During the 2009 Bloggers United Malaysia (BUM) gathering on 16 May, the fourth Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, claimed no responsibility for controlling the media during his time. CIJ thinks that it was quite a farce.

The Malaysian mainstream newsrooms practice self-censorship and if that wasn’t good enough, there would be host of legislative and political interferences to make sure the public got a certain kind of information. Well packaged to keep out the most critical bits and sweet enough for the powers that be to feel comfortable in their seats. And to oblige the print media and the broadcasters their annual licences.
This is the story that has dominated the Malaysian media scene since the nation got its independence. So, when the fourth Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who decided reluctantly his time was up in 2003, claimed no responsibility for controlling the media during his time, it was quite a farce. Speaking at the 2009 Bloggers United Malaysia (BUM) gathering on 16 May, he blamed the editors’ tendency to flatter him during his tenure as prime minister from 1981-2003. In a way, he lamented that his popularity became a sort of spell that disarmed the media’s supposed critical function.

No one would deny Dr. Mahathir’s popularity, given his achievement in modernising Malaysia as well as how this achievement was framed by the media. So it could possibly came as a shock to the media themselves that now the  ex-PM is critical of those which took the pains to over-adulate him. It took not a light amount of effort by the media to be spellbound by Dr. M. The media has to put up a front that Dr. M’s ingenious ways is the only truth worth reporting. They have to omit mentioning, though it’s a common knowledge, that the spell itself comes with several whips of different level of lethality. The whips go by the name of Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), Official Secrets Act (OSA), Sedition Act and more. These whips Dr. Mahathir took great care to enhance by frist, removing judicial review in 1984, from the PPPA, thus augmenting the Home Affairs Minister discretion in regulating the press and secondly, introducing a mandatory one-year jail term upon conviction in the OSA in 1986, and another amendment in 1995 to expand the scope of government secrets.

Despite these, the former Prime Minister insisted that he did not control the media by harassing them through direct instructions. He didn’t need to, the laws were used to the fullest during and after his time. In the 1987 Operasi Lallang, 106 political activists, educationists, and civil rights activists were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), licences for The Star, Watan and Sin Chew Jit Poh were revoked, and journalists were called in for police questioning. Media organizations that were spared took on board as many as they could journalists who lost their jobs as the result of the pulling back of licenses, but many prominent journalists left the profession or the country due to job insecurity and harassment by the police.

Mahathir’s Ops Lallang further entrenched the control of  newsroom and the practice of self-censorship that were introduced both during the British rule and in the early years of Independence. The later 1980s was a significant time that represented the erosion of the integrity of the media, accompanied by the weakening of the judiciary. As a result the mainstream media have perfected the art of singing praises to a government that insists on using these oppressive laws no matter how “loyal” the media organisations have become of the political master.

Twenty-two years in the office is a lot of time for Dr. M to tell the media that he had had enough of praises. There is no doubt the media, having succumbed to his spell, would heed his advice to change. But in 1996, seven years before his retirement, in an address to journalists at the annual Malaysian Press Institute function, Dr Mahathir dismissed the notion of free press and asked, rhetorically, “Are we ashamed that there is no freedom of the press in this country? Do we, forever, have to apologise to the rest of the world for our laws?” By 1999-2000, during the Reformasi period, half a dozen publications such as Esklusif, Detik and Al-Wasilah- those who refused to be spellbound- were banned under the PPPA. The message that reverberated throughout the media scene was clear – love Mahathir or else..

So, no matter how much the story is spun, the fact remains that self-censorship is a result of the use and abuse of laws and political powers to keep the media in check.  But Mahathir is not the only one to blame. As long as the laws are as they are today, then any Prime Minister has at his or her disposal the most effective tools to control the media and the public. Mahathir’s successors have demonstrated their wilingness to arrest and charge individuals under the PPPA, OSA, ISA, the Sedition Act and even the Communications and Multimedia Act as and when they feel their positions threatened.

But there’s one force that can put a stop to the ridiculous claims of how there is no control or censorship of the media, and that is the media itself. The striking silence from editors and journalists from the mainstream media is a testimony that the media is what it is today only because of self-censorship and that it had nothing to do with the political powers. Is there no one, worth his or her salt, angered enough to challenge this accusation and to set the record straight?

If that is so, then the responsibility is in the hands of the conscientious citizen who must demand for what is rightfully ours – a free media environment where there is meaningful plurality and diversity in the information we get and the right for us to have access to equal spaces for expression.

Gayathry Venkiteswaran

Executive Director

by Dr Lim Teck Ghee

Who Should the Finger of Blame Be Pointed Towards

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims that actually it is the Press who self-censor. This allegation – repeated several times – was perhaps the most startling revelation made by the ex-premier in his speech at the Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM) dialogue in Subang Jaya on May 16, 2009.

