Roller-coaster ride for Malaysiakini starting anew

Utusan ‘praises’ Malaysiakini for being ‘immune’ to action

Tholu: The tolling of the death knell for Malaysiakini by Umno has begun.

Remember how the two The Edge publications – The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily – were suspended for three months in 2015?

The reason for the suspension cited by the Home Ministry in very broad and unspecific terms was that the publications’ reporting of 1MDB was “prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to public order, security or likely to alarm public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interest”.

Although eventually the High Court lifted the suspension of the two publications, the government had successfully put the two publications out of action for almost two months. This fate can befall Malaysiakini.

Umno/BN will employ the same vicious stratagem a couple of months before GE14, with the aim to block a substantial fraction of the population from news that would expose the government’s lies and spins during the election campaigning. Be on your guard, Malaysiakini.

Vijay47: When America launched that mother of all battles against Iraq, one of the first things it did was to take out Iraq’s communication system, leaving Saddam Hussein to fight in the dark.

That is exactly what is happening now and a sure sign that the elections are in the offing. The order is – take out Malaysiakini. The portal has been a royal pain in Umno’s bottom and its sin is that it covers both facets of the two coins, Umno and opposition, reflecting the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

According to the Umno and “Utusan School of Journalism”, good reporting means you mention only Umno’s good side, in all its flattering glory and only the worst elements of the opposition.

Further, if Umno leaders come out with their usual load of rubbish, a talent unmatched in Malaysia, Malaysiakini is expected to omit such garbage.

Brace yourself, Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan, that roller-coaster ride is starting anew. You can expect further charges and visits, for elections are coming to town.

HaveAGreatDay: Malaysiakini is immune to action? How many times has the Malaysiakini office been raided and their computers carted away?

Just because Malaysiakini allows alternative views and criticisms of Umnoputra’s big shots, Utusan is ill at ease. Grow up.

Commentable: You are wrong, Utusan @ Awang Selamat.

1. One needn’t be a pro-DAP to subscribe to Malaysiakini. I don’t subscribe to The Rocket, but I do subscribe to Malaysiakini and it is worth the money I pay.

2. There’s no special treatment for Malaysiakini. Far from it, the only thing special Malaysiakini received is the special monitoring given to it, ready to be pounced upon by the authorities anytime. Remember the time when their office was raided not too long ago?

Most ministries even banned Malaysiakini reporters from events (like the PM’s recent Hari Raya open house) and press announcements.

Utusan is given special passes every time, but yet it failed to impress even its own readers. Awang should look in the mirror and ask why.

3. Every aggrieved party criticised is given the opportunity to reply. Of course, if one remains silent, like ‘Ah MO1’ did, there will be unflattering comments.

4. Malaysiakini is for paid subscribers only, so why pay and read the comments if you don’t like it?

5. There is the law, not special treatment. Remember The Edge?

Anonymous_1400076912: First and foremost, selamat petang Awang Selamat, I’m not a DAP member and I’m pro what’s right and just. My comments come straight from my heart, all because I love Malaysia and want the best for my country.

Some comments, honest and hard-hitting as they are, can be stinging to those who hate or are blind to the truth that’s happening in our nation.

No other mainstream paper can beat you in terms of being “immune” to action by the authorities for stirring racial hatred and “dangerous sentiments”, including “wild and slanderous” news. How many times were you sued for such irresponsible journalism and lost?

So, before you rant and rave about Malaysiakini, look in the mirror yourself. Be a patriot. Stand up for the truth. Fight for what’s right and good for our multiracial nation, not just for the ‘ketuanan’. Kita semua anak Malaysia.

Ace: Firstly, a faceless coward who dares not even reveal his identity has no right to rant and rave about anybody, much less Malaysiakini, which has all along been open and forthright.

Secondly, the master of spewing racist rants, lies and venom, who has been given special treatment, has the audacity to accuse another party of special treatment. How much more ridiculous can it get?

Vgeorgemy: The nation has given these guys an opportunity to spread knowledge and information to every corner of our land. Instead, they injected hate and supremacist dogma among the rakyat. Divisiveness becomes the order of the day.

They didn’t realise they can’t fool the rakyat every time. So, they lost their monopoly to a small-scale Internet start-up, Malaysiakini. At last, they have to admit that Malaysiakini has become a formidable force in formulating national policies of our beloved land.

We salute Malaysiakini and its team on their achievements in this worthwhile journey.

Boeyks: It’s well-known that Utusan is well-supported financially, whereas Malaysiakini has to work to provide a worthwhile service to its readers to fill its rice bowls.

Thus, the right to comment is given by those who have to pay whereas in the other media, comments are allowed only when their “ketuanan rights” are threatened. Who do you think will provide more truths in the comments?

Clever Voter: Indeed, Utusan has no reason to complain, for they are well-supported financially. But there is a worldwide decline in print readership, and Malaysia is no exception, which means Utusan‘s challenges will not get any better.

The only newspaper that supports DAP is their very own The Rocket. The readership of Malaysiakini is largely urban but non-partisan. Opinion wise, it is mixed. Every single political party and individuals are never spared from criticism.

Malaysiakini comments are varied and they reflect a cross-section of the society. Rightly or wrongly, they should be given an outlet to express their views.

Zen: The government should instead sue the commentators individually if they are found guilty of violating the law.

There is no need to impose a blanket punishment over an action made by one individual. Go for that person and charge him/her until they wet in their pants if they flout any law of Malaysia.

Basically: I wonder what kind of journalism postulates that only official news is what matters and the opinions of the common people are not to be listened to?

So, the people’s votes count, but shut up after that?

Hplooi: This attack by Utusan means that Malaysiakini comment sections contain some of the most erudite social-political perceptions in Malaysia.

Comments would constitute a must-read by itself just for a feel of the ‘pulse on the ground’ of the liberal crowd in Malaysia.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.