RIP: Sarawak Tribune (2)

from Friday, Feb 10, 2006:

Subtitled: Do you have to kill a fly with a hammer?


DESIDERATA is in mourning.
It was anticipated.
As a Concerned Malaysian, yesterday I sent a PERSONAL APPEAL to
dear Esteemed Prime Minister Pak Lah.
The decision of the Cabinet the day earlier was left in the PM's hands to "implement".
And he fell to pressure as the NST prefaced it with a report making out the suspension was alread a "fait accompli", as fellow blogger JeffOoi of Screenshots.com put in.

Desiderata joined sister Yan in Catsville -- I think Howsy in lundun joined us too, I felt his smell and spell! - in saying prayers for the 300 employees of Sarwak Tribune, especially the Night Editor -- LESTER MELANYI -- who was, in Desi's HO, made a "fall guy".


In our schooldays, whenever there was an Obituary, we always cracked RIP might also stand for RISE IF POSSIBLE
instead of the sombre Rest In Peace.

mGf based in lundun wrote the Ob for Sarawak Tribune earlier, with a pic somemore. He's a gifted one.

Desi, less gifted, but knotty in his wordplay, today will demonstrate SOLIDARITY
with the press fraternity in Sarawak -- especially for the 300 families of the workers at ST now seeking a job in such hard ecoonomic times.
As a Freelance Journalist, Desiderata feels for the ST ex-staff -- but not the bosses! -- Desi wonders if Pak Lah in his promotion of a "CARING SOCIETY" took into consideration the welfare of the 300 ST employees and their families?
Did his stupid, unthinking, unfeeling, out-of-touc-with-the-grassroots, nimcompoop cabinet pressure him to use a hammer to kill a fly?


Desiderata-YLChong will "close" for SE7EN DAYS for "normal" postings,
But it will remain "open" to all GUESTS, especailly to ST ex-workers,
to pen their thoughts --
whether in sympathy or trying to lift the affected parties' spirits a li'l --
Desi relies of my EsteemedReaders' wisdom.

This is the SecondDae of MoUrning.