“In Malaysia, usually censorship is something that the media itself carries out. You don’t have to tell them, ‘Look, don’t do this, don’t do that’. They somehow or other have got this ability to gauge what is it that the leadership wants. So during my time, you may have noticed that there was a good lot of praise for me. It was almost as if nothing I did was wrong,” Dr Mahathir said.
Is this culture of sycophancy practiced by our chief editors the main reason why we have had such a strong pro-Umno and pro-government media all these years? Is this self-censorship the main reason why the opposition parties, and other organizations and individuals that have put out views and policies counter to those of the establishment have been denied fair coverage in the papers?

By Dr Mahathir’s own admission, the editors had tried to read his mind – “they believed I would not like [something] and that I would object” – and slanted their stories accordingly in their attempts to please him.

“… mainstream media, in particular the New Straits Times and the Utusan [Malaysia], they sort of second guess you as to what you want to be printed in their papers, and they did it”, he revealed to the rapt BUM gathering.

What now after this disclosure?

The Fear Factor in Self Censorship?

We can accept Dr Mahathir’s judgement on the situation of censorship in the media at face value or we can challenge it.

Is he speaking the truth or is his view reflective of the selective amnesia that many readers see as increasingly being practiced by our former Prime Minister in his bid to cover up the authoritarian excesses of his regime and to deflect the blame onto innocent parties.

To what extent was the self-censorship an outcome of the fear factor arising from the repressive legislation condoned or reinforced by the Prime Minister during his period in office. Perhaps the Official Secret Act, the Internal Security Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act which Dr Mahathir tellingly omitted mentioning in his speech, played a major role in conditioning the way the mass media reported on developments in the country.

In my view – and I am sure this is shared by all those who cherish a free and independent mass media and who want to see our media ethics and standards especially in relation to political reporting uplifted – we need to discuss and analyze this issue of self-censorship further so that the sins and omissions of the past are not carried forward into the future.

Call to Chedet and MSM Editors

We hope that the venerable Tun can use his ‘chedet‘ blog to write further on this issue of self versus externally generated censorship of the Malaysian mass media, and the impact that this has had on truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability.

We also need the editors of the mainstream media (MSM) – in particular those who served during the long period of Tun’s premiership – to step out from the shadows and to confirm or deny his public accusation.

Dr Mahathir also made a further allegation that when he fell out with the then sitting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, MSM editors bent the other way to please his successor. “So reporters were not allowed to interview me, and the sub-editors were not allowed to print anything that I said or I did.”

Perhaps the journalists may have succumbed to pressure from the political owners of the newspapers to demonstrate the paper’s loyalty to the power of the day, and have now come to regret the cost to fair reporting and journalistic ethics.

Or perhaps the editors censored their reporters because they thought media should be in full agreement with the policies and activities of the ruling party, to the extent that they did not see it important or necessary to include dissenting views. Even when these came from a long-serving ex-premier they were earlier “full of praise for”.

Or, just maybe, the self-censorship pervading the entire media industry is simply due to ‘higher values of patriotism and sense of national duty’ because our media practitioners truly believe the government is always right.

Let us hear from the editors their side of the story in this morality play taking place in our mass media so that we can understand better why our newspapers have failed to live up to their responsibility in reporting truthfully to the Malaysian public.

Roll of Honour

Former PM among speakers at BUM 2009

By SALINA KHALID

More BUM pictures available at http://ahmadatalib.blogspot.com/2009/05/bum-09-in-pictures.html

In his 30-minute speech at the Bloggers United Malaysia (BUM) dialogue in Subang Jaya this evening, Mahathir said the media self-censored itself because it tried to ‘second guess’ what government leaders want.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17074

****************************************

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said that it was censorship from the government that drove him to blogging in May 2008 — four years after resigning as PM.

Gagging a politician from talking is not a good idea, added Mahathir, because we politicians like to talk.

You can kill a politician by preventing him from talking… I have a big mouth so I use it quite often, said Mahathir to the laughter from the 200-strong crowd.

Mahathir revealed that his www.chedet.cc has received 19 million visitors within a year.

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17073

在掌权期间被誉为媒体自由公敌，现在却摇身一变为国内著名部落客的马哈迪，昨晚在梳邦再也的第三届大马部落客大会（BUM2009）发表半小时的演讲，认为是主流媒体自己擅自揣摩政府领袖的意愿。

这名84岁的政坛老将表示，媒体在他掌权期间歌功颂德，“除了一些非巫英报章和党报比较有批判性”。

“但是主流媒体如《新海峡时报》和《马来西亚前锋报》却在揣摩他们应为领袖刊登什么报道，一些时候他们甚至猜错了。”

下台后审查更趋隐秘与严重

马哈迪指出，在他下台后情况更趋严重，报章进行更全面的自我审查。

他将之归咎于前新海峡时报集团总编辑卡里慕拉哈山（Kalimullah Hassan）。卡里慕拉被视为马哈迪继任者阿都拉的中坚支持者。

“无论你报道什么，他都会审查，而且是非常隐秘地进行。媒体不曾投诉，给人不受干扰的印象，但事实上是有的。”

