Govt-licensed media losing out
Published on: Tuesday, September 06, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: The government- licensed media that is seen as docile face the prospect of falling readership and advertisers migrating to new digital and the social media, opined Prof Dr Zaharom Naim of University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus."We are faced with an increasingly docile mainstream media with licensing, the Official Secrets Act and threats of arrest and detention over the years," he said to a question by a representative of the University of Hong Kong on the more critically daring Chinese language newspapers in Malaysia on certain aspects, Prof Dr Zaharom opined that their coverage or market reach is limited as only the Chinese educated of certain age groups read these newspapers. He was delivering a paper 'Transforming Malaysia Media – Promises, Performance, Possibilities' at the 10th International Malaysian Studies Conference here at UMS, recently. He explained that in Malaya, while the colonialists started the press like Prince of Wales Island Gazette (PWIG) in 1806, Chinese papers like the Chinese Monthly Magazine 1815 prioritise Chinese news in China followed by anti-Manchu or pro-Manchu (last Imperial Ching Dynasty formed by Manchu conquerers from Manchuria) papers from late 1800s to early 1900s.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Hence, the early vernacular papers had elements of resistance and, also, editorial independence." "We reap what we sow," he said. The Home Ministry's past revocation of licenses of Watan, Sin Chew Jit Poh and The Star had bankrupted Watan and The Star is no longer the same as before. Current examples of curbs ranged from The Edge to The Heat.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The mainstream or traditional media still very much a state or crony oligopoly," he said showing charts of media units under Media Prima stable.He blamed the dominant partner in the ruling BN coalition,Umno, saying it messed up the country's media and made alternative media more believable and acceptable.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said preciously independentlyowned newspapers were taken over by parties like Umno in the case Utusan before the formation of Malaysia, leading to a strike by journalists and workers."The Utusan strike lasted 93 days from July 1961 over the Umno takeover. Perhaps that was the end of editorial independence in mainstream newspapers in the country," he said.He said current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not do as he promised to repeal the Printing Presses and Publication (PPPA) Act 1984/1987, while predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed neutered the media and the judiciary with Operation Lallang in 1987 and sacked the Lord President and six upright judges.The title of the Lord President was removed in a dictatorial act by Dr Mahathir disliked it and police permits becomes commonplace for public gathering and expression only in ceramah in closed premises."The media was muzzled by Mahathir and other institutions were compromised on neutered. The Star, Watan, Sin Chew closed down and their, licences revoked. Not forgetting, of course, the arrest and detention under the ISA of 110 opposition leaders, dissidents, religious personalities.""Although Najib posed as more liberal to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA), but from 2014 to 2016 saw the highest number of arrests under the Sedition Act ever on students, politicians, activists and academicians.""The slide continues with the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (POTA), Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), and the National Security Council Act 2016 (NSC) which became law on August 1. All these ISA replacement laws allow indefinite detention without trial."The 1996 promise of no censorship of the Internet with Bill of Guarantees over the launching of Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) was forgotten. Why? Because of 1MDB and other financial scandals. Hudud and the rise of Islamofascism encouraged by the regime as a smokescreen. But the genie is lacking control."On one hand we face greater controls on mainstream media, rising Islamofascism with wild assertion of Malay supremacy and protection. On the other hand, digital journalism like the launch of Sarawak Report (SR) changed the media landscape in Malaysia."SR took on political heavyweights and corruption scandals that the mainstream media avoided."Using investigative journalism methods, SR claims to be a 'group of citizens and onlookers deeply concerned by the situation in Malaysia with a particular focus on Sarawak', prompting other foreign and local digital media to focus on the stories."SR, The Malaysian Insider (TMI closed down) The Edge and the (US) Wall Street Journal had elements of truth in their reports."One interesting preliminary, albeit journalistic study (Cilisos) reveals that four main news items on the 1MDB scandal reported by SR before the release of the (US) Department of Justice (DOJ) report, were accurate," he said."The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police constantly monitor content. Criticism of state actors (politicians or royalty) were punished with incarceration under the Sedition Act," Prof Zaharom Naim said."The MCMC has been diligent in monitoring SR and has for a while now blocked the site as with some other sites."But, of course, there are ways of going around such censorship. Malaysians, by and large, are aware of – and do use – these alternative sites.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
