A Speakers’ Corner in M’sia called Malaysiakini

Zam: Utusan can’t stand its readers fleeing to Malaysiakini

David Dass: Malaysiakini is the equivalent of a speakers’ corner. A speaker comes, stands on his wooden box and talks on themes that he or she is passionate about. A crowd gathers around and then comment on the views expressed.

The debate gets heated up with varying opinions being expressed. The composition of the crowd changes and more and more opinions are expressed. Generally, people are enthralled with the discussion that takes place.

However, the Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, hecklers – skilled and aggressive in heckling but with no sincere interest in debate – have all but destroyed a great and glorious tradition.

Good speakers get discouraged by the aggressive heckling and eventually give up. And those who are starting their careers in public speaking give up, unable to cope with the aggressive onslaught of these hecklers. The London mayor together with some universities are trying to revitalise the Speakers’ Corner.

There was a Speakers’ Corner in Universiti Malaya in the 1960s. It attracted crowds of students. Then there was the crackdown on student activism in the 1970s and the Speakers’ Corner was closed down.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental freedom. It is part of the democratic process. Through vigorous public debate, all sides to a proposed plan or policy or law or action are examined, and through that debate hopefully a better decision is made.

Malaysiakini has a great bunch of columnists who write about many of the issues affecting the nation. It has attracted a wide readership, many of whom regularly comment on articles published.

These comments have become an integral part of the success of the news website. And they help Malaysians make up their minds about issues affecting them.

Dont Just Talk: With media headlines such as ‘Apa lagi Cina mahu?’ in Utusan Malaysia, it is the extremists who still read this newspaper, while liberal, literate readers subscribed to Malaysiakini.

In addition to an increased number of subscribers, Malaysiakini can proudly lay claim that even the purchase of their new office in Petaling Jaya is partially made possible through voluntary donations by readers, something which Utusan and the New Straits Times can only dream of.

Oscar Kilo: Malaysiakini publishes news and views from both sides, unlike the mainstream media. And Malaysiakini allows comments, unlike the mainstream media.

Stupid is as stupid does: They confuse national unity from Umno unity. Utusan is a piece of trash, acting merely as Umno’s organ. The public has grown wiser with education, but not their party.

Spinnot: Zainnudin Maidin as the former chief editor of Utusan should know that there aren’t many Utusan readers, anyway.

Newday: I have been subscribing to Malaysiakini for almost a year. For once, I can read items that have not been tightly edited showing bias, or cannot read anything because the article may be deemed ‘dangerous to the public’.

Malaysiakini provides the opportunity that, sadly, all newspaper portals in this country do not provide. It is certainly a challenge maintaining this level of independence through the morass of increasing media restrictions, but somehow Malaysiakini does.

There are always some amazing insightful comments, some extremely funny ones, and also those which are extremely nasty – people being racist, people making primary school-type attacks.

But that is what we have – warts and all. Society is warts and all, but the ruling party just wants us to see the ‘all’, not the ‘warts’, and I for one will always challenge such one-way mindset. Malaysiakini gives me that opportunity.

Oxymoronictendencies: Freedom of speech and Malaysiakini’s news reporting bias is a worthy discussion point. A review of Malaysian media in general might lead one to believe that Malaysiakini is biased in its reporting.

However, this is a distortion of reality. Yes, certainly Malaysiakini reports the news from all sides of politics, including the opposition parties.

And equally, it seems, it publishes commentaries from any side of Malaysian politics that cares to contribute. The reality is that it is the mainstream media, which are the ones that are truly biased (or is it muzzled?). They certainly don’t report on both sides of politics without fear or favour.

So, it’s misleading at best (and downright ‘fake news’) to claim that Malaysiakini is biased in its news reporting.

Malaysians should be grateful to co-founders Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran for their ongoing ‘battle’ to make key political news – not just what the government would like you to know – available to as wide a spectrum of readers as possible.

Headhunter: For once, we agree with Zam. Utusan must be seething with jealousy the success and high standard of journalism exhibited by Malaysiakini.

Who wants to read such trash as written by Utusan’s Awang Selamat these days? If not for forced subscription from government departments and government-linked companies (GLCs), no one would want to read the propaganda and racist stuff that Utusan is only good at.

Appum: Utusan suffers typically a “spoilt child” syndrome. Like all spoilt children, they can’t stand on their own, always need the parental prop-up to exist, can’t take defeat in any form, and always blame others for their incapability and poor performances.

Like all weaklings, they will want other competent and capable competitors removed from the equation.

Malaysia4All: I think there is a lack of pro-BN commentators’ comments that are republished in Malaysiakini because they are likely to be cybertroopers with a poor command of English.

Only the few, like Analyser, have a sufficiently decent command of English, so he tends to be republished more often than not, possibly for balance of comments rather than for, say, logic and sensibility.

Kleptomaniac: Newspapers that spin and spew lies to confuse rakyat should die a natural death and Utusan fits the bill.

Rojak: Since Malaysiakini responded with yet another reminder of who owns it and who is responsible for its content, I assume Utusan will now do the same?

Vijay47: No wonder Malaysiakini is so pro-opposition – human rights lawyer and Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah controls 0.01% of it!

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