ARE YOU TELLING US A JOKE, RAIS YATIM?

Khoo Ying Hooi

Hahaha, what a joke!

In the response to the Malaysia's 141st position in the US-based NGO

Freedom House global press freedom rankings across the world, Rais
Yatim told the Dewan Rakyat today that the existence of two million
bloggers in Malaysia and the alternative media show that the mass
media in the country are free to publish their views and criticisms.

The level of media freedom is different between different countries.

The ranking given by the Freedom House is not accurate simply
because the lifestyle in different continents formed the media cultures
and practices in each country.

Is that so?

I wonder if the government has only ONE answer for all the problems in
the country, we are unique. Malaysia is unique, Malaysia is different.

Earlier, in a reply to a question from Azmin Ali, Foreign Affairs Deputy

Minister A. Kohilan Pillay told the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia could
not ratify the various international instruments on human rights
because it has to consider the countrys social, culture, and multi-racial
history.

See, we are unique again.

And now blogger proliferation proves freedom of media?

I beg to differ, Mr. Rais Yatim. I believe there are many netizens too
share the same feeling as I do.

Malaysia serves as a good case study for the intellectuals and

researchers, I am afraid not for a good reason, but it is being chosen
because of its escalation of online news portals, and bloggers over the
years due to the biased and control reporting by the mainstream
media.

Online news portal and blogging are the result of a restricted media.
We choose alternative media because we lost confidence and hope to
our mainstream media, Datuk Seri.

END.
17 June 2010