Refreshing piece in The Edge

For anyone who missed it, this piece in the Edge is a fresh breath of air after being swamped by the propaganda in the mainstream media during the election campaign.

It is written by P Gunasegaram, the group executive editor at The Edge. Well done, Gunasegaram.

Question Time: In the aftermath of elections
March 30, 2004 : 02.06 PM
By P Gunasegaram


Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not. - Henry Fielding (1707-1754)

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

The way you wield power, especially in adversity, says a lot about how principled you are. Are your principles so strong that you are prepared to stick to them at a cost to yourself or are you going to compromise them at the altar of that phrase which excuses many things: "the end justifies the means."

So, what's this got to do with elections? Everything. If you look at the way elections are conducted, it is not all that democratic, even if voting - under the one-man, one-vote system - is fair, barring the bungling by the Elections Commission.

Democracy implies that those who stand for elections will have a fair chance to give the electorate their point of view. When that fair chance is denied to any party, the process of democracy is hindered and the elections are that much less fair.

See the full article.

Nice to see The Edge taking a more critical perspective.

What's Parliament?

A friend of mine spotted this and sent this along. Not sure how to credit the source, but it has more than a grain of truth in it, don't you think? But then again, in Malaysia, we don't get to see parliamentary proceedings as our TV stations prefer to keep us in the dark. Maybe so we can't see how empty Parliament is most times; we also don't get to see some MPs looking bored and even snoozing... Now if they were to screen the proceedings from Parliament, our MPs might begin to take Parliament more seriously.



Regular blog visitor Lucia liked this one: "Haha. Very funny. Indeed... lots of truth in it. Where is the source? I wouldn't mind using this cartoon (at least just the words of what is parliament) but of course need to know the source before i use it.

"Methinks, yes it's high time parliament proceedings should be telecast 'live' to the rakyat. After all, we voted them and we need to see what 'business' they are up to."

Lucia, I think it came off some Australian newspaper, but I'm not sure. Yes, we badly need parliamentary proceedings to be telecast 'live" to keep our MPs on their toes - and to stop them dozing or "chilling out" at the Parliament cafetaria or playing ponteng.

What do others think?

Johnny-come-lately misses the boat

For those readers of Malaysia’s mainstream newspapers who were so sick of the political ads in the run-up to the recent general election, this ad on page 4 of The Sunday Star (28 March) would raise more than an eyebrow.

With a screaming title, “What you can do about ads that break the rules”, this ad that comes from the Advertising Standards Authority Malaysia (ASA), “an independent self-regulatory body”, urges concerned Malaysians to alert the organisation should they find advertisements that violate “ethical standards in advertising”. This body should be appropriately known by its full acronym, ASAM (!) - ‘cos, man, its ad sure leaves a sour taste in the mouth (we are definitely not being sour grapes, here!)

We’re lost for words, really. Where was ASAM....err, ASA, when we wanted them most during the recent election campaign period? Were they in slumberland when a number of political ads violated ethics not only in advertising but also politics? Isn’t this a classic case of missing the boat? Or latching the barn doors after the horses have bolted...?

By the way, did you see the full-page Telekom ad on page 7 of The Star today congratulating Abdullah Badawi "on leading the Barisan Nasional to victory at the 11th General Elections"? Any comment, ASA? None? Why aren't we surprised.

Anyway, how do you feel knowing that the cost of this Telekom ad will eventually be passed on to you via your telephone bill?

Blog visitor Kerol adds: "In our 'Bolehland' everything is possible...well, that is if you're listed in the 'Approved by BN' list."

How ad agencies re-packaged Abdullah Badawi and sold the BN "brand"

In an earlier posting, we had suggested that the BN victory was actually a triumph for advertising agencies. Today, a Bernama report supports our observation that the election ad blitz was actually part of a professional well-coordinated advertising campaign unleashed on unsuspecting Malaysians. The ads were designed to promote the "feel-good" factor, to market the BN "brand" image and to portray Abdullah Badawi in the best possible light.

In addition, the "soft-sell" advertising campaign used different kinds of ads for different target groups.

Here is the link to the Bernama report and the report in full:

BN Effectively Used "Soft-Sell" For Election Advertising Campaign

KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- The "soft-sell" approach helped the Barisan Nasional (BN) win votes during its election campaign.

Coordinated by two of BN chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's aides -- an ex-banker and a political scientist -- the media blitz used the creative input of three or four advertising companies and covered TV, radio, print media, billboards and, for the first time, direct mail.

"It definitely affected the outcome of the elections," said Democratic Action Party (DAP)'s National Publicity Chairman Ronnie Liu, "and worked on the fence-sitters who want peace and stability--and who form up to 40 per cent of the total voters."

Liu, who is a copywriter for an advertising agency, said, "There was not much about politics but about the 'feel good' factor, which was more effective than previous campaigns which used threats."

For example, he said, previous campaign advertisements suggested that if the Opposition was voted in, Malaysia might face riots like a neighbouring country.

But Liu criticised a series of advertisements targetting the opposition party, which claimed, "A vote for DAP is a vote for PAS."

"They tried to give the impression that old photos were new and that the DAP is still cooperating with PAS," he said.

One of the two BN chairman's aides stressed that the anti-DAP advertisements were "not coordinated centrally."

"We wanted to use soft-sell because Malaysian voters have reached a certain level of maturity, especially the young voters who enjoy making a choice," he told Bernama.

"It would not go down well if we dictated to them. So we aimed at persuading them."

The strategy was to lay all the facts on the table and let the voters make a choice, he explained.

For example, during his TV and radio appearances, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said, "I respect whatever decision you make but it is important for you to make that decision. If you like what I'm doing, it's important to let me know and if you don't like what I am doing, it is equally important to let me know."

The campaign featured Abdullah's pronouncements over the past five months, a strong central message that the BN stands for peace, stability and inclusiveness, the aide said.

"Soft-sell has greater appeal," agreed Leo Burnett Advertising's chairman and executive creative director Ali Mohamed, whose company worked on the TV commercials. "If you don't talk bad about other people but talk about what Pak Lah is trying to do for us, for a better Malaysia."

He explained that the commercials focused "just on Malaysians talking about what they like to do, what they believe in about this country and their life, rather than politics."

"Because Pak Lah talks about everyday things, not mega-projects," he said.

"Things like education, better service from the government, improving the police, anti-corruption, dealing directly with the public."

The aide said different approaches were used for different target groups.

For example, print advertisements which only appeared in the Chinese newspapers talked about mother-tongue education, corruption (showing a glass table which would not allow "under-the-table" payments), and a wishing tree with the wishes of the community.

People who supported the BN but did not feel compelled to go out and vote were wooed with a TV commercial featuring a real letter from a 70-year-old man in Johor to the Prime Minister.

The campaign was distributed equally across the different media, the aide said, adding that "overkill is one of the greatest enemies, so we tried to space it out."

Overall, he said, "We were successful in selling the BN's brand and the principal product, Datuk Seri Abdullah, well. If people 'felt good' towards the BN I feel it was validated."