I reproduce some of my EsreemedReaders' views:

~~~~~~~At 8:56 PM, howsy said...
Yes, I'm a notty boi! Hehe :P

Seriously, why would Lester wants to 'catch a worm and insert it into his a**hole' in the first place. Unless he is living under a coconut shell, he couldn't have missed the hoo-haa all around the world on those cartoons.

Things are very fishy ...a conspi or sabo mayhaps?

It's the power to the bloggers now to compliment the mainstream media (MSM). But then again, what is the internet (and broadband) penetration in Malaysia?



At 9:45 PM, desiderata said...
howsy:

is my apply for SIEN nespaper APproved -- or art thopu waiting me to offer KOpi-oh money?
Tehtarik kenORknot?

Many things in Malaysia are in deed fishy -- and this is the Year of the Dog!
Oh, these politikus also lohsang!:(

Hey, I like yr Roti banjir better, like in space summore; can raise enuf money to invest in my
"spiriteDestination fire"?
Howsy and Desi organise a joint Launch, ok? Invite all the brave Sarawak papers, even their bosses, pay for their meals2, maybe add some arse-..c?

I agree with your eCons Theory -- do another Sarawak entry ala UMNO-to-Sabah? Can I jointV to write a PhD thesis on this ah? Your enrund combined with Desi's flighten the English professers, noh? Ohmah!:(

Don't llah, not in the posterior opening --they can tahan one, skin thick like Crocodile.
Now I dare now talke my "mentees" to dine next to Dat Farm Restron...

Broadband penetration -- here they only push for narrow, PEN-istration ala Cowboi on that Hill...:(

Enuf script-writ(H)for now, Seya!
RISE IF POSSIBLE, OK!:):) to both of us, JVers!


At 10:56 PM, JOE.PSC said...
Hi Desi,

I see two groups of politicians at play here: one group may be considered the "directors" (not necessarily intellectual) and the other goup consists of "ants" (common dim-witted runners).

These "directors", by virtue of their political leanings, work for their own interests first, and the interests of 'friendly' paying parties who are interested in this specific event. The "ants" being mere followers will only do the biddings of their "directors" for some smaller benefits thrown at them like breadcrumbs.

The "directors" called for the closure of ST in Sarawak, in the hpyocritical veil of being devout, but have hidden agenda, for examples, to implant a new paper or transplant an existing mainland paper into the eastern territory; or to get even with ST for whatever reasons they have been harbouring. Having your paper in the east is equivalent to controlling what the people there should hear. The "ants" will start instigating through loud noises in parliamentary meetings or in public to give impression of a "majority" voice.

Meanwhile, the innocent folks lost their livelihood in ST while a few senior ones will have "new" responsibilities soon, all played out according to the "directors'" script. The irony is that these politicians themselves do not serve the great religion of Islam any favour, by displaying their unforgiving and selfish nature.

Not everyone can be an "effective" politician - you need to have 'metallic' components, such as, the heart, hands, etc. Furthermore, you need to gamble with your soul as stake! To lose one's life is only a one-time affair, but to lose one's soul, is eternal!

We must pray that our politicians have, at least, some measure of mercy for those struggling to make ends meet. Is that so hard to expect of a fellow human being?



At 8:42 AM, Yan said...
Sorry, Desi, can't get the Email address that you need. Could not get it from the newspaper itself.

Log on to kennysia.com to read what this wise young man has to say. I think it makes sense while we are trying to make sense on many issues.

Yan~~~~~~~

DESIDERATA responds Feb 11, 2006 at 1.00PM by extracting a relevant "news update",
from The Star today, page 8:

Sarawak Tribune group editor resigns

KUCHING: The group editor of Sarawak Press Sdn Bhd, publishers of the suspended Sarawak Tribune, has resigned.

In a statement here, Toman Mamora said: “l would like to sincerely sacrifice my position by honourably resigning.”

His quitting yesterday ended days of speculation on his position, after the English daily reproduced offensive caricatures purportedly to be those of Prophet Muhammad on Feb 4.

News editor Lester Malanyi, 41, who resigned from the newspaper a day after the caricatures were published, is being investigated under Section 8(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

In a related development, the management of Sarawak Press told the staff of Sarawak Tribune that they would continue to receive their wages even though the paper has been suspended indefinitely.

Executive director Polit Hamzah said it would continue to pay wages to the newspaper’s employees as, technically, they were still staff of the company.

He said the publication of Sunday Tribune, which is under a separate licence, would also be suspended.

Polit said Sarawak Press would not appeal or renew the daily paper's publication licence when it expires in August, even if the suspension order is rescinded.

Calling for a thorough police probe, Sarawak Tribune editorial chairman Datuk Idris Buang said: “This is no longer a case of one bad apple spoiling other apples in the basket, but a case of poison being thrown into your food.”

Sarawak Union of Journalists’ pro tem president Kas Alwi Sepawie, commending the move by the paper's management, said: “Our biggest concern is the welfare of the newspaper’s innocent staff.”


DESIDERATA: Thanks, Joe.Psc for your most discerning -- quite probable too, IMHO -- views about the "players", especially the chief protagonists Idris Buang and Toman Mamora -- as I said yesterday, Mark Antony said: They are all honourable men, referring to Brutus&Co, so my ER, please read my views yesterday to learn some Shakespearean wisdom, will you. I don't think I need to bore thee with repetition except this short:
"With friends like these (the two protagonists), the people at ST don't need enemies..."

But to be fair, they are mighty generous, yes. they have a heart after all:
quote from The Star's report above:

"Executive director Polit Hamzah said it would continue to pay wages to the newspaper’s employees as, technically, they were still staff of the company. "

Yes, Desi applauds the assurance, but will the Management continue to pay "on a permanent basis"?
OR UNTIL THE ISSUE MOVES OUT OF THE MALAYSIA PUBLIC's RADAR SCREEN?
mGf, you guess is as gooder as mine...

Then the other quote:

Calling for a thorough police probe, Sarawak Tribune editorial chairman Datuk Idris Buang said: “This is no longer a case of one bad apple spoiling other apples in the basket, but a case of poison being thrown into your food.”

Please note all the highlighted (bolded-lah!) points are Desi's, Desi's alone -- not The Star, not Idris, not Toman, not Poli Hamzah's, but mine, Desi's alone. I don't know about Howdy though!

This Senator now proclaimed there is no longer a case of one bad apple -- hey, you were from Day 1 the one vociferously saying the Night-Editor Lester Melanyi was the only one -- sole culprit.

Hey, are you kidding?
Hey, what has changed over the past 48-plus hours, Mr Idris, oops, Datuk Idris Buang?

Then I am also saddened by a fellow journalist with his short-sighted view. The Sarawak Tribune journalists should not share in this guy's short-sightedness, in, I quote the Star agin, commending the move by the paper's management, said: "“Our biggest concern is the welfare of the newspaper’s innocent staff.”

Yes, dear Kas Alwi, but for how long do you think the Sarwaak Tribune bosses will pay the staff's salaries -- till kingdom come. when there is NO newspaper?

PS: Somehow there is a phrase ringing in my head, in Malaysia there is such a term called "CO-OPTION" of the players by giving them some perks -- a salry rise, a free trip to Disney or NeverLand, or a JKR, PMN, Latukship even?
Howsy, want to become my Scientific Caresspondant at "spiriteDestination fire" to be launched soon? For your inormation, I'm trying to coopt Howsy -- or trade off-lah! -- by appointing myself to his "SIEN" paper's as ChiefOfStaff, ala some Proton adviser? (For details on SI-EN, please detour AFTER this to howsy.blogspot.com -- he pays CONmission to Desi for all clicks!)

I last heard Howsy wants a SE7EN figure salary. I said "Yes", 9999999.99 Rs, and that gifted guy avows Rs stands for Ringgit and Sense.
I need to send him as first assignment to Jakarta. As mGf the Doggie in Peanuts would say: Bleah! :(


PPS: As sisdar Yan advised, please detour now to http://kennysia.com.
Both of them come from Catsville, one definitely, the other co-opted! I "flagrant" (cunt use 'smell', ken I, kenny?) sum secret agenda here...