预测部落格最终改变旧媒体

马哈迪表示，通过撰写部落格就能避开这些媒体审查，因为“政府控制（互联网）是不可能的”。

虽然在马哈迪时代推动的多媒体超级走廊计划承诺不审查互联网，但是马哈迪认为部落客应该遵守一定的专业操守，最基本就是“据实以报”。

他甚至预测，部落格最后将完全改变传统媒体与其他电子媒体。

随着部落格的数目日渐增加，马哈迪也观察到目前的政府在进行审查时，越来越难与部落客玩“捉迷藏”的游戏。

“因为无法阻止他（部落客）设立另一个部落格……我唯一感到欣慰的是我已不在是现任政府的首相，我祝他们好运。”

与茅草行动大镇压划清界限

ops lalang 261005 watan front page马哈迪在任期间被指钳制媒体，尤其是1987年著名的茅草行动，当时警方镇压反对党领袖与社运人士，不仅逮捕了106名人士，更吊销三家报章的出版准证，即《星洲日报》、《星报》以及《祖国报》（Watan，右图）。

不过，马哈迪却尝试划清界限，声称自己与此事无关，因为当时的政府不曾阻止他们“唱衰”他。

“当时有很多指控，说我在位时很糟糕，但是我想说，报章编辑是很敏感的人，尤其是在主流媒体内的。”

“他们自我审查，因为他们相信我不会喜欢（他们的报道），而且我会反对，就是这样。其他报章‘唱衰’我，但是我从来没有阻止他们。”

他进一步合理化当时的镇压，声称“情况已经朝向1969年（513种族暴动）”。

“情况激化至巫统要号召50万人来展示力量，我认为它将进一步升级，这就是为什么我们必须采取行动。”

不过，马哈迪强调，决定镇压的是警方，“如果当时我要求他们不要这么做，他们很快就会认为我不大支持他们，警方有枪和权力，但我们没有。当你和有枪的人打交道时，必须要很小心”。

撰写部落格之前担心遭批评

在较后的记者会上，马哈迪继续表达他对主流媒体的失望，并声称自己已“停止阅读《新海峡时报》”。

为了佐证主流媒体实行自我审查，他表示自己在阿都拉主政时“完全被媒体封杀”，“遭到有如贱民的对待”，与政府成员的联系完全被切断，虽然其中一些是他在位时所委任的。

目前部落格《Chedet》已突破100万点击人数的马哈迪，也与现场出席者分享1年前选择撰写部落格的心路历程。

“我收到至少14个来自巫统党员的邀请出席论坛，但是这些人却被告知收回他们的邀请，而他们也这么做。”

“就连向本身政党党员发表意见都被封杀”

一直到自己下台的第四年，也就是2008年，马哈迪才开始撰写部落格。他透露，开始时自己的确犹豫不决，因为担心无法处理批评。

“我害怕无法处理一些针对我的恶意评论，也担心我无法一一回答他们……那是一种折磨，我犹豫了相当长一段时间才开始写部落格。”

轰阿都拉要完全删除其存在

虽然阿都拉已下台，马哈迪还是不忘炮轰阿都拉对他这名前任者连一丁点感激都没有，相反的却“删除委任他的前首相的存在”。

“奇怪的是，当新任首相接任后，他好象就认为，他必须删除前任首相的存在。”

“不久后，我就被媒体封杀……记者不被允许访问我……也不能刊登我所说的任何事物。”

他接着说，阻止一名政治人物说话是严重的，“因为我们身为政治人物喜欢说话”。

“你可以通过阻止一名政治人物说话来杀死他……我拥有一张大嘴巴，所以我经常使用它。”

他这番幽默言论惹得台下200名出席者捧腹大笑。

Yesterday was a fantastic day at B.U.M. 2009.

And of course, Maverick SM, Nuraina, Shanghai Fish, Sallehuddin and EWoon were there too.

We also have those beauties including Primrose, the Helens, and many whose names are to remain anonymous.

Missing YB stars are: Elizabeth Wong, Tony Pua, William Lim and Tian Chua.

Also missing from actions were celebrity bloggers that include: Zorro, Haris Ibrahim, Malik Imtiaz, Howsy, Lucia, etc.

Anyway, there were quite a good followings and all of us have great fun.

Note: More pics available on Maverick’s blog.

More BUM 2009 coverage from Maverick – Sensational BUM 2009 Night

（梳邦再也16日讯）前首相敦马哈迪医生说，他是基于其接班人，即卸任首相敦阿都拉反复不遵守承诺，搁置美景桥计划后，才会违反不干预新任政府的承诺，开始向对方发炮。

未遵守职权更迭诺言

他说，当年卸任时，他告诉自己不要介入新任政府的施政。因为他不愿学退而不休的新加坡前总理李光耀，“所以，我选择退位后噤声”。

他指出，但是阿都拉却未遵守职权更迭时的诺言，期间更有传闻指他造成国库没有钱，不过，他依然不出声，直到阿都拉执政两年后，中止有损国家利益的美景桥计划时，他才出声反击。

“我觉得他（阿都拉）是国家的背叛者，这是我不能接受的。”

马哈迪今日出席２００９年部落客大会上，回应出席者提问时，这样说。