Malaysia’s worst performance in press freedom dropping by 32 spots to 124th ranking in 2007 Press Freedom Index signals the end of Abdullah Badawi’s promise that he has big ears to hear the truth
___________________
Press Statement
by Lim Guan Eng
________________________
(Petaling Jaya,
Thursday) :
Malaysia’s worst performance
in press freedom dropping by
32 spots to 124th ranking in
2007 Press Freedom Index
released by Paris-based
watchdog Reporters Without
Borders (RSF) signals the end
of Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi’s promise that
he has big ears to hear the
truth. The fact that Malaysia
has the worst performance
ever, from 110th in 2002,
104th in 2003 when Badawi
took over as Prime Minister
from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,
122nd in 2004, 113th in 2005
and 92nd last year shows that
on almost every measure,
Abdullah has performed worst
than Mahathir.
Abdullah had promised during
the 2004 general elections of
establishing integrity and
launching a strong
anti-corruption campaign.
Instead of improving our
position in the Corruption
Perception Index (CPI) of
Transparency International of
37th when Abdullah took over
as Prime Minister in 2003,
Malaysia’s position declined.
Just like the decline in
press ranking, Malaysia
achieved its worst ranking in
the CPI last year at No. 44th
before improving to 43rd this
year.
When Abdullah took over as
Prime Minister, he asked not
only that the people tell him
the truth but also that the
people should work with him
but not for him. Sadly, Tun
Dr Mahathir’s impression was
correct that
Abdullah
were
working more for his
son-in-law UMNO Youth
President Khairy Jamaluddin
or helping his own son to
become one of the richest
entrepreneurs in Malaysia.
Abdullah’s promises of
telling the truth sounds
hollow when Malaysia
performed worse under the
Press Freedom Index than
countries like Kampuchea
(85), Timor-Leste (94) or
Indonesia (103). Continued
restrictions against the news
media such as a ban on news
about Wee Meng Chee, closure
or pig farms, Islamic state
issue; or action taken
against bloggers and a Tamil
daily Makkal Ossai for
offences where the offended
Christian churches had
accepted their apology only
reveals the hidden agenda of
BN to suppress any news
portal that is not
pro-government.
Information Minister Datuk
Zainudin Mydin may take pride
in saying that the media need
not publish the truth but
such directives to the
Malaysian media not only
contradicts what the Prime
Minister said but also shows
that there is no press
freedom in Malaysia.
Malaysiakini reported that
Information Minister
Zainuddin Maidin had told
news editors not to play up
negative news because Prime
Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi's pledge to "hear the
truth" does not apply to the
media. Zainuddin explained
that Abdullah's often
repeated pledges of
"listening to the truth" were
only restricted to government
officials and Barisan
Nasional leaders so as to
assist the cabinet in making
decisions.
When Abdullah make such empty
promises that are meant to be
broken, Zam’s behavior
reminds Malaysians that
Abdullah’s promises of having
big ears to hear the truth as
no different from the big bad
wolf in the children’s tale
of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.
The big bad wolf disguised as
Little Red Riding Hood’s
granny had ready answers to
her questions.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: What
big ears you have!
BIG BAD WOLF: (falsetto) All
the better to hear you with
my dear.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: And
Granny. What a big nose you
have. (she gets closer)
BIG BAD WOLF: (falsetto) All
the better to smell you with
my dear.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: And
Granny. What big eyes you
have. (she moves closer)
BIG BAD WOLF: (falsetto) All
the better to see you with my
dear.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: And
Granny. What big teeth you
have. (she is looking
directly at the wolf’s teeth
and his mouth is wide open)
BIG BAD WOLF: (growling in
his deep wolf voice) All the
better to eat you with my
dear!
It will be a sad day if
Abdullah continues to allow
his promises to remain
unfulfilled, undelivered or
broken by anti-truth
proponents such as Zam.
Malaysians can no longer
place any hope in BN that
political liberties and human
rights freedom will improve
under Abdullah. Malaysians
can only depend on themselves
if they want to avoid that
fate and escape like Little
Red Riding Hood.
In the children’s tale,
Little Red Riding Hood was
saved by her granny who
appeared in time to chase
away the big bad wolf. There
is no “granny” to save
Malaysians and Malaysians
must instead exercise
vigilance to defend their
rights or freedom or else
they will end up in the
stomach of BN with rampant
crime, corruption and abuse
of power.
(18/10/2007)
* Lim Guan
Eng,
Secretary-General of DAP |