-- BERNAMA

What we would like to know is how much was paid to the ad agencies and the media for this advertising campaign. Did the newspapers charge the BN the market rate for the media space or air-time (well, of course, we know the newspapers are all controlled by the BN and its friends, so it's just going from one pocket to another)? Would the cost of the advertising campaign be reflected in the candidates' campaign expenditure and if so, have the BN candidates then exceeded their permitted spending limits?

In this advertising and marketing game, voters are reduced to unsuspecting consumers whose minds should be moulded and manipulated into buying the "product." In this game, the BN is the brand, the dacing is the brand logo, the tag line is "Excellence, Glory, Distinction", and the emotion they are trying to create is "feel good". The principal "product" is of course, Abdullah Badawi, and the product attributes highlighted are the images of him as an anti-corruption crusader fighting against formidable odds, a man who listens to the people, etc.

It worked, didn't it? So does this make you "feel good" - to know that the election campaign is all part of a professional marketing game by the BN and its ad agencies? Fine, you may say, but what about poorer parties who do not have access to the financial resources of the BN - will they always be the losers in this marketing game?

It is obvious too that capitalism and Big Business are creeping into the electoral process in new and unhealthy ways. Look at the "feel-good" ads taken out by MAS, Tenaga, etc. Look at the number of fawning full-page ads congratulating the BN on its victory. These ads were taken out by various businessmen/firms who probably want to ingratiate themselves to the ruling politicians. Look at the growing prominence of ad agencies and the coordinated advertising campaigns.

And they say they are trying to wipe out money politics? Gimme a break...

Blog visitor Kurang Asam comments: "So now, when it's all over, will anyone believe the hype? Hope everyone is satisfied with their products. 100% satisfaction! No refunds or trade-in's ; ) "

Berita Harian played up beer-drinkers at PAS operations centre

This beer-drinking pic appeared on page 1 of Berita Harian on 20 March, with a screaming headline, "Markas Pas sedia minuman keras". It was placed on top of the page.

Here are the first two paras of the news report to give you a sense of how the 'incident' was pitched by the daily:

"Dalam keghairahan Pas menarik sokongan pengundi Cina, sebuah markas jentera pilihan raya Pas di Wakaf Tapai dekat sini (Marang) dilapor menyediakan minuman keras kepada petugas dan pengunjung bukan Islam.

"Malah, akhbar China Press keluaran Rabu lalu turut menyiarkan berita mengenainya selain memaparkan tiga lelaki Cina memegang tin bir di dalam markas itu."

Blog visitor Kurang Asam notes: "Nowadays, Malaysia newspapers are not even fit to wrap nasi lemak. I wonder why people buy these papers. They should be paying us instead to read them, for all the emotional and mental damages that one may suffer later on in life."

Umm, maybe Malaysians buy the papers for the comics, Kurang Asam, or they want to see how Arsenal, Chelsea and Man U are faring? hehe

Hadi highlights "spy camera" photo as proof that balloting is not secret

The spy camera picture we highlighted yesterday has made it to the news today. In a report titled "PAS: pix is proof voting is not secret" in page 2 of today's theSun, PAS president Hadi Awang pointed to the picture as proof that the Election Commission could not guarantee the confidentiality of the election process.

"The ability of certain parties to take the picture of voters marking the ballot papers behind the voting booth is proof that voting is not secret," said Hadi.

"This makes voters feel not free in making their choice."

Incidentally, the picture in question was taken in Marang, the seat which Hadi lost.

Blog visitor Kurang Asam is disgusted: "It is sickening indeed, first they spy in the toilets, now the ballot booths. We call these people Political Perverts."

Our posting yesterday raised questions about the overall secrecy of the ballot and sparked a flurry of responses from blog visitors.

Kevin points out correctly, "I think that’s a Reuters photograph."

Regular visitor Lucia says, "I thought it is illegal to have the ballot papers marked, no? It is! Read the letter from Jarrod Daniel, a polling agent in Malaysiakini?

"This (ballot papers being marked) is one of the reasons many govt. servants and even Uni students dare not vote the opposition for fear of their being traced. Unfair!…This practice of marking the papers is very wrong and should be stopped."

Chris shares Lucia's outrage about the serial numbers on ballot papers: "No wonder my friends are so angry and they are not willing to vote at that moment."

"What is 'rahsia'? What does that mean? Pencil…well, they think that we are small kids (who) need guidance so that our choice can be erased anytime they want.

"Why not pen? As I am a first-time voter this time, I brought along my PEN. I was confused - why couldn't I use my own pen? People, OPEN your eyes and see what’s going on.

Another regular Kurang Asam adds: "Well, too bad we are on 'the other side' of the 'law; probably we should bend the rules, they give pencils, we bring pens, etc.

"The only way to raise an issue is to complain, complain, complain until the cows come home."

"Eventually they will submit when they are sick and tired of hearing our pleas. Or will they turn a deaf ear? Let's all be vocal and voice our dissatisfaction."

Lucia responds: "They should provide us with marker pens to mark the ballot paper - that is the best methinks... very clear and unerasable."

Ann is cynical of the Election Commission and suggests that it is subservient to the BN.

Kiasu supporters held up Bukit Bintang recount - but from which party?

Something appears rather screwy with a page 2 article in theSun on 24 March. Titled “Demands of ‘kiasu’ team hold up recounting process”, the piece is on the recounting of votes for the Bukit Bintang parliamentary seat.

The recounting on 22 March took up a lot of time, from 10am to 10:35pm. Why?

The third and fourth paragraphs of the article state:

After observing the goings-on at the tallying centre and the recount, anyone will be convinced that the EC (Election Commission) is not to be totally blamed for the slow process.

Instead, it is the “kiasu” behaviour of the supporters of contesting parties that is to blame.

Fong Kui Lun of DAP, Tan Chew Mooi of the MCA, Wee Choo Keong of the MDP, and Independent Billie Lim contested for the Bukit Bintang seat.

Since Wee and Lim clearly lost on the first count, the recounting had nothing to do with them. Indeed, the article did not mention them at all. (Keep in mind that DAP won that seat on first count and also on recount.)

And so, the “contesting parties” mentioned in the above quote would refer to the DAP and the MCA.

However, the rest of the article paints quite a different picture.

Paragraphs 7 to 17 get into what happened during the recounting process. But the focus is only on what the MCA tried to do that contributed to the slow counting. Quite clearly, the MCA was the only “kiasu” party here!

Our problem here is not with the many things the MCA did that contributed to the long recounting process.

Rather, why did theSun say “contesting parties”, indicating that more than one party was involved?

Typos? Careless writing? But should not the “MCA” be mentioned instead of “contesting parties”? How could they be confused?

Perhaps the article is referring to recounting elsewhere as well to justify the use of “parties”? Let’s see.

Only paragraphs 5 and 6 of the article focus on recounting elsewhere, specifically Permatang Pauh. They mention how Wan Azizah asked for a recount after the first count saw her lost by 36 votes.

But theSun did not provide anything to indicate Wan Azizah engaged in activities that contributed to the slow recounting process. The article ends with the observation that although Permatang Pauh had 3, 614 ballots more than in Bukit Bintang, the recounting there ended five hours earlier - ­again, underscoring the unusually long recounting process at Bukit Bintang.

