TV stations indulge in BN's guessing game

On 16 Feb, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, on TV 1 and 3, dismissed rumours he would dissolve Parliament at the end of the month for the election to be held in March, adding that the election was not due until November. Two days later, while he was in Iran for the D8 summit, TV 3 reported that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said a BN meeting, to be chaired by the Prime Minister, would be held in Sabah on March 3rd. This was immediately followed by a story about the Election Commission informing all EC officials to get ready for the election. However, also on the same day, TV 1 and 3, reported that Perak Mentri Besar Tajol Rosli Ghazali believed the election would be held sometime after April 12, when the Sabah State Assembly will be dissolved so that the Sabah election could be held simultaneously with the Federal election.

While the constitution empowers the ruling party, BN, to decide when to dissolve Parliament for the election, reports on the rumours/speculations, fueled in no small part by BN leaders themselves, raised one question: what about the views of the opposition? All three TV channels did not bother to seek them. Put another way, most tourists from other countries would be excused for thinking that only the BN will be contesting in the coming general election.

Chinese schools issue: no TV coverage of opposition views

On 15 Feb, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, on TV 1 and 3, said the government would not close any Chinese schools with very small enrolments. Najib stated that when such schools were to be relocated, it would be done with the students' benefit in mind, e.g.how far the school’s new location would be.

Najib made his statement as guest of honor at the Chinese New Year celebration held by the Hokkien Association of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The Chinese school issue has been a major issue of the opposition, especially the DAP, but none of the three TV channels offered anything from them.

Rafidah Aziz’s “angry” response

On 15 Feb, a few days following the arrests of Eric Chia and Kasitah Gaddam for graft, Rafidah Aziz responded ‘angrily’, according to TV3, to people saying she was on the ACA list of individuals being investigated for graft. She added: “I will sue them (for slander)”.

TV3 (as well as TV 1 and NTV 7) did not provide any response to Rafidah from the opposition, especially Keadilan, which had been making the accusation for the past several years. It implied the opposition was now afraid. But this was hardly so. The following day after Rafidah’s threat, Malaysiakini reported that Parti Keadilan Rakyat Deputy President Dr. Syed Husin Ali challenged her to file a lawsuit. The following day (17 Feb), also on Malaysiakini, Keadilan Youth Chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor said Rafidah’s threat was nothing new as it was made in the run-up to the Lunas by-election in 2000. He added: “I hope she (Rafidah) files her suit soon” and “...we (Keadilan) dare him (Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi) to tell the public that Rafidah is innocent”.