Tugging at voters' emotions: the NST's masquerade continues...

The New Straits Times is, as we have noted before, using journalism to masquerade its support for the BN. No? Consider then three articles on 19 March, two on page 4 and one on page 14 of the paper.

Editor wants to salute the PM - but for what?

The first piece (page 4) is about a BN commercial on TV, which presents videos of Abdullah Badawi in black and white while a letter, supposedly from a Haji Mohd Lajim Karim of Johor Baru, is being read. Part of the letter states: “Please look after this man who is looking after us. I ask this not for myself, I am already in my 70s. I ask this for my country.”

The NST article goes on to say that when a senior (NST) editor saw the clip, he said: “I felt like standing up and saluting the PM.”

But why? What did the PM do? The commercial does not show any of his achievements. It shows him as a decent person looking pensive or reflective, suggesting he feels alone in wanting to do the things he has in mind to do and is quietly hoping he will get the rakyat's support.

If anyone were to be saluted, it should be the people at Leo Burnett who came up with the commercial.

Now, let’s examine the commercial with a critical eye instead of through the BN lens used by the senior NST editor.

The ad is actually a quietly manipulative one, aimed at tugging at our heartstrings. In other words, playing with our emotions.

Now, what is this if not BN hypocrisy?

BN leaders and supporters have been preaching to the public that they should not be swayed by emotions when they vote on polling day. But, here, the BN commercial is shamelessly playing on voters’ emotions to get them to vote for Abdullah and BN.
And, it proved to have worked at least on that senior NST editor...

The silent majority on the couch

The second NST piece (on page 4) addresses the BN’s dilemma. On the one hand, there is the air of celebration among BN supporters that the party is going to retain control of the government. However, that is not a good thing because it may lead to a low voter turnout on polling day. Why? Because it would not give Abdullah Badawi and BN a strong mandate. The article states:

“In this backdrop (of an assured BN victory), there is concern that the member of that nebulous group called the silent majority may feel less concerned to leave his couch and vote on Sunday. In his mind, his one vote will have little value in altering the outcome of the polls.

“There is one problem with this scenario­the election is not a walk-over. It never was. As popular as Abdullah is, he is leading the BN into battle against formidable opponents. ...”

Notice the transition to the second paragraph above. Who said there was this “one problem”? No attribution given. Seems like the writer, himself, is pushing his idea, telling the “silent majority” to go out and vote for Abdullah to make sure he gets a strong mandate.

Is this supposed to be an opinion piece or news item? Nowhere is this clarified in the paper. Looks like the NST has finally dispensed with its pretense at journalism.

18-year-olds in Puteri UMNO? What about UUCA?

Finally, the third piece (on page 14), which seems to be an attempt to disabuse The Star of the idea that about 80 percent of the students in Malaysian universities and colleges are indifferent to the coming polls and politics in general.
The NST article here states that actually the young people have minds of their own and can be drawn into politics if their views are respected.

To support the point, the article quotes Puteri UMNO chief Azalina Othman Said, who talks about Puteri’s successful recruitment “formula”. She even boasts that Puteri now has 151,000 members ranging from 18 to 35 years old.

18 to 35 years old? Now, does that not mean at least some of those Puteri members in their late teens and early 20s are students in colleges and universities? And does this not contravene the Universities and University Colleges Act of 1975, which forbids students from engaging in off-campus political activities?

And what about the BN government which warned students from engaging in opposition politics, as witnessed in the 1999 election?

The NST did not raise any of the questions. And the masquerade continues…