If theSun wanted to make the case that the MCA was not the only “kiasu” party, it failed with the Permatang Pauh example.

Again, only the MCA can be blamed ...

It must be stated that theSun should be commended for bringing to public attention the many things done by the MCA that contributed to the long recounting at Bukit Bintang. Neither the UMNO-connected New Straits Times nor the MCA-paper The Star covered the story.

But as much as we would like to give theSun the benefit of the doubt, we can’t help but feel that the way the story was written was rather confusing….

Blog visitor DC says he was at the scene of the recount: "First of all, I, like you, commend theSun for bringing to the people's attention what happened at the recounting process in Bukit Bintang. As I was there myself as a polling agent recounting the votes, I can say that the losing team would use whatever ways to dispute the vote and the winning team will use whatever way to protect their votes. As such, you may said that both teams were also "kiasu".

"But from what I understand, the article seems to point to the losing side as the "kiasu" team and I totally agree with it. The times the recounting process was disrupted were all due to the demands and the 'childish' acts of certain people from the "kiasu" team in trying to ensure victory for their lovely candidate.

"The article might be confusing to people who are not there but not for me because to me there is really a "kiasu" team there showcasing all their talents in behaving like sore losers."

Liputan Media Cina Pada Pilihanraya Ke-11: Jurnalisme Ala Asia?

Kajian yang telah dijalankan untuk Pilihanraya 1999 oleh pengkaji media Cina, Chang Teck Peng, mendapati bahawa liputan yang lebih pro-BN adalah disebabkan faktor "ketakutan" terhadap Dr. Mahathir Mohamad ketika beliau masih bertugas sebagai Perdana Menteri, yang merupakan orang yang pernah menamatkan permit penerbitan akhbar.

Tetapi pada Pilihanraya 2004 faktor ini sudah tidak dapat dijadikan alasan dan tambahan pula dengan wujudnya akhbar baru, Oriental Daily yang membuka persaingan akhbar Cina memasuki era baru yang lebih sengit. Adakah media Cina melaksanakan tugasnya secara profesional dan memuaskan sepanjang pilihanraya?

Akhbar Cina

Walaupun secara amnya akhbar Cina cuba mengimbangi berita antara BN dan pihak pembangkang, tetapi apa yang menjadi paradoks ialah kepentingan persaingan antara akhbar dalam membuat liputan pilihan raya mengatasi kepentingan liputan pilihanraya. Apa yang dimaksudkan di sini ialah wujud usaha-usaha yang keterlaluan dalam menarik minat pembaca untuk tujuan persaingan ditumpukan perhatian yang lebih berbanding isi-isi kandungan yang penting untuk masa depan negara.

Misalnya, Sin Chew Daily menerbitkan edisi khas yang mendapatkan ilham dan kreativiti dari zaman lampau sebagai asas konsep liputan dan pemaparan gambar-gambar hiasan di muka surat hadapan. Ketua Editor Sin Chew Daily pada kolum interaksi dengan pembaca baru-baru ini mengatakan bahawa,

“Selepas pembubaran Parlimen, edisi khas dikeluarkan dengan penjelasan bahawa, kami (sidang editor) mengibaratkan pilihanraya sebagai peperangan orang moden yang tidak berdarah. Oleh itu sepanjang 18 hari, ‘peperangan’ ditemakan dalam edisi khas. Hiasan muka surat depan edisi khas, tajuk besar, nama kolum-kolum dan sebagainya dengan sengaja menggunakan kata-kata nama dan gambar-gambar yang berkaitan dengan ‘peperangan’.”

Tambah beliau yang juga mendapat ilham dari “The Romance of Three Kingdoms” (Sanguo Yanyi) untuk analisis politik dalam kolum komentar khas sendiri sepanjang pilihan raya,

“Sesetengah pihak menganggap kaedah ini sebagai keterlaluan. Kami pernah mendapatkan pandangan dari pelbagai pihak, menurut respon kebanyakan pembaca, mereka agak memuji cara pemaparan sedemikian dan berasa ‘cukup kreatif’… walau bagaimanapun kami sedia menerima kritikan…” (halaman 03, 22 Mac, Sin Chew Daily)

Konsepsi tema “peperangan” dan unsur pra-moden ini mungkin memang terbenam dalam praktik jurnalisme pemberita dan mungkin akan mempengaruhi pemikiran pembaca. Dengan ini, faktor budaya secara langsung telah campurtangan dalam proses modenisasi yang mungkin tidak mendatangkan kebaikan dalam penghargaan nilai-nilai demokrasi.

Apakah ini jurnalisme ala Asia (“Asian journalism”)? Walaupun BN dan
pihak pembangkang diberi ruang dan peluang, ini bukan kerana prinsip adil, tetapi lebih kepada kepercayaan tradisional yang ingin berbaik-baik dengan semua pihak dan berpendirian neutral yang mempunyai pertimbangan hipokrit. Apabila timbul isu penting, sidang editor akan mengetengahkan isu untuk sementara waktu sahaja dan akan menarik diri secara tiba-tiba kerana takut dianggap sengaja bermusuhan dengan pihak berkuasa. Nilai-nilai tidak berkonfrontasi telah mendasari prinsip kewartawanan, lebih-lebih lagi dalam realiti pihak yang memegang kuasa memang lebih mendapat pertimbangan serius berbanding pihak yang tidak berkuasa.

Nanyang Siang Pau juga mengeluarkan edisi khas yang lebih bersifat “section two”, berunsur hiburan dan liputan-liputan yang ringan dan remeh. Misalnya gambar-gambar yang “lucu” diambil dan dipaparkan dengan besar. Banyak temuduga yang dibuat ialah mengenai hubungan kekeluargaan calon-calon yang bertanding dengan fokus bagaimana calon berkenalan dengan isteri, anak berapa, kerja apa dan semacam-macam lain yang remeh-temeh yang dianggap senang dibaca dan menarik perhatian pembaca.

Banyak pemerhati masyarakat yang mengeluh tiada isu atau agenda pada pilihanraya kali ini. Nampaknya tiada usaha penonjolan sesetengah isu penting oleh akhbar adalah antara sebab kehilangan isu politik. Bukankah isu pengambilalihan Nanyang Siang Pau dan China Press oleh MCA, isu pemansuhan ISA, isu pembukaan semula S.R.J.K. (C) Damansara lebih penting?

Oriental Daily yang berusia satu tahun tiga bulan nampaknya berusaha untuk bersaing dengan suratkhabar Cina yang lain. Sesetengah pembaca menilai Oriental Daily sebagai “feel young”, iaitu memberi perasaan lebih muda dalam pemilihan isu-isu dan cara hiasan muka surat. Tetapi ianya masih tidak berupaya memberi alternatif yang lain jikalau pembaca inginkan akhbar Cina yang lebih berkualiti.

Kwong Wah Yit Poh menumpukan perhatian yang lebih di kawasan semenanjung Malaysia utara kerana ianya akhbar tempatan. Liputan akhbar ini nampaknya lebih bergantung kepada si pemberita yang menulis tanpa pendirian adil kepada semua pihak yang berkekalan dan berterusan. Pada sesuatu hari, pemberita yang lebih menumpukan perhatian kepada pembangkang akan cuba mengimbangi sesetengah pemberitaan yang jelas lebih pro-BN dan Islamfobia terhadap PAS. Kolum komentar dari pembaca tidak kurang suara-suara dari pihak pembangkang.

