Of Rings, the Media and Criticizing Responsibly

Today I was again confronted by a very disturbing trend that I sincerely hope is not becoming a habit for us, Malaysians and the world at large. (I freely admit that I to suffer from this habit and hope that this post serve as a reminder to myself and others.)

People don’t verify facts. People report on hearsay.

Today, I had a friend of mine post on his FB wall condemning the alleged RM24 million ring purchased by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the Prime Minister’s wife. At this point, let me clarify, I am not writing this post to defend Rosmah, if anything she is one of my least favorite people. I honestly believe she is and will continue to be a liability to the Barisan Nasional government unless some drastic miracle happens.

To be honest, I had not heard about the ring until after the height of its controversy, just a day or two before puasa had began actually. I was at a leadership course when the subject was raised/mention by quite a number of people. The whole month prior to the course I was quite busy that I hadn’t had the time to bother with the news.

My initial reaction was quite honestly, “oh my God, what has Najib let Rosmah do this time.” I was among the many people who upon hearing the matter started condemning Rosmah. Had it been Tun Hasmah or Marina Mahathir or even Wan Azizah, I would have definitely rejected the story out right.

It was not until I met a very senior member of the Malaysian Bar who is known for his criticism of the BN Government that I realize my mistake.

He told me that he doesn’t believe the RM24 million ring story was true. When asked why, he said that just because it is alternative media, doesn’t mean that it’s true. That we all should consider the story presented to us.

It got me thinking again.

Most Malaysians are a trusting lot. We don’t really pause to consider what is told to us. And in the past, this was especially true when it came from the government. It is good that this has change. But at the same time, it would seem that we have not seemed to shake this attitude when it came to things we hear from our friends, family and yes alternative media (in the case of some people) and yes mainstream media (in the case of other people. Hmm, perhaps with the exception of Utusan).

We, myself included, are quick to believe things that are told to us. I, myself might be worst off because I still tend to believe and view mainstream media whilst still looking around what the alternative media is saying and finding myself swayed in that direction pulak.

This whole thing had me considering back to an incident which quite frankly turned me a bit of a skeptic when it came to free press. I was working for an international/intergovernmental organization. One of my many roles was to monitor all forms of media; as such I was given access to all possible media, from Utusan, NST, Star to harakah, suara keadilan, Malaysiakini, Malaysia Insider and etc.

What I found there shocked me.

Same incidents were being reported but from very different spins. There were even examples of irresponsible journalism from both sides of the media, alternative and mainstream.

For example, one incident that stands clearly in my mind was articles on Najib after his first 100days as Prime Minister. Tun Dr. Mahathir was interviewed and asked his opinion of Najib after the first 100 days. A particular mainstream newspaper stated in its article that Tun only had praises for Najib. While a supposedly free independent alternative online newspapers stated in its article that Tun only had criticisms for Najib.

When the two articles were compared, I found that the mainstream had omitted the criticisms while the alternative had omitted the praises. Freedom of the press when the press can’t be responsible. Ironic.

Basically all I am trying to say is that we should not take everything at face value whether it comes from the main stream media or the alternative media.

We should always verify facts. Research the issue. Figure out where we stand with sufficient information. We should not be so quick to believe only that which we want to be true nor should we be so quick to disbelieve what we want to be untrue.

Just because you are a BN supporter doesn’t mean you should immediately believe what the main stream media tells you about… say Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s alleged sex video.
And just because you are a PR supporter doesn’t mean you should immediately believe what allegedly free alternative media tells you about… say Najib’s alleged involvement in the Altantuya murder.

Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your judgment. I had found it to be one of the heights of hypocrisy that when Raja Petra wrote about the alleged Rosmah/Najib involvement in the Altantuya case; people from BN was so quick to condemn and brand him as a liar while people from PR was so quick to hail him as a hero of free speech.

When Raja Petra later retracted the story; the same BN people who were so quick to condemn him were then so quick to believe him, claiming the truth has revealed itself. Whilst the same PR people who had hailed him a hero were then so quick to condemn him as a sellout.

Listen. Research. Think. Decide.

Know that everyone is pushing some sort of political agenda.

(In a way, I suppose I am too.)

Get credible sources.

That you heard it from your cousin who heard it from his friend who had a brother who was there when it happened is NOT a credible source.

That is hearsay.

Criticize. But do so responsible.

Consider the effect of your words on others.

Quite honestly, as for myself, with regard to the story of the ring, I am still unsure. So to me, for now, it’s innocent till proven guilty. Rather than criticized Najib on this ring, I rather criticized him on the Warisan Merdeka Tower or the lack of transparency on the Australia-Malaysia Refugee deal.

Just a thought.

