Rendering Meaning to World Press Freedom Day

This report is extracted from The Star Online.
As a resident of the Fourth Estate for some two decades, and a three-year-old in Blogosphere (The emergent Fifth Estate), I totally support the call by the NUJ for repealing whatever Acts, including the Official Secrets Act, that are repressive to the freedom of expression. To liberalise the MSM, especially the print media like newspapers, the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 also should be abolished. ~~ Desi

Friday May 2, 2008 MYT 7:04:34 PM

NUJ: Drop OSA, enact Information Act

PETALING JAYA: The National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) has urged the Government to drop the Official Secret Acts (OSA) and replace it with an Information Act.

In a statement released in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day on Saturday, the union said that such an Act would be in keeping with Government initiatives to create a more transparent and accountable administration.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has proposed setting up a commission to appoint judges and upgrading the Anti-Corruption Agency into a commission.

"These objectives of achieving good governance, transparency and integrity are not going to happen if access to information is still not possible for investigative journalism to be carried out," said NUJ president Norila Mohd Daud.

"The OSA has been the main obstacle in allowing media access to Government information.
"The credibility and sincerity of the Government can only be proven if there is easy access to information for the media and public," she said in the statement released on Friday.

Norila also urged media owners to play their part in allowing journalists to carry out their professional duties without fear or favour.

Many mainstream media organisations have not been allowed to publish or highlight certain issues of interest to the people under the instructions of "higher ups," she said.
Related story:Waive annual renewal of printing permit: MCA

*********************** UPDATED @12.53pm May 3, in which I am adding my own opinions but citing some panellists and floor speakers' views -- Minta maaf and seeking forebearance for resorting to this liberty of blogging! -- Desi ***********************

Okay,belatedly back to the BUM2008 story, after some diversion into BUKIT Aman, the hill knot so peaceful when they had to deal with the King of Bloggers, Raja Petra Kamarudin -- you read awe about him in today's (Yes, it's now Saturday!:) -- mostly in frontpage, and yes, I see him wearing Yellow, and I have been described as 1/2-a-banana chinoserie before, so it's again claiming greAtness by a(R)s(E)sociation, milking the limelight as much as I can again before I join the late SA of Ijok -- a sales pitch I used to con a few "blocked"mates in parting with RM12 for my Anthology, of which a few autographed copies are still available, and if you buy me tehtarik and the bestA kambing at LINGAM's wit'mateys Ancient and Mindfool mariners, you get the kopi flee. (Read my post of SE7ENth day of the SE7ENth Month of the Year 2-zelo-zelo-SE7EN-lah for d'tale.

As I did say if you folks were listening, get on board the Blogswagon to abuse one chief privilege -- YOU can digress as mush as "AS YOU LIKE (IT)" (I often quote the Bard at my CONvenience2!:)as long as you don't drive those buggers I humbly call my ER! up, up and away!:(

The panellist who was seated on my left, human rights advocate Haris Ibrahim, had been flaming the Fourth Estate members like Hell ( a four-letter word which passed muser as a civilly accepted term by RPK, so I follow!) for having "sold out" the cause of the 4th Estate as promoted as Journalism Ethics 101. Citing as a well-known example, the BERSIH rally last November 14 (pls check date later) attracted only 400 people, according to all MSM reports, based mainly on the national news agency report (IMHO-lah).

More independent sources cited figures from 20,000 (several foreign news wires') to 50,000 (many bloggers') while I estimated at 30,000. On the other estream, some politicians claimed 100, 000 to 150, 000; so the Intelligent Reader must be able to know that it would be beneficial to read widely and come to your own conclusion. As well quoted in the press line, A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS, so the MSM was indeed shown to be like the Emperor Wearing New (Desi spells it nu'e) Clothes! But other parties are equally seen to be guilty of embleishment/exaggerating a byte, no?

What excited many was Haris' remark that reporters and editors "involved" in such disfigurement of "facts" had soul'd out, and if they had any conscience to their profession, they should resign pronto on principle! (My paraphrase okay, as I was too busy keeping time, and multi-tasking at my youthfool age is proving quite a challenge!:(

In fact, and here I did mention in my "interjection" (which normally a forum Chairman does not do, but Bloggers are a different cup of tea -- yes, we don't believe much in protocol as long as we remain civil to each other. Even my Co-chair Zorro did snatch the mike away from me, the F***! Spell it out for Thee, not the usual vocab of RPK's hear -- it's Fake!) that the MSM reporters worked very hard, doing 10-12 hours, and mostly were attracted to the profession driven by a love for writing and endowed with idealism.