China Press tidak begitu mementingkan liputan pilihan raya berbanding akhbar lain dan tetap dengan berita-berita “sensasi” yang menarik pembaca seperti biasa. Misalnya, pada muka surat hadapan semasa pilihan raya berjalan China Press melaporkan seorang pemuda yang dirampas telah dibogelkan dan dibiarkan oleh perompak di kawasan pedalaman. Pemuda tersebut diselamatkan oleh seorang yang “baik hati”, tetapi malang tidak berbau, semasa pemuda tersebut mandi orang yang “baik hati” mencabuli organ kemaluan pemuda. Ini “profesional” ala China Press pada hari-hari biasa.

Satu lagi kecenderungan akhbar Cina ialah asyik memuji diri sendiri. Contohnya pada hari pembubaran Parlimen Sin Chew Daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh dan Nanyang Siang Pau yang mengeluarkan edisi khas menggelar diri sebagai bergerak dengan cepat dan memenuhi kehendak pembaca, edisi khas telah “dirampas habis” oleh pembaca.

Pujian sendiri tentang edisi khas daripada sidang editor atasan seperti mengatakan edisi khas mereka adalah bernilai untuk simpanan rujukan, berita mereka lebih cepat, berita mereka lebih adil dan sebagainya terlampau banyak. Pembaca agak muak dengan pujian-pujian yang sedemikian di akhbar Cina. Pembaca inginkan liputan yang mendalam dan adil tetapi bukan pembaziran ruang untuk tujuan propaganda dan kepentingan diri.

Media Elektronik

Berita Mandarin TV2 ialah media elektronik yang paling tidak adil. NTV7 boleh dikatakan antara yang paling bagus dari segi pemberian ruang kepada kesemua pihak yang bertanding dan ia mempunyai cara penyampaian yang menarik. Ini diikuti pula dengan Berita Mandarin Bernama di ASTRO AEC yang berat sebelah juga tetapi tidak seberat sebelah TV2.

Daripada kesemua media Cina di Malaysia baik media cetak mahupun media elektronik yang dipantau, nampaknya Buletin Berita Mandarin TV2 merupakan media yang paling tidak profesional. Berita Mandarin TV2 perlu menukar nama menjadi “Berita Mandarin Barisan Nasional TV2”!

Where do we go from here...

Blog visitor Salbiah sends in another comment: "My first comment stays. However, in view of requests for media monitoring, perhaps this should be focussed on free press/freedom of information coverage (issues related), corruption or any other specific coverage which is relevant to human rights?

"Unless it is narrowed you may duplicate work elsewhere. Still is anything to be done about unfair press/media coverage of GE2004? A report to Suhakam for instance could help any group who might want to file a case on a level playing field etc in court. They have 21 days from gazette of election results. So you have to think fast and act fast. BTW, thanks for cleaning up my grammar!"

Send in more of your views! Just click on the comments link below.

Sun's spy camera undermines ballot secrecy

On election day, many voters raised concerns about the secrecy of the ballot. I myself created a stink in the polling room when I saw the polling officer writing my voter registration number on the counterfoil of the prenumbered serialised ballot papers. I told the officer that this violated my right to secrecy of the ballot. "What kind of undi rahsia is this?" I demanded to know. "This is not undi rahsia." She just shrugged her shoulders and muttered something about this being the Election Commission's requirement.

I also asked loudly (so that everyone in the room could hear) whether I had to vote with the 6B pencil provided. I said I wanted to use my pen. You could see people in the room getting flustered by this "troublemaker". One of the officers or agents said that the requirement was that the pencil be used. I asked him why and and told him that this was bizarre as pencil marks could always be erased. He could not provide a satisfactory answer. Why can't pens with indelible ink be provided? This is not a primary school objective test where you need a 2B pencil to mark your choice.

Anyway blog visitor Jo forwarded this scanned picture from theSun (page 14) of 22 Mar to us with the comments: "Who needs serial numbers when you've got cameras?"

A couple of questions arise: How did theSun photographer get access into the voting booths? How was the spy camera placed above the booths? And don't theSun and its photographer know that it is highly unethical to take pictures of voters making their choice in the privacy of the booths?

Here's what you have to say…Keep those comments coming

Thanks for your comments; keep them comments coming. We will be mulling over the future of this blog in the next few days; your views on what can and should be done would be most appreciated. Send them in!

It would seem our friend Tua Kia would like to help, "Teach us how to contribute to your site. And yes, continue on."

Bob K adds: "I think this site is doing a good job keeping tabs on the media. It should go on."

Faithful visitor Lucia says: "Agree with Tua Kia and Bob. Let this site go on. We need a media watchdog.

"Well, if you really can't cope and need any help, monetary or voluntary service, I'm sure some readers won't mind to chip in."

Another faithful Kurang Asam chips in: "Me thinks covering the day-to-day media flip-flops will be interesting indeed. How certain politicians are strictly monitored to be like "angels" (like top echelon of Umno, Mahathir) and other's so-so or criticized publicly like (Chua Jui Ming, Samy).

"Also don't forget to address the level of public criticism in the letters to the editor collumn, the extent that it may go, to remain in print. How about the way articles are written, tone used, with hidden message, importance in column placement and volume/quota given etc. Good job, keep it up n running!"

Bolehmia observes: "This site has done a really good job during this election. Thanks."

Salbiah thinks we might not have the stamina to last the distance: "It was great having this project during the GE2004. That was an important and specific event and the GE1999 saw major problems with media independence and coverage. I would rather have a round of comments on what can be done about the media coverage of the GE2004 rather than a pemantau that goes on ad infinitum. It might lose steam..."

Lina also wants the site to go on, and she is willing to help: "How does one become a volunteer for this site? I think you should still maintain this website, there are enough people interested in a fair and unbiased media. Keep up the good job."

Jaii is confident we will go on, perhaps more confident than us! I like his spirit: "Struggle will continue, so will this diary!"

"Journalist" has a unique reason for wanting us to continue: "Pls continue the website so that I can use the reports to argue with my 'boss'."

Hmm, Journalist, are you sure you will still have a job (hehe)?! Seriously though, it is great that you are making your views known to your boss. That's the spirit!

Okay, any other comments? Here's your chance to tell us what you think. Just click on the "Comments" link below and tell us what you want to see and how we can go about it.

Kit Siang and Karpal described as "ageing"

K Parkaran in an analysis piece on the DAP in page 14 of The Star had this to say today: "Lim (Kit Siang) and Karpal Singh are ageing and some say it could be their last election."

Hmm, funny, Abdullah Badawi and, for that matter, Mahathir, aren't spring chickens either. But I don't remember The Star ever describing either of them as ageing - I don't think it would dare!

Let's be a bit consistent, okay, and play fair.

I also note The Star had to eat humble pie in reporting on the front page today that Wan Azizah had actually won after describing her as "Out" in yesterday's paper. And after reporting unquestioningly on the front page yesterday that the BN had claimed victory in Kelantan, the paper had to report today that oops, err... PAS had actually won Kelantan.

