PKR led by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is trying so desperately to stage a comeback has amongst others called for a freer press. Constantly criticizing mainstream press for alleged partisan reporting, isn’t that a case of Pakatan Rakyat calling the kettle black?
But after the melee yesterday, when PKR’s volunteer supporters who behaved in a very aggressive manner against a Guangming photographer Sdri Loh Hoay Hoon, it seems a silenced press and severely controlled news reporting beckons for Malaysia should Anwar ever achieve his dream of becoming Prime Minister. Since the March 8 elections, Anwar has proudly bragged about the Pakatan Fakyat being the government in waiting.
In many ways, media agencies do play a pertinent role as the unofficial fourth estate of the check and balance in the country after the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. It is the media that enables greater transparency when it reports on the shortcomings of the government. 308 proved that the all media agencies, direct or indirect played a major contributory role in causing the political tumult with 4 more states dropping to the Opposition and Kelantan remaining under PAS rule.
While Pakatan Rakyat has criticized mainstream press for having alleged partisan reporting (despite the strong influence of the new media, i.e. online news and blogs), the press freedom index of Malaysia will record a lower reading if Malaysia ever falls to Opposition hands because the press will be completely muzzled. The situation in Malaysia will be worse off because as the photographs in the Chinese dailies, The Sun and Malaysiakini clearly reveal, that brute force was allegedly used when the hand of an alleged PKR volunteer like as if strangling the photographer. Malaysiakini further reports that Loh “was allegedly kicked, choked and hit on the head by a group of PRK security personnel.”
Will Malaysia next see mob violence and mob rule should Anwar and all his Opposition cronies be given the mandate by voters to govern?
The polling date for the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency has not even been announced and already we see the descent of rule of law into rule of coercion.
This is not the first time that PKR’s volunteers who serve as security personnel have conducted themselves in a thoroughly unprofessional manner with complete disdain and disregard for journalists, reporters and photographers earning an honest living.
Previously after a Pakatan Rakyat rally in Kelana Jaya Stadium where PKR’s volunteers manhandled media personnel, the Malaysian Chinese Photojournalist Association (MCPA) had already raised their concerns to PKR to which PRK media co-ordinator Ginie Lim has duly acknowledged (Malaysiakini 8 Jul 08), but obviously to no avail. Such arrogance by PKR shows that their success on 308 has gone into their heads.
Their apparent reckless behavior in manhandling a lady photographer and unrepentant behavior of PKR are a shameful reflection of the true colours of Anwar and his cohorts. It also shows that PKR’s top leaders have no control over their employees who are allowed to behave as they please, using thuggery on fellow Malaysians. It will be a sad day for Malaysia should such violent high handed tactics by the PKR team be allowed to go unpunished and worse still unchecked and unstopped by the electorate. A freer press that indicates a matured democracy looks out of reach in the days coming ahead in Permatang Pauh.
- MCA Online -