Malaysiavotes.com stirs controversy in blogosphere

A new election news website, Malaysiavotes.com, has created controversy within the blogosphere due to the sites’ presumed “alternative” nature which some readers find questionable. According to its ‘About Us’ page, the site aims “to provide news about the main issues that the nation is grappling with as we go to the polls, as well as news on the elections that would not gain either the attention of or fair coverage from the traditional media in Malaysia”.

But some readers have complained that content featured on the site does not qualify as news “that would not gain either the attention of or fair coverage from the traditional media”. In particular, contributors on People’s Parliament have been critical of MalaysiaVotes for two entries, both of which feature Deputy Umno Youth chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, as the headliner (2 Mar: The ‘Moderate’ Mischief of the BN; 23 Feb: A Tempered View). On the decision to cover the Umno politician who already has a prominent presence in mainstream media coverage, one reader commented: “one must really be blind to think Khairy wasn’t given any/fair coverage”. Other readers expressed their disappointment by commenting on the article, “A Tempered View”.

In response to the criticism, MalaysiaVotes posted excerpts from critical letters they received in the “Letters to the Editor” section, followed by a lengthy explanation. The editors pointed out that the critics, while focusing on the “news…that would not gain either the attention of or fair coverage from the traditional media” part of their decree, ignored the initial aim: “to provide news about the main issues”. They explained that, as outlined in their ‘About Us’ section, focusing on “hot seats” was one of their approaches to media coverage. As Khairy Jamaluddin is a high profile candidate, he “has made the Rembau parliamentary seat he is contesting a hot seat that people are watching”. Thus, it is important that citizens have access to balanced coverage of candidates from news sources other than the mainstream publications, where biased agendas and limited space prevent stories from delivering much insight to the reader.

In contrast, MalaysiaVotes has attempted to provide content “that is written and edited according to the journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, balance and accountability”. The editors acknowledged that this entails giving space to all parties and presenting information in a fair, balanced, and objective manner—not blacklisting certain candidates because they do not agree with their political stance. Such a practice would negate their status as a fair and accountable news source, aligning them with the mainstream sources which have appeared to enforce “black-outs” of certain candidates.

The fact remains that Malaysiavotes.com is first and foremost a news website—not a personal or political blog—and “didn’t set out to be a site which was partisan or which wanted to promote one particular view only”. Such an expectation from an online information source in Malaysia is understandable—since the mainstream media is the instrument of the ruling coalition, online avenues have become the turf of the opposition. MalaysiaVotes, however, has separated itself from the pro-opposition environment of the Malaysian blogosphere and is attempting to be a model of balance and objectivity that mainstream media should strive for.

That said, how successful was MalaysiaVotes in reaching its aim? While the first Khairy interview, “A Temperate View”, was rather short and offered little critical insight (thus, deserving of its critical comments), the site redeemed itself with the second Khairy offering, Danny Lim’s “The Moderate Mischief of the BN”. To begin with, the 2,763-word report provides Lim with sufficient space to embellish on his personal experience with Khairy and his Umno entourage during the nomination day and the campaign. Like a ‘fly on the wall’, Lim provided insights not only about Khairy but also “his most trusted lieutenants”, who tell a lot about Khairy himself, Lim observed. Indeed, Lim procured much information from one of Khairy’s “sentries”, Firmansyah Muhammad a.k.a. Dax, as Lim spent the majority of his time with Dax when he was not interviewing Khairy. Garnishing natural, conversational responses, Lim questioned the “motor mouthing” Dax about what Khairy had been up to, about inter-party troubles and about “backstabbing” Umno members who weren’t chosen to contest.

While hanging around the convoy on nomination day, Lim overheard a story—denied by the party—about Dax and Umno members sabotaging opponents’ flags. While driving with the entourage, Lim was there to experience the party’s reaction to a PKR vehicle trying to disturb their seven-car convoy. On the nomination day ruckus, Lim observed how Pas supporters, though outnumbered, drowned out the other supporters as they screamed for two hours.

The interview itself revealed interesting statements and perspectives from Khairy. Lim was not shy to ask critical questions, and received this response from Khairy on the apparent unquestioning nature of the BN parliamentary members: “The role of a backbencher is one that not only supports the government but also questions certain government policies and ministers if they feel the policies and legislation is questionable as far as the people’s welfare is concerned. Of course at the end of the day, party discipline must trump any other consideration and when it comes to a vote there must be a whip on discipline and you must fall in line.”

The revealing statement put forth a not-so-ideal picture of the BN camp, congruent with many criticisms found on opposition blogs concerning the silencing of BN members who are vocally critical of policies. In addition, Lim got Khairy to indulge in his criticism of the New Economic Policy and give his opinion on market regulation—which he apparently does not support—stating a need for government intervention for social programmes which some readers might find surprising.