Selamat menyambut Hari Raya to all Muslims and a Happy Merdeka to us Malaysians! In advance. ;)

An Open Letter to the Leadership of Barisan Nasional

Dear Barisan Leadership,

Let me first start by saying I am a Barisan Nasional Supporter. I am ever grateful to the BN Government for everything that they have done for the country. There have been great moments in their history where they not only rose to the occasion but exceeded expectations as well.

There were also moments where they had made mistakes and a few wrong choices here and there. But overall I have always taken note that theirs is not an easy job. That hindsight is always 20-20. That, in the heat of the moment, if someone else was faced with the same situation, they could not honestly say that they could have done better. That at the end of the day, the government moves as one machinery and must bear and absorbed the mistakes of some of their own so as to keep face.

I was and still am ever grateful for the help that their policies have given to my family. My parents were amongst those who had benefited from the NEP policies, managing to obtain university education through it. And they had done to do so without, as some would generally allege about NEP beneficiaries, being cronies to anyone. Till this day no one can tell me that the NEP was a complete failure for it did help in my humble opinion and some of the initiatives under the policy that were failures were revised in the NDP.

The development and progress they had brought to our nation astounds me even till today. When I look back at old pictures of Malaysia, it startles me how different we were and how far we have come. I cherish the unity and stability that has been the core trademark and value of the Barisan Nasional Government. Corruption was there but it to my opinion remained under control and had not spiraled out of control as it had in some of our other Southeast Asian neighbours.

We defeated communism not by being unreasonable but by showing that they had no reason to go against Malaysia. We gave them what they were fighting for in a controlled and fair manner. Guerilla warfare was defeated through sheer pragmatism, winning the hearts and minds of the communist.

Ours was a vibrate economy. Progressive, strong willed and with the ability to move with the changing times our nation was known as a rising tiger in economy! We spoke out for third world countries, not cowed by superpowers who resented that we were willing to speak out. We were respected and many truly felt a genuine friendship with us.

I held my head high as I was utterly proud to be Malaysian. I felt that we were united in one goal, one mission; Vision 2020. I remain till this day an ardent supporter and admirer of Tun Dr. Mahathir. I continue to believe in the struggle of Barisan Nasional. I believe that it is indeed a fair and just government and very much worthy of my support. Even today, I still do not seem Pakatan Rakyat as a viable alternative Barisan Nasional.

Until quite recently, I had felt things were going great for the BN Government. I felt things were changing, problems were being addressed. I see greater effort of BN to reconnect with the people especially the urban areas where to be brutally honest, support was waning. I felt the ETP was doing a good albeit underappreciated job. I saw police officers patrolling the streets at almost all times in order to deal with the rising crime rate. I saw greater effort to create better accessed to government services. Although some people had criticized the KPI system, to me, it did more good than harm and helped get the civil service back on track. It truly was people first, performance now.

Which is why I cannot understand the complete failure on the part of Barisan Nasional in dealing with Bersih Rally 2.0. Have all of Barisan Nasional’s PR teams fallen asleep and completely oblivious to the world around them? I can’t read through my FB news feed without seeing a status update or a link or an article about the Bersih Rally. I seriously do not understand the negative reaction that BN is giving towards this rally. I am amazed at the lack of foresight of the advisors who have advised you to take a harsh stance against Bersih.

Quite honestly, like you too, I doubt the agenda of the Bersih Rally and truly wonder of the people involved have no ulterior motives. But the better thing to do was probably to embrace the Bersih Rally and attempt to help the organizers conduct a peaceful demo without too many problems to society in general. The public relations potential of that option would have been massive for BN and would have gone a long way to helping your image and in capturing back the urban votes.

I don’t know, maybe your advisors are of the opinion that you can still retain power by banking on rural votes, but at what cost and for how long? How long can you continue to properly govern if all the more developed areas and more affluent part of society are not with you? How can you sustain a proper government when the economical and social centers are not in your hands? Please. Let go of any egos involved, think of the good of the coalition.

You might be returned to power but quite possible with a smaller majority and a weaker government to which party hoping will again be rampant especially when you consider that it was PKR’s leadership who first started to push for such things. Look at Australia; theirs currently is an almost hung government with such narrow majority. See how as the elections for them draw closer they put out all their popular short term moves in order to win support.

Hell, look at how it is here. Lately I feel that some moves from both Barisan and Pakatan been short sight popular moves intended to win support for the elections. These moves will only do more harm than good to our country in the long run. Don’t even get me started on the refugee swap talks with Australia.

To my mind, I wonder where is the pragmatism that helped see BN through its toughest challenges? Where is the “engage them approach” that BN is famous for? Imagine the different situation we would be facing today had BN agreed to embrace Bersih.

The rally could have been isolated to a Stadium even before all this drama. Talks and discussions could have been held in conjunction with the demonstration. You could have rented out stall lots and booths thereby making money on the demonstration. SPRM could have been invited to receive suggestions or explained its positions. Maybe even voter registration booths could have been there. The YPDA himself could have been there alongside all Party leaders be it Barisan or Pakatan and people will acknowledge that Barisan is genuinely trying. Thanks to this one PR blunder, all genuine efforts are now tainted.