Blog visitor Jaii adds: "The Star doesn't even bother to apologise for its misleading unofficial results."

Jaii, it wouldn't have been so bad had they clearly stated that they were just unofficial results and recounts were underway. Then readers would know that the final results were still not known.

Blog visitor Zhang chips in: "I think the premature and incorrect news was not malicious in anyway because the voting part of the election was over, so there was hardly any political gain to be made. It has more to do with 'scooping', that is, to be the first to break the news. This is entirely a professional aspiration, but obviously it annoyed party faithfuls for its incorrectness."

Anyway, the paper is full of the "landslide" news. Wong Sulong talks of a "new era" in his "comment piece" on page 3 but never once does he mention the human rights situation in the country. Are repressive laws not an issue? Are human rights not relevant in this "new era"? Neither does he mention the disastrous performance of the Election Commission. Ooops, sorry, no negative news allowed in this "new era" except if it involves the opposition.

What now? Tell us what you think...

Over the last month or so, we have tried to alert Malaysians to the uneven playing field in the country especially the mainstream media's blatant denial of meaningful access to opposing views.

We have relied on volunteer Election Media Monitors who have done an exemplary job with their analyses and observations. Please remember they were all unpaid volunteers whose sole intention was to raise the level of awareness of ordinary Malaysians towards the performance of the media. It was a wonderful form of public service on the part of the monitors. A big thank you to them all. You know who you are - you have helped raised awareness of the need for media freedom and more ethical reporting.

Thanks to all blog visitors who posted their views on this site. Most of them were relevant and added to the discussion points that we may otherwise have overlooked or left out.

What should we do now? Shut down this blog? Or is there a need for some kind of ongoing media monitoring? And how do we managed this, given our limited (unpaid!) human resources?

Let us know what you think. Your views will be carefully noted. Just jot down what you think in the "comments" link below this.

The Star trumpets BN win in Kelantan prematurely

The Star has allowed the BN to "claim victory" in Kelantan even though the final outcome was in doubt. In a front page report, "the people's paper" this morning uncritically allowed the BN to claim victory without mentioning that the result was still not conclusive.

This morning, on the Star Online, a latest report states that "The Election Commission ordered a recount for Gaal, Selising, Kota Lama, Pulai Chondong, Temangan, Kemuning, Manek Urai and Melor. The Machang parliamentary seat is also involved in the recount.

"Results so far showed PAS had won 19 state seats while the Barisan Nasional has 18. There are 45 state constituencies in Kelantan."

In its haste to play up the BN "landslide" and meet its press deadline, The Star has fallen victim to its own unquestioning, fawning journalism. The honest thing to do would have been to report that the outcome was still not known and that it would only be known this morning.

Additionally, the paper also displayed a picture of Wan Azizah on page 3 as one of the losing candidates under the heading "Out", even though two recounts showed her winning by small margins and a final recount would be carried out this morning. It looks like The Star is anxious to get rid of Wan Azizah, even before the outcome is known.

With all these recounts still in progress, it is amazing that Bernama has already reported that the BN's share of the popular vote is 64.4 per cent.

In the end, PAS has retained power in Kelantan while Wan Azizah retained her Permatang Pauh seat

Blog visitor Quest adds: "The Star has lost its credibility in its reporting. A lot of its reporting is to satisfy its political master. There is more spin than reporting."

Some polling stations in Selangor fail to heed EC's extension order

ntv7 has just announced that some polling stations had failed to heed the Election Commission's order that polling be extended until 7pm. These stations closed at 5 pm instead of 7 pm, despite the Commission's order that the extension applies to the whole of Selangor. There appears to be utter confusion in many parts of Selangor.

Even Rahim Tamby Chik acknowledges that the Election Commission's performance has been unsatisfactory ("buruk").

ntv7 reports that many voters are upset. Selangor Mentri Besar due to make an announcement at 9 pm.

ntv7 and Rahim suggest that it might be better to conduct polling again in affected areas.

ntv7 questions Muhammad Taib over scandal of voters unable to vote

The ntv7 anchorman has raised the issue of voters who were unable to vote with UMNO vice-president Muhammad Muhammad Taib. The anchor said many voters had called to say they were unable to vote even at the close of the extended polling hours (extended from 5 pm to 7pm). Good question, ntv7.

Muhammad Taib replied over the phone that this was beyond his power to answer and it should be handled by the Election Commission.

Blog visitor Voterselangor pointed out that the voter turnout was high in Kelantan and Terengganu, whereas blog visitor unsatisfied observed: "The reason why the turnout was very poor was all due to EC's stupidity. Nothing to do with voters! The voters were all at the polling stations but the number of voters who managed to poll was too little due to the inefficiency of the EC. I myself was at the polling station from 10 am and only managed to cast my vote at 4pm! If I were to give up halfway, would that mean that I did not turn up? The EC chaiman should take responsibility and resign immediately!"

ntv7 reports on low voter turnout in urban areas in KL/Selangor

Rahim Tamby Chik is on ntv7 commenting on the unusually low voter turnouts in several urban areas in KL/Selangor ranging from 49 per cent to 60 per cent in some places.

In Balik Pulau, Penang, a campaign polling agent told the Election Media Monitors that the turnout was barely 50 percent.

This is in sharp contrast to the turnouts in Terengganu (more than 85 per cent turnout) and Kelantan (more than 70 per cent). The turnout in Putrajaya was 90 per cent!

These are early indications that suggest that many voters in many BN-strongholds may have stayed at home out of apathy or out of sense that the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.

BN win is actually a triumph for advertising and marketing firms

The BN win today is a victory for advertising and marketing firms which coordinated the PR blitz. The intensive advertising campaign - from the billboards to the full-page ads to the glossy pamphlets - bore all the marks of professional marketing techniques.

The BN tag-line "Excellence, Glory, Distinction", for instance, is uncannily similar to the tag-line for a major international cigarette brand, which used "Style, Quality, Excellence" (Gaya, mutu, keunggulan). In a sense, the BN's campaign has been all about style/form over substance and the marketing of a brand image, while shunting aside the issues that matter.

This is probably the handiwork of the professional advertising/marketing firms. Singapore's Straits Times today reports: "For this campaign, the BN roped in at least three different advertising agencies. Its television commercials were produced by Leo Burnett, while two other agencies were responsible for print and poster campaigns."

The ads consistently hammered home the theme that only the BN could ensure "stability" and "development".

So, not surprisingly, tried and tested commercial methods were used to tug at voter's emotions to urge them to "buy" (vote for) the product (BN). In the end, the firms regarded voters as gullible "consumers" whose emotions could be manipulated by constant bombardment of positive images so that they ended up desiring the product (BN).

One wonders how much this advertising campaign - including the campaign material and media adverts - has cost the BN and whether it has exceeded permissible spending limits. Would our allegedly independent Election Commission investigate this - or will it turn a blind eye as usual?

Blog visitor Earth said s/he found these observations "amusing" while Adam said it sounded like "sour grapes."