In short, the statements drawn from Khairy in this interview were drastically different than the blanket fanfare generally trumpeted by the mainstream media publications. The amount of time and space given to the story allows for an in-depth and personal look at the party and the candidate, and readers take away a feeling that they know Khairy, his perspective, and the nature of his party a bit better. If you actually take the time to read this article—without dismissing it from the headline—you realise that you would never find it in a mainstream publication.

While critical commentary of any news source is always important for the health of the news contained therein, it should be recognised that MalaysiaVotes is making a solid attempt to provide balanced and fair coverage and has produced content that is a drastic improvement from the mainstream. A look at the other entries on the site (from 3 Mar) showed a wide range of topics, views, and parties covered. People’s Parliament can plaster its site with “Don’t Vote BN” logos—that’s acceptable, as it is not claiming to be a source of news. But if MalaysiaVotes were to do the same, it would be no better than the mainstream media.

Helen Ang responds:

MalaysiaVotes stirs a tepid storm in teacup

Firstly, to address the inherent anomaly in the Diary entry’s allusion to The People’s Parliament. It says: “People’s Parliament can plaster its site with ‘Don’t Vote BN’ logos — that’s acceptable, as it is not claiming to be a source of news. But if MalaysiaVotes were to do the same, it would be no better than the mainstream media.”

I do beg to differ with the entry’s cheerleading for MalaysiaVotes, and on the same note I find it strange that while acknowledging People’s Parliament — which is an advocacy and cyber activism blog — “does not claim to be a source of news”, i.e. media outlet, yet People’s Parliament is consistently ‘monitored’ in an initiative which is tagged ‘Malaysian “Media” Monitors' Diary’.

I haven’t the time to check how often People’s Parliament has been featured in Diary but I am aware we’ve been monitored since Feb 18, as early as two days after the Press statement issued on the launch of this Election Monitor.

And here’s another mention in Diary of People’s Parliament: “Ironically, the diversity found in this particular shared online space [in The Star] outweighed the other political blogs — like Malaysia Today, Rocky’s Bru, and People’s Parliament — all of which contain an overwhelmingly pro-opposition reader contribution”. I will not deny the anti-BN slant in as far as it concerns People’s Parliament but I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘overwhelmingly’ so. But please visit for yourselves.

To return to MalaysiaVotes on which Diary lavished a 1,162-word write-up, I find it again anomalous that while the writer devoted more than a thousand words to vindicating Danny Lim’s second essay on Khairy Jamaluddin, all that he or she was willing to personally say about Danny’s first piece amounted to this: “[it] was rather short and offered little critical insight thus, deserving of its critical comments” – only just a little more than a dozen words of assessment.

To remedy his or her remiss, I shall give Danny’s ‘A tempered view’ my quick once-over as our People’s Parliament readers had complained about it – this point also cited in Diary.

Before I start, I believe an explanation of the word ‘tempered’ is in order. In the context of Danny’s presentation of Khairy and his electioneering, it means to adjust or to moderate readers’ opinion of the Umno Youth deputy head. That is, to make him come across as less extreme or severe, and more acceptable.

The article headline may well have been prompted by Khairy’s statement “At heart I think I’m a moderate Malaysian politician” (‘tempered’ by the experiences of his self-claimed nine years in politics). Khairy had made a statement that by right ought to have been strenuously challenged; Danny did not rise to the occasion. Nor did he question Khairy’s declaration that “the greatest value or virtue that Malaysians need going forward” is empathy. This coming from the PM’s infamous son-in-law is truly rich.

As for the questions posed by Danny, they are passé and PR: ‘What kind of issues would you like to push if you win the election and become a parliamentarian?’ and ‘How do you propose to do that?’

Khairy’s replies are quite frankly pap. “I’d like to have a clear discussion on inter-ethnic relations and where we’re going in the future … talk about places of worship for non-Muslims, talk about the whole issue of how non-Muslims feel.” Indeed.

I’ve been challenged once before in Diary (and even possibly by the very same writer whose positive views of MalaysiaVotes versus People’s Parliament were set forth in the 4 March entry) to list out my ‘verifiable’ proofs. In the case of Khairy, I don’t see that it’s necessary given his long and wide notoriety. In that sense, MalaysiaVotes had got it right when it elected to title Danny’s essay ‘tempered’.

