The journalism fraternity needs to stand firmly by the Malaysian Insider and its reporter, who have now become the latest targets in a running series of attempts to intimidate reporters, bloggers and media houses, and to gag dissident or critical opinion through police action.

Thinking is not a crime.

Having an opinion is not a crime.

Expressing an opinion is not a crime.

And journalists must stand together to stand up to the bullies who want to make it a crime.

They must also make a firm stand to ensure the safety of Boo Su-Lyn, the young Insider reporter whose photograph has been published by pro-Umno blogs with remarks being made about her ethnicity as well as critical comments that it was unethical for her to sneak uninvited into a closed-door meeting.

Journalists must not allow bullies to hold sway.

Exposing wrong-doing is not a crime.

Exposing political infiltration of institutions of government is not a crime.

Nor is it unethical to report on a closed-door political meeting when the public interest is being served. What politicians say and do affects the public at large. The public deserves to be told what they are up to, behind closed doors or not.

It may be bad manners to be present when you’re not invited. But it is not unethical for a journalist to do so when the public needs to know. Boo Su-Lyn (above) and the Insider’s initiative in exposing possible wrong-doing deserves to be upheld.

Exposure of photographs of her at the meeting now makes her an obvious target — and the authorities must be asked to ensure her safety.

Guarding her safety does not mean placing her under ISA detention — supposedly for her own protection — as happened to Sin Chew reporter Tan Hoo Cheng (left) who similarly reported racist remarks by Penang Umno’s Ahmad Ismail in August 2008.

Police action against journalists and media houses have become more frequent, its use sanctioned by those allied to the ruling political elite. Very clearly, these actions are aimed at criminalising free expression and free reporting.

They seek to punish the messenger and let off the perpetrator — as with Ahmad Ismail, against whom no official action resulted.

The National Union of Journalists, the Centre for Independent Journalism, and other interested organisations thus need to work out a concerted plan of action against such intimidation.

It is no longer enough merely to make public statements and rely on the good nature of officials in power.

Last week’s arrest of cartoonist Zunar on sedition charges and the banning of three of his books, together with the banning of Kim Quek’s book The March to Putrajay on the spurious grounds that he maligned the Constitution, reflect the fear of the elite of their actions being exposed to citizens at large.

Zunar and Kim Quek both put a critical eye on the deeds of the ruling elite and on the rot within institutions that are meant to protect the citizenry.

Now come police reports against Su-Lyn and the Insider — on the heels of similar police action against rapper Namewee, and columnist Helen Ang of Malaysiakini, blogger Zorro, and threats to the Centre for Police Initiatives and its director Dr Lim Teck Ghee, among others in the recent past.

Common to all these is an attempt to suppress the airing of critical and independent opinion on institutions and policies.

That there is often also a racial nature to these actions makes it even more imperative that all journalists stand firm and resist racial and religious bigotry, and impartially support all those who have made a stand for free speech and a free press.

Otherwise the bigots and the ruling establishment will inevitably try to divide and rule by appealing to ethnic and religious sentiments among journalists.

NUJ president Hata Wahari’s stand against the racially-biased news coverage and commentary in his newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, is a firm first step towards reclaiming the public space from political manipulation by the power elite and racial bullies.

The NUJ needs to further strengthen its stand now by impartially speaking up for all those affected — including Zunar, Kim Quek and Namewee — and not merely safeguarding the interests of working newspaper and broadcast journalists.

BTN man makes police report

This afternoon, Hamim Husin, an assistant director of the infamous Biro Tata Negara, made a police report alleging that the Insider’s reporter had distorted or misinterpreted his remarks last week at a closed-door Puteri Umno meeting. The Puteri Umno division had filed its own report last week.

The phrase he is reported to have used to describe ethnic communities — si sepet dan kaki botol  — has made the rounds on the Internet and has become a catchphrase to describe the underlying attitudes and philosophies of BTN.

Hamim was reported to have said that “Malays can’t rule by themselves. That’s why we are friends with MCA and MIC??? and that “Si mata sepet (the slanted-eyed) never entered the mosque or surau but have one vote. Si botol (the alcoholics) only know how to go up and down Batu Caves and also have one vote.???

BTN and its compulsory “civics courses??? for civil servants have already been embroiled in controversy with former participants and politicians describing them as racist indoctrination.

And what business is it of Perkasa?

Hamin’s denial of the remark will be viewed even more sceptically now that he was accompanied to the police station by the youth leader of Malay rights pressure group Perkasa, whose own motives are clearly suspect.

Perkasa is the organisation whose members filed a police report of sedition against politician Nurul Izzah for discussing and stating what is written in the Constitution itself.

And how can it be seditious to recite the words of the Constitution and remind the people of what it says?

Bigotry has thus crept into all levels and all organs of administration.

Journalists, for their part, must line up against racial and religious bigots and stand by those in peril for their views, no matter their political affiliation.

It is not just the rice bowl at stake. It is the future of Malaysian society.

 

The writer is a seasoned journalist who blogs at http://uppercaise.wordpress.com. This article was first published yesterday in his blog and reproduced by CPI with permission.