Says blog visitor Luxen: "If I'm not mistaken, most of the airtime, billboards and full-page advertisements were 'donated' by the media owners so BN did not break the campaign limit rules.

"Most of the Billboards were used temporarily only (wrap around). For the airtime, most were in house promos rolled by the TV stations."

Another blog visitor Bizarro responds to Luxen: "Come on. And who owns these media? *cough*"

Voting hours extended by two hours in Selangor - Why?

Lite and Easy radio made an odd announcement just now, saying that the Election Commission had extended the voting period by two hours until 7 pm for Selangor only. The announcement also urged voters to go out and vote if they had not already done so. No reason was given for this highly unusual and irregular extension in voting hours for a whole state.

Blog visitor Francis comments: "Extended..well..what else is new; SPR (is) always right even when they are dead wrong!!! I didn't believe SPR then, I don't believe SPR now."

The verdict is out: No surprises, mainstream media clearly unfair

As the shortest ever election campaigning comes to an end (“Malaysia Boleh” indeed), we would like to offer a few concluding remarks based on the monitoring of the mainstream media—particularly the English papers (the New Straits Times, The Star, theSun) and the news in English on TV1, TV3, ntv7 and channel 8.

And there is only one thing to say: other than the very slight exception of ntv7 and theSun, the other media have been clearly quite unfair to the opposition.

A flicker of hope from theSun and ntv7

ntv7 tried now and then to include the opposition in its news bulletin but the performance has been very spotty at best.

theSun has shown more promise. It has provided proportionally more balanced news and views than the other two papers. Also, now and then, it has offered more balanced and critical analysis of the MCA.

Note, “critical” here is not about a negative outlook of a party. Rather, it involves asking follow-up questions instead of just accepting at face value whatever the news maker has to say. It also means trying to be balanced and fair.

However, the better performance of ntv7 and theSun offers, at best, a tiny hope. Yes, just a tiny one because what they have accomplished is really nothing to shout about when compared to the other papers and TV stations.

All others were BN cheerleaders

These other papers and TV stations are either BN propaganda outlets (as in TV1 - even though it is supposed to be state-owned) or BN cheerleaders. And so, these other media are not interested in playing fair.

Of course, this is only one aspect of the uneven playing field in this 11th general election. The other areas include gerrymandering, the role played by the Election Commission, etc.

What do they tell their children?

Given the seriously unfair advantage that the BN has in the campaigning, including the amount of positive attention the party and candidates have received from their own media, there is only one thing left to say.

We cannot help but wonder what they actually say to their kids playing in a playground with other kids. Do they tell them, “It is ok not to play fair”?

Blog visitor Kurang Asam has this prediction: "Come Monday onwards we are going to have a one month tribute on how BN won, blown out of proportion. Just watch and see..."

You have been warned.

Blog visitor Hb doesn't see anything immoral about the unequal media access: "Well, you can't expect someone to speak against his own boss, can you?

"However, if you have the advantage, why not use it for your own interest? There is a very thin line betw stupidity and integrity. I wouldn't say what BN is doing is immoral; it's not stupid either."

What do others think?

One-sided advertising blitz suffocates Malaysian voters

Get the feeling that every time you turned on the telly in the past week, you were bombarded by commercials on the election? Or whenever you flipped through the pages of a newspaper, there was an ad on the election staring at you?

Well, your are right about the feeling. The mainstream media have indeed been saturated with the ads. But that is just half the story. The other is that -- surprise, surprise -- they are all ads for the Barisan Nasional, except for a solitary print ad.

Let’s start with television, namely TV1, TV2, TV3, ntv7, and channels 8 and 9. Just about all election-related TV commercials directly or indirectly have promoted the BN.
In addition to the BN-sponsored ads, there are also ads from corporations that subtly promote the BN. The corporations include ntv7, TV3, MAS, Tenaga Malaysia, and Country Heights.

Then, there are public service announcements that are supposed to be RTM productions reminding us about the importance of voting. But it is not hard to discern the handprints of the BN on them.

These video clips typically show how "developed" the country has become as we exercise our democracy through the ballot box. Images are flashed of the rakyat, young and old and of different races, working and playing together. Lingering shots showcase skyscrapers, a modern transportation system, etc. And, of course, government institutions, if not the BN leaders themselves, are also projected.

What they don't show you...

What you never see are civil society groups and non-governmental organizations working peacefully and diligently to ensure that progress in our material development does not come at a high price. We are not shown the destruction of our environment, the curtailment of our freedom and justice in the name of social stability for unhindered corporate and economic expansion, and the lack of transparency and accountability.

Are these groups and individuals any less Malaysian or democratic in contributing to where we are as a nation?

What about commercials from the opposition? Sorry, no prize for guessing right: none at all.

Miserable press

Now, how about the newspapers or the three major English papers­the New Straits Times, The Star, and theSun.

Without fail, the BN had at least two full-page colour ads in all three papers everyday from 14 to 20 March. They are also different from day to day. For example, on 14 March, an ad has the premier proclaiming, “I’m not alone. My party, my team and the rakyat are with me” accompanied by a picture of Abdullah Badawi waving to a crowd. That was not repeated, as a different ad appeared the next day ­ and on and on.

All three papers also carried a 4-page BN ad entitled “When you go to the polls on 21 March, remember 47 years of Malaysian achievements.” Just as there was also another 4-pager on Penang’s Strategic Development Plan 2.

Believe it or not, there is a total of at least 20 of these different BN ads. Isn’t there a cap on campaign spending? Or doesn't it apply to the BN?

What about ads from private individuals or corporations? Only two can be found. One is a full-page colour ad from Datuk Robert Phang and his family giving support to Abdullah Badawi, and is found only in the NST. The other is only in The Star, a full-page ad from businesses from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain supportive of the BN.

The Star also had other ideas, running three other types of ads not found in the NST and theSun. One has each ad taking up half a page from top to bottom on one side. There are at least five of these and each features a quote directly or indirectly supportive of the BN and a picture of an individual or family, apparently responsible for the quote.

These ads do not mention the BN as sponsor at all. Did the individual or family pay for the ads then? How much was the cost, we wonder, since none of the opposition parties made use of the opportunity.

Attack ads

The second type only in The Star are the ones that can only be called “attack ads”. They attacked DAP (especially Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh) and PAS, and there are six of them, each taking up a full page.

A slight variation of them slams only the DAP with each ad taking up a quarter page. There are four such ads and all have the same line: “Every vote for DAP only weakens BN’s ability to fight extremism that threatens our freedom.”

Finally, only in The Star are there four ads each taking up a full page promoting MCA.

Must be nice for the MCA to be the owner of The Star.It could also ignore news event that disagreed with the party line. Thus when Gerakan’s Koh Tsu Koon of Penang came out to disassociate himself from the attack ads, the MCA paper did not carry a word on it.

What about NST, which is connected to UMNO? On 19 March, it suggested that the attack ads were all the work of the MCA when it said only certain ads came out of the BN chairman’s office.

But does that not mean that BN head Abdullah Badawi was not serious when he told the BN component parties not to engage in personal attacks...?

Only one opposition ad!

