAN MEDIA TIDAK MALAYSIA BEBAS
The Jakarta Post.com
Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The Malaysian information minister criticized the Indonesian press for being too open, saying the media here is insensitive to Malaysian politics.
Dato' Seri Zainudin said the Indonesian media was "too excited" by the freedoms it had been granted since the downfall of the New Order regime in 1998.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Malaysian students studying in Bali at the Wina Holliday Inn in Kuta, the minister criticized the Indonesian media for providing air time to Malaysian opposition leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.
In October, Anwar was interviewed on Metro TV's talk show Kick Andy. In the interview, Anwar spoke candidly about corruption and the suppression of the press in Malaysia, topics that are rarely covered by the mainstream media there.
"We view this as insensitive. We would never provide space for the opposition of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or someone anti-Indonesian in the Malaysian media," Zainudin said.
He asked the media in both countries to refrain from reporting on issues that could provoke negative feelings.
"The media should emphasize the positive and seek good things to report," he said. "After all, we want to create a good relationship between the two countries."
Indonesia has been ranked 100th out of 169 countries in the Reporters Without Borders' 2007 Press Freedom Index, while Malaysia ranked 124th, dropping 32 places from last year. It was Malaysia's lowest position in its media history.
In Southeast Asia, Cambodia topped the list (ranked 85th in the world), followed by Timor Leste (94th).
Indonesia's press freedom boomed after the downfall of Soeharto in 1998 and the closure of the Information Ministry, an institution that controlled the media in Indonesia, in 1999 by the then president Abdurrahman Wahid, and the passing of the 1999 Press Law, guaranteeing press freedom in Indonesia.
Zainudin said Indonesia was facing the "euphoria of freedom after being suppressed".
He added that in Malaysia the media has never been suppressed, while suggesting that Malaysia has a "guided" freedom.
Most Malaysian newspapers and electronic media outlets are controlled by the government or political parties in the ruling coalition. They also operate with a government license, which must be renewed annually. Internet news sites do not have these restrictions.
Contacted by telephone in Jakarta, chairman of the Indonesian Press Council Ichlasul Amal said Indonesian press freedom was in line with the spirit of reform and democracy and that the Malaysian media was the one that should be more open.
"There is a lot of information that the Malaysian public needs to know, but which is inaccessible. The news there has become homogeneous," he said.
Ichlasul said that in Indonesia, the biggest threat to press freedom was within journalists themselves. "A lack of professionalism and work ethics will jeopardize press freedom here. If journalists do not improve themselves, they will lose their credibility and the public's trust in them."