Quite honestly, at the beginning of all this, I can still remember thinking that the Bersih Rally really is about trying to the gather numbers of people in order to create awareness which is fine. So must it be a march? And of all places in the middle of KL? Why not a stadium where the influx of people can be contained and controlled? And really, to send one memorandum you need everyone to come with you? While I believe the intention of the majority of people who supported Bersih are good, the method I don’t agree so much at that point. I was even thinking that it was a valid point when the Prime Minister stated that if there really were no free and fair elections, how did Pakatan Rakyat obtained unprecedented gains in the last general election?

My thoughts even worked around the fact that if they really want to demonstrate, they should have tried harder to convince the police that the demonstration will be safe and get the damn permit. I was even willing to accept the arrests made by the police of certain people of Bersih as they had not obtained the permit (though I did think the action was too one sided). Don’t even get me started on the sheer stupidity of Perkasa and UMNO youth wanting to hold counter rallies.

But now, after the intervention by the YDPA, I am indeed hard press to say the police is not bias (DAULAT TUNKU! That was brilliant of your Majesty by the way. That intervention demonstrated the justified position of the Rulers in Malaysia).

Instead of taking the face saving route provided, you allow the police to carry on with the banning of the rally turned stadium demonstration. And seriously, I can understand why one would be hesitant to allow Stadium Negara or Stadium Merdeka to be used, but I cannot see the harm in using Bukit Jalil stadium. It has the space and is accessible to most people through roads and public transport and yet isolated enough not to be a serious security while still in KL.

While I am indeed willing to acknowledged that the police on their own accord might still be hesitant to allow the now gathering at the Stadium (but seriously, perception wise this really is a weak argument even if it is true), you could have gotten involved in showing them that it will be safe, again the public relations boost.

Throughout this whole thing, before the YDPA got involved, the only person making sense was Zaid Ibrahim with his call to have a proper discussion between all parties involved in order to reach a middle ground. And I applaud him for it.

I apologize if some of my words are harsh. But I will speak out for you when what you are doing is right and but you cannot expect me to speak out for you when you are wrong. I would like to believe that that I will support what is right regardless of the parties involved, just as I will condemn what is wrong regardless of the parties involved.

While I might be grateful for all the things BN has done and am willing to give it due consideration, not everyone is the same. In fact not many in the urban areas feel this way. Most believe that it is their right to demand more from their government; which I also believe is a legitimate expectation; though I think the way that some people go about it is quite wrong. They fail to consider that there are more than just their wants and needs; that RIGHTS is a two way street that goes hand in hand with RESPONSIBILITIES.

People in Malaysia, in a way, have been spoiled by the BN government. There is this persistent mindset that the government can handle anything and change anything. Hence why I understand why a majority of people believe that change must come from the government. But the fact of the matter is, change must come from ourselves. It is a joint effort where everyone must be involved.

This is why I really don’t agree with the thinking of some people that simply by putting Pakatan Rakyat in power things will be better. It wouldn’t be. It wouldn’t be unless there is a conscious movement towards change in everyone’s mind. Corruption, for example, will not simply disappear because of a change in government; it will not disappear when people themselves jump at the first opportunity to bribe their way out of a speeding ticket.

You might try to shrug of this incident as only an isolated incident and that it doesn’t matter because as a whole you are doing better. Perhaps you might even have legitimate reasons for not wanting to let the demonstration happen. But unfortunately, it does matters. Justice must not only be done, but seen to be done. It has become in effect a public relations nightmare that continues to taint all efforts you have done to change for the better since the last general election.

While I love and cherished Barisan Nasional, fanatic I cannot be nor will I be. I cannot stand by and watch this fiasco any longer. I had to speak out.

As a whole, looking at ALL the issues, I still believe that BN is best and most viable coalition to run this country. But that is just it. People DO NOT look at all the issues as a whole. There are no isolated incidents. You give your detractors more and more power over your fate and reasons to tell people why they should chose Pakatan over you.

I had always tried to be about the issues and not the party. And quite frankly, until recently, it never seemed to be inconsistent with my wish to help honour the coalition that has given my nation and family so much. But I believe people who support parties blindly without considering the issues are people who do a disservice to this country and its people. As such I cannot stay silent. I sincerely hope that you take this letter as a gentle cautionary reprimand. A gentle criticism that hopefully will point you in the right direction.

To me, though some might not agree, Barisan Nasional has stood for many good things in the past and had always had the best interest of the people at heart. I beg off you, please do not make me think that Barisan Nasional needs to be removed from power in order to remember this.

Thank you for listening.

Yours sincerely,
A Concerned Pro-Barisan Individual.