Meanwhile, the three English dailes carried a grand total of only one ad from the opposition for the entire week. It is a combined PAS-Keadilan ad appearing only in The Star on 20 March. It takes up one full page and appears to be aimed only at Selangor as it is headlined “Bersama Selangor Baru”.

Any way you want to look at all the ads and commercials, there is only one conclusion: what an overwhelmingly one-sided picture!

Star editors have no sense of fairplay

The MCA paper, The Star, is not surprisingly at it yet again.

As we pointed out before, the paper on 18 March ran a big splash of a feature story on the MCA's Chew Mei Fun. We did not believe then that it would have the guts or sense of fairplay to give equally generous coverage to any one these DAP incumbents—Theresa Kok of Seputeh, Fong Po Kuan of Batu Gajah, and Chong Eng of Bukit Mertajam.
We were right.

What’s more the paper on 20 March shamelessly devote the first three pages of its Metro section to focus on Lim Boo Chang, the incumbent MCA candidate for Bukit Gelugor.

This is on top of a personal ad of Lim himself, taking up a quarter of page 9 of the same Metro section.

Sure must be nice to have the MCA paper in your corner, eh Lim?

Blog visitor Lucia groans in despair: "Aarggh! I guess we have been fed with a BN overdose these days from the paper that cares. It gets so bad that one just feels like puking.

"Yes, remembering your earlier post 'Newspaper or newsletter', I guess The Star's Metro section has been turned into an MCA newsletter for the election.

"Wow! It pays to be an MCA candidate: campaigning done for you and spread far and wide."

Blog visitor Zhang warns that there is a danger that the MCA may overdo it. "Too much rich food served continuously can repulse even the most indiscriminating glutton.

"Nevertheless, our cynical awareness of such unfair 'play', the fact that the (electronic) Information Age is here to stay, and a changing and educated new group of voters may bring about an entirely different ball game altogether in the future.

"In this respect, electronic newspapers like Malaysiakini and Aliran can contribute enormously to growing political awareness and people's power. The difficulties for both Malaysiakini and Aliran will be to stay relevant and (editorial) independent, and to keep abreast if not ahead of information technology.

"Don't forget, the political parties themselves will also be trying to stay ahead of the new information game."

Mainstream media fight "unethical media" - The World according to Zam

Are we missing something here? Check out page 6 of today’s (20 March) New Straits Times under the headline, “War on unethical media reporting will aid BN”. In the news report, Information Ministry media adviser and BN candidate for the Merbok parliamentary constituency, Zainudin Maidin, was quoted as saying that the “commitment of the mainstream print and electronic media to fight the unethical media” would help BN make big electoral gains.

The mainstream media are fighting the “unethical media”? We wonder sometimes whether the logic of Zam, as he’s popularly known (and who incidentally also has a Brad Pitt-phobia), escapes us easily. Is he trying to suggest that the mainstream media have been pretty ethical in their coverage of the election campaigning?

Haven’t we seen in the past one week or so the unbridled use of the mainstream media by the incumbent BN? Haven’t we noticed the sometimes misleading political ads and reporting in the mainstream media? Haven’t we witnessed the deliberate marginalizing of the opposing parties (to the BN) in almost all of the mainstream media coverage?

By the way, can an election candidate like Zam still hold an official position (i.e. media adviser) with the Information Ministry?

The final political pitch via media ads

Today (20 March), which is the last day of the election campaigning, sees yet another flurry of political advertisements that fill the many pages of the mainstream press, let alone the broadcasting stations. What is out of the ordinary in The Star today is that there is a full-page ad that comes from the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front), which is made up of PAS and Keadilan.

Under the big title of “Bersama Selangor Baru” (Together for a New Selangor), the BA's ad clearly targets the people of Selangor. Apart from the BA's plans for Selangor, if voted in, the ad also shows faces of its prominent political figures.

This ad, which is placed on faraway page 39, is, as far as we know, the first and probably the only one that has been taken out by the BA in the run-up to the 11th general election. There are possible reasons for this lack of political advertising by the BA. It could be due to, among others, shortage of funds and also the difficulty in accessing the mainstream media.

Thus, this sole advertisement of the BA is like the proverbial drop in the (BN) ocean as far as the mainstream media go.



Ong Ka Ting rides a rickety bicycle

The MCA, a key member of the incumbent BN, also gets into the act in an ad, on page 25 of its own daily The Star, where it appeals to the electorate, especially Chinese Malaysian voters, to “Give the new MCA team a chance to serve you.”

It’s interesting to see a picture of MCA president Ong Ka Ting riding a bike with a caption at the bottom, “In touch with the Rakyat”. By the way, when was the last time you saw BN politicians like Ong riding a bike and a rickety one at that?
















BN exploits the national flag to win votes

Over on page 26, we have yet another full-page ad from the BN, this time bearing the title “Vote For Malaysia” over a picture of the Malaysian flag. This is once again an example of a shrewd attempt to suggest to the Malaysian electorate that it is a patriotic act to vote for the BN. The blue background to the flying flag, incidentally, blends well with the blue of the BN.














The "right thing" for the MCA

The MCA, and for that matter the BN, are not only promoted via political ads per se. The incumbent party also gets propped up via news reports that double up as political campaigning, as illustrated by a report in The Star today featuring three former beauty queens and a music conductor.

The photos that accompany the report show three individuals, who were interviewed, under a headline, “The right thing to do”, while the individuals in one photo were shown gleefully holding on to BN buntings and in another photo with them wearing and parading BN T-shirts.

Star publishes opposition ad: Too little too late

Finally, a word from a different sponsor.

On the eve of polling day, after several days of continuous and aggressive
BN political advertisements, the readers of The Star finally get to see a
different political voice in the campaign battle!

Found on page 39 and sandwiched in between more Barisan Nasional advertisements, the full page appears to have originated from the Barisan Alternatif comprising PAS and Keadilan. The website provided (www.paselangor.com) suggests that PAS Selangor is the key sponsor. The advertisement is clearly targeted to voters in Selangor, and contains a terse 10-point plan of action should the BA be voted into power. The slogan is, “Bersama Selangor Baru” (Together for a New Selangor).

Despite this breath of alternative air, one nevertheless wonders whether it is a case of too-little-too-late as far as The Star is concerned.

Minuman bir, markas PAS dan Berita Harian

Salah satu tajuk utama yang menghiasi dada halaman pertama akhbar arus perdana Berita Harian hari ini (20 Mac) ialah kisah Markas PAS yang dikatakan menyedia minuman keras. Berita ini, yang mempunyai tajuk berita, “Markas Pas sedia minuman keras”, juga meletakkan gambar tiga orang Cina bersenyuman dan sedang minum bir. Foto ini dipetik dari akhbar China Press yang telah disiarkan pada hari Rabu yang lalu.

Minuman keras seperti bir, seperti kita sedia maklum, ialah satu minuman yang diharamkan oleh agama Islam. Dan memandangkan peristiwa ini dikatakan berlaku dalam Markas PAS, parti yang berpegang kepada ajaran Islam, ini sudah tentunya mendapat perhatian kuat dari akhbar-akhbar yang rapat dengan parti BN, lebih-lebih lagi akhbar arus perdana yang sasaran utamanya ialah orang Melayu dan orang Islam.

