Anwar has it wrong blaming media for ills of the land

 

 The adage, “report the news, don’t be the news” has been put on the back burner, albeit temporarily as the government seems to believe that the media is responsible for the ills that afflict the country.

Last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrongly claimed that “tough action” against inflammatory speeches indirectly contributed to Malaysia’s downgrade in the annual Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index.

“If we allow racism to flourish, fascism or religious bigotry to have free rein in this country, we must anticipate friction, racial strife, and religious disharmony,” he said.

Every right-thinking Malaysian will certainly agree with him and will support any move to silence the wrongdoers.

But Anwar was barking up the wrong tree. Has there been any journalist or publication that has been charged with making such speeches or publishing such articles?

Media organisations and personnel do not indulge in such doings - they are subjected to the laws of the land and their code of ethics.

Most would not even venture into reporting let alone processing a statement containing inflammatory and provocative speeches. I would venture to say that it will not even get past the editor’s scrutiny.

Anwar is perhaps talking about “cowboy country” where the “law of the jungle” prevails.

Anything and everything goes - the perpetrators are not bound by any law, rule or regulation. Courtesy is hardly extended and the power is vested in individuals who shout the loudest and have the largest number of followers or supporters.

Mr Prime Minister, if you are not already in it, welcome to the world of social media where insults and invectives based on race and religion are happening every day.

Fine line

There is hardly a line between common sense and nonsense and the issue bourgeons as there is no concerted effort by the authorities to put an end to it.

The picture of a Turkish waitress (whom they wrongly assumed was a Muslim) serving a beer on social media is supposedly unacceptable and the customer becomes the recipient of a slew of insults.

A picture of a bowl of bak kut teh drew the ire of those who take the view that anyone who partakes in what is forbidden to them is an enemy of the state and religion.

A healthy discussion on child brides can result in claims of “interference” with their religion and cause countless insults.

The might of their power of sheer numbers, emboldened by none or selective enforcement of the law has resulted in the barometer rising.

They are operating with fear, knowing that they are protected by some unknown force or hidden hands.

An uncontrollable monster

In December 2022, I wrote: “Part of the blame for the surge of such statements should fall on the police and to a certain extent, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

“This is because both these organisations have declared in court proceedings that they had no plans to prosecute two people who were reported to have made provocative statements.”

Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu (left) and Firdaus Wong

In April 2021, appearing on behalf of the AGC, deputy public prosecutor Ainul Amirah said the AGC was unwilling to prosecute Perlis-based preacher Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu and Multiracial Reverted Muslims founder and president Firdaus Wong as police had classified their cases as “no further action”.

To date, the AG has not said why he refused prosecution, stoutly defending that “it is his prerogative” and that it can never be challenged.

If the cases had been acted upon, the problem would have been nipped in the bud. Instead, the problem was allowed to rankle, and aggravate and now has grown into an uncontrollable monster.

No, Mr Prime Minister. The drop in rankings was not because of provocative speeches you wanted to act upon. They were never there in the first place.

But the blocking of news sites and other impediments caused it.

And finally, for the betterment of the country and the sake of its people, insist that the laws of the land be enforced equally and justifiably. - Mkini

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R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.