I think an audience member, Sdr Jeyapelan Mahesan, said that it was mainly the Editors, and the newspapers' owners, who should be held accountable, as based on his own experience -- havng relatives and friends working in the MSM, -- the journalists were generally trying their best to report as best as they could. He proposed that the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act could help the Fourth Estate function better and more freely.

Citizen-Nades in a follow-up too shared that a reporter's copy could be "changed" by the higher-ranked news editor or EIC, and it was a situation beyond the reach of power/influence of ordinary reporters to ovecome if certain facts were distorted, like a figure at the Bersih rally being much higher in the reporter's original copy than 400!

Haris, in his usual activist idealism, also called for a boycott of the MSM as the way to go. He led a group of Bloggers in a complete boycott, but some rational discusssion followed with dissenting Bloggers -- including Desi and matey Ancient Mariner -- that we need to face up to reality, and compromise with a limited boycott on proinciple, and the happy result was, still is, PAPERLESS TUESDAYS! I said I don't mind, 'cos I still have Morrie!

To be continued ... Stay turned, or turned on, or over, whatever!:)
But don't wait forever, it'snot being kind to thyself -- GO READ THE PREVIOUS
POST!:(~~ Desi, knottyaSsusual

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

UPDATEd
Sunday May 4, 2008

Undecided over freer press
By ROYCE CHEAH

PETALING JAYA: Government politicians are not united in their views on whether greater media freedom is necessary in Malaysia.

While two were amenable to less government control, one was for keeping the status quo, when asked for their views in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day yesterday.

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said he supported the recent suggestion by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar that the annual licensing requirement for newspapers under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) be waived.

“I hope this will be the first step that will lead to more reform for openness in the PPPA and other related legislations,” he said.

“I believe that through education and experience in the democratic process, our people will become increasingly mature and moderate, understanding that democracy also means responsibility,” he said.

Rembau MP and Deputy Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin believes that a free and responsible media was an important pillar of a democratic society.
He said it was time for the unprecedented openness for the press to be strengthened by institutional reforms.

“The first step that the Government could consider would be to abolish the annual licence renewal as suggested by the Home Minister,” he said.

Khairy said one way of overseeing the media in a reformed environment would be through self-regulation, where the media took the lead in setting up a Press Complaints Commission that would ensure fair and ethical reporting, and prevent racial and religious incitement from being published or aired.

“Once that is in place with adequate safeguards against abuse of the freedom of speech, I think we can and should repeal the PPPA. Freedom must come with responsibility; both are equally important,” he said.

However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz felt that the PPPA was necessary because Malaysia had a multiracial population.

“I will not allow this country to be destroyed by extremist views. We have to be careful with what is written in the newspapers,” he said.

Nazri said he held this view not because he did not believe in freedom of the press but because he loved Malaysia more.

“For as long as I am a member of the Cabinet, I will argue for not abolishing the Act. I love Malaysians and the good relations we have. This must be maintained,” he said.

Nazri said the problem with having more freedom was that it would become difficult to determine limits.

He said it was better to have a law that could be used to ensure that nobody crosses the line.
“What is this line? The Government decides what it is,” he said.

“Prevention is better. For me, I think you have to defeat me in the elections and then let the new government do it.”

DESIDERATA:

This "guy" called Mohd Nazri Aziz is amazingly contrarian for contariness' sake; obviously he hasn't learnt why the political tsunami on March 8, 2008 occurred. I wished I could have a wand to wave in Koh Tsu Koon into the PM's Cabinet instead of this "guy". Perhaps it's good to have a few such guys around -- helps speed up the process whereby Pakatan Rakyat would also take over the federal reins of power from UMNO-dominated Barisan Nasional sooner than later. Some UMNO politicians are indeed serving the interests of the Oppositio coalition led by "PKR" Are there some "Trojan" horses -- by ignorance -- around?

I know that PKR took more than two years to obtain a KDN to publish its fortnightly party newspaper Suara Keadilan.

Now let's see how long the Pakatan Rakyat would have to wait to get a KDN to publish a national daily newspaper.

Miss Patience is also Ms Virtuous, I'm told. So brave and bold and nationalistic of that "guy", requote: that '... it was better to have a law that could be used to ensure that nobody crosses the line. “What is this line? The Government decides what it is."'

One day soon this "guy" would be walking that lank into irrelevance -- the second wave of the tsunami is predicted when the 13th GE cometh around -- a lucky number for some, death knell for some nationalistic "guys"!