Because the onus is indeed on the MSM info disseminators to convince us that Khairy possesses the ‘empathy’ for “how non-Muslims feel” and of his other positive attributes. After all, it is his party and specifically the wing he heads which have Gertak (intimidated) the minorities, his chief that Gasak (threatened) brandishing the movement’s emblematic keris, and the Umno lot that condones if not altogether egg on Little Mullah Napoleons (LMNs) who make life a Hindraf bed of roses for the rest of us ‘nons’.

If you’ll go to MalaysiaVotes, please linger a moment on Danny’s photo of the Khairy entourage – sleek fleet of SUVs, all of a make and a colour, and one vehicle even bearing a ‘KJ100’ licence plate, and pause to admire the ‘KJ’ and dacing designs painted on their sides.

‘A tempered view’ of Khairy elicited 23 comments. Sad to say, thereafter, the website has been registering few and in many cases zero comments for the rest of their articles ... its initial readers seem to have progressively shied away. One blogger Bernard Khoo, better known as Zorro, said he had commented on ‘A tempered view’ and it took days before his brief but unfavorable comment was moderated and uploaded. So no wonder few readers now bother.

However, readers’ feedback on the fresh-off-the-block 23 Feb Khairy article was pertinent. They asked: Isn’t the heavily tinted windscreen and windows of Khairy’s (seven, did Danny say?) 4 X 4 s flouting the law? Isn’t Khairy’s expenditure on the four-wheel drive alone exceeding the amount permissible for a candidate’s election campaign? Sadly, Danny failed to pose these same questions to his interviewee, or if he did, failed to publish Khairy’s replies. And your Media Monitor similarly failed to notice the lack.

Diary has enthused that MalaysiaVotes is “making a solid attempt to provide balanced and fair coverage and has produced content that is a drastic improvement from the mainstream”. I don’t intend to go into the rest of their articles (my time is precious, I’ve got a ‘Boycott the newspapers!’ project to run) but just allow me a few words of rebuttal to Diary’s ‘fair and balanced’ puff vis-à-vis the coverage on Khairy’s PKR opponent, Chegubard.

Diary noted in a tone of praise that “While hanging around the convoy on nomination day, [Danny] Lim overheard a story — denied by the party — about Dax and Umno members sabotaging opponents’ flags”. What Diary omitted to elaborate on [ref. ‘denied’] was that in the correction, MalaysiaVotes also published this retraction: “Dax has categorically denied that the incident took place, and the writer apologises for not verifying the context or the accuracy of the conversation that he overheard. MalaysiaVotes.com apologises for not being more stringent in our fact-checking before we published.”

But MalaysiaVotes did not take the trouble either to contact Chegubard to hear his side. On the other hand, Malaysiakini reported that the PKR contestant had claimed the whole period of campaign in Rembau was marred by BN hooliganism. Chegubard said: “There were various instances where our posters, banners [were vandalised and stolen] and supporters were harassed by Khairy’s supporters,” adding he and his people had lodged more than 20 police reports on the incidents of BN aggression.

After 8 March, MalaysiaVotes abruptly failed to update its website. Today, 20 March, following a ‘Click here’ button, I’m redirected to presumably fresh pages containing a few sporadic entries mostly by contributors, including one pseudonymous writer. In explanation, MalaysiaVotes states that it is ‘winding down’ to return later; its exit as sudden as its entry into cyberspace a mere two-and-a-half weeks before polling day. Pity that the site and its founders were so evasive when earlier asked about their sources of funding.

A couple of weeks’ operation is no track record, and in this light Diary’s question “how successful was MalaysiaVotes in reaching its aim?” is clearly seen as only a rhetorical flourish.

Among MalaysiaVotes avowed aims were to provide “news on the elections that would not gain either the attention of or fair coverage from the traditional media in Malaysia”. Consider this then: In addition to ‘A tempered view’, Diary tallied at 2,763 words Danny’s second essay on Khairy, titled ‘The “Moderate” Mischief of the BN’.

In contrast, there was only one write-up for Chegubard and his Q & A amounted to all of some 400 words. I should think a total of 3,000-plus words on an Umno candidate (the PM’s surrogate Big Ears and Big Mouth no less, who was getting all the exposure in the world from the myriad government channels) would tip the ‘balance’ tremendously when weighed against the PKR man naturally receiving little positive attention in MSM.

Did MalaysiaVotes succeed in bridging the yawning gaps left by MSM, for instance, through its Rembau reports? One would think, hardly! Yet the Diary notation very kindly gave this ringing endorsement: “MalaysiaVotes has attempted to provide content ‘that is written and edited according to the journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, balance and accountability’.” He or she also opined Malaysiavotes “has produced content that is a drastic improvement from the mainstream”.

If mainstream is languishing at Ground Zero, anything else would be a drastic improvement, I reckon.