Hadi Awang, presiden PAS, menafikan hal ini, tetapi responsnya ini hanya disiarkan pada halaman empat akhbar berkenaan.

Dan tidak kurang pentingnya, hal ini ditonjolkan di tengah-tengah kempen pilihanraya yang menampakkan persaingan sengit antara PAS dan Umno. Mungkin itulah sebabnya kenapa Berita Harian meletakkan berita ini di muka hadapan manakala akhbar berbahasa Inggeris seperti New Straits Times dan The Star meletakkannya di halaman dalam.

Iklan Politik DAP dan Laporan Adil di Oriental Daily

Oriental Daily cuba menonjolkan amalan jurnalisme yang profesional. Akhbar harian ini menerbitkan edisi khas pilihanraya yang bersaiz separuh sebanyak 24 muka surat. Amalan biasa akhbar Cina secara umumnya akan mendapatkan pendapat dari calon-calon dan analisis yang biasanya juga bersifat pandangan elit politik dan fokus ditumpukan pada peringkat nasional dengan pengabaian suara lain yang kritikal daripada masyarakat sivil.

Pada 17 Mac, edisi khas Oriental Daily menjadikan topik suara masyarakat sivil sebagai tema utama. Dr. Mavis Puthucheary ditemuduga dan isu masyarakat sivil dalam pilihanraya diketengahkan yang membincangkan Malaysian Voters Union dan Pemantauan Media Pilihanraya oleh Charter2000-Aliran. Pada muka surat keempat edisi khas ini, Ho Khai Leong, seorang ahli akademik yang kritis terhadap parti politik MCA ditemuduga. Pada 20 Mac, penganalisis politik yang kritis Wong Wing Oon dan M G G Pillai juga ditemuduga untuk membincangkan isu pilihanraya.

Analisis setiap kawasan Parlimen mahupun kawasan DUN yang hangat, calon BN dan calon pembangkang masing-masing diberi pengenalan dengan foto dan symbol atau logo parti serta pengalaman politik calon. Ini boleh dianggap sebagai corak kesungguhan kewartawanan profesional untuk memberi ruang adil kepada kedua-dua pihak yang bertanding.

Dalam terbitan tempatan Utara Semenanjung Malaysia dan Perak, wujud pula dua iklan politik masing-masing bersaiz satu muka surat yang menyokong calon DAP (17 Mac). Satu daripadanya bertemakan “Parlimen Memerlukan Karpal Singh Yang Berani Bersuara”, dan satu lagi pula menunjukkan sokongan terhadap Lim Kit Siang yang bertemakan “Harap Dapat Mendengar Suara Anda (merujuk kepada Lim Kit Siang) Di Parlimen”. Kedua-dua iklan tersebut dibiayai atas nama segolongan penyokong DAP yang menuntut keadilan. Iklan politik diteruskan pada hari berikutnya, iaitu 18 Mac, 19 Mac dan 20 Mac.

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…

Media blues: Play me that number, again

As polling day draws near, practically all of the news bulletins on Malaysian television increasingly and aggressively promote the incumbent BN to the exclusion of other competing political parties in the country. It can be excruciatingly painful for Malaysians who hunger for fair and intellectually challenging reporting.

But, alas, life may not be that torturous if we care to look at the bright side of things. Sports news in these TV news bulletins provides rare glimpses of what could constitute balanced journalism. At the very least, the reports generally provide equal soundbytes to, for instance, the two opposing sides in a football match.

And if sport news is not your cup of tea, then there’s a promise of comic relief, at least for those viewers who subscribe to Astro. Last Wednesday night, those who opted to give the “boring” TV news a miss saw the return of the indefatigable William Hung in the popular singing contest of the “American Idol”, crooning again that unmistakable number called “She Bangs”. In this contest, we get to see the talents, or lack of, of all the contestants concerned and each is given almost equal airtime.

Hopefully, our mainstream media can learn a thing or two about equal coverage on political matters from this.

Nanyang Siang Pau Selepas Dimiliki MCA

Nanyang Siang Pau yang pernah dituduh menyebabkan kekalahan BN pada pilihanraya kecil di kawasan Lunas semakin memihak kepada BN pada pilihanraya kali ini.

Walaupun Nanyang cuba mengimbangi liputan BN dan pihak pembangkang, tetapi liputan pihak pembangkang yang penting sengaja diperkecilkan dari segi saiz, misalnya kenyataan Hadi Awang bahawa kemungkinan politik wang terlibat dalam kes penarikan calon PAS di Johor diberikan liputan yang tidak menonjol berbanding liputan kemenangan Syed Hamid (15 Mac, A15).

Tambahan pula liputan pihak pembangkang adalah berunsur negatif dan bersaiz besar, misalnya isu Syed Hussein Ali menarik diri dari pencalonan kawasan Parlimen Kota Bharu (12 Mac) dan ketidaksefahaman antara DAP dengan Parti Keadilan Rakyat mendapat liputan halaman hadapan (13 Mac).

Manifesto BN pula diberikan liputan yang begitu meluas di muka surat hadapan dan tambahan liputan pada A4 serta A5 (15 Mac), manakala Manifesto BA hanya wujud pada muka surat A9.

Pada 15 Mac di halaman A17 wujud liputan berkenaan keganasan dalam aktiviti berkempen. Tajuk berita ialah “Hari Penamaan Calon Berlaku Keganasan, Pihak Pembangkang Bergaduh Dengan Orang Awam”. Dalam pengolahan berita tersebut, pihak pembangkang dikatakan bertelingkah dengan orang awam tanpa menyatakan parti politik yang terlibat, tidak ada juga sebarang maklumat tentang sebab berlaku peristiwa ini, dan tidak juga disebut siapa pula orang awam yang menyibuk ini!

Apa yang menjadi persoalan ialah profesionalisme dan masa depan Nanyang Siang Pau setelah bekas setiausaha Cina peribadi bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Mahathir dilantik sebagai Ketua Editor akhbar itu, dan tambahan lagi MCA masih mengekalkan pemilikannya. Kekhuatiran masyarakat umum tentang kehilangan kredibiliti akhbar tersebut nampaknya terus menjelma.

Akhir-akhir ini kenyataan berkaitan dengan seruan pembaca supaya tidak menyokong calon yang bersetuju dengan penglibatan parti politik dalam industri media yang dikeluarkan oleh WAMI (kumpulan penulis Cina yang menentang pengambilalihan akhbar oleh parti politik) telah dinafikan haknya untuk mendapat liputan dalam semua suratkhabar Cina, termasuklah Nanyang Siang Pau.

Iklan, politik dan agama

Iklan politik bersaiz satu halaman besar yang dipamerkan dalam akhbar arus perdana berbahasa Melayu seperti Berita Harian dan Utusan Malaysia menunjukkan pemangku presiden Umno, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, sedang berdoa. Di atas kepalanya terbentang kata-kata berikut: “Kepadamu Ya Allah, hambaMu ini memohon petunjuk dan hidayah, kekuatan dan kecekalan, kesabaran dan kesungguhan.”

Iklan ini tidak muncul dalam akhbar berbahasa Inggeris, menan