Marina a victim of her dad’s legacy
THE STAR UNDER ATTACK
• See also:
Rantings turn Star from victim to villain
Why did she choose to put The Star, already under attack, further on the defensive?
http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/mm-rantings-turn-star-from-victim-to-villain/
The daughter of the man who shut down The Star for six months has now fallen victim to her father’s legacy of an eviscerated editorial floor, castrated politically-owned press, and tighter legal controls. And then she pilloried The Star, already under attack from Malay rights groups pressuring the government, for not showing enough courage in standing up for freedom of speech.
On Feb 24, Malaysia Today editor-still-at-large Raja Petra Kamarudin had already hit out at The Star for making a craven apology over a column on the syariah caning of several women and for pulling the column off its website.
What Marina said on Tuesday
Marina’s criticism came the day her column was withheld — and also on the same day that managing editor (business) P Gunasegaram was questioned at length by police over his column Persuasion, Not Compulsion on Feb 19.
The Star also has to reply by March 12 to a Home Ministry letter demanding that the paper show cause why its publishing licence should not be withdrawn. The paper had told Marina the paper would not publish her column because they don’t want any ‘sensitive’ articles that may jeopardise their KDN permit
Late last month police reports were lodged against Guna and The Star on the ground that he had insulted Islam. The Star was called up by the Home Ministry and immediately pulled Guna’s column off Star Online and issued an apology in the face of the police reports.
The reports were lodged by several Muslim groups allied to the Malay rights movement Perkasa. The group has the backing of Marina’s father, Dr Mahathir Mohamad — the man whose administration shut down The Star, Sin Chew, and Watan in 1987 when he was fighting for his political survival under severe pressure from rivals in Umno, principally his then deputy Musa Hitam and party stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Marina Mahathir, in her blog on Tuesday, said:
…every time someone like me is censored, it’s one point gained by the conservatives who, rather than argue things out with proper facts, would simply prefer to shut everyone up.
Of course the problem is the Publishing and Printing Presses Act itself which requires every single publication to apply for a permit every year. And no media which wants to survive can afford to get shut down.
But still there is room for courage, to stand up for freedom of speech. If we capitulate every time, then why bother publishing at all?
Rantings by MM
What her father had done
Marina made no mention of her father’s ultra-conservative views on free speech and press freedom, or that the current Printing Presses & Publications Act is the result of action taken by her father’s administration in 1987.
Before 1987, newspapers had to apply for a publishing permit (commonly called the KDN after the Ministry’s initials) and have it renewed every year. After 1987 publications were only granted a one-year licence. A new licence was required every year, and a fresh application made each time.
If a licence was revoked, the Minister’s action could not be challenged in court.
A new offence of publishing “false news” was created — which amounted to forcing the press to prove their innocence, instead of being held innocent until proven guilty.
The PPPA also broadened the meaning of “publication” into an almost catch-all definition, and tightened controls by requiring a licence for even privately-circulated publications such as staff newsletters and club newsletters.
All that, among other things, to keep her father in power. Now her father is backing the bully boys calling for action against The Star and for Guna to be sacked. The sacrificial offerings to Mahathir of the heads of Noordin Sopiee, Munir Majid, Johan Jaafar, et al in the past haven’t slaked the thirst for petty vengeance.
If Marina Mahathir cared enough for a free press and free speech, she could use her influence and persuade her father to call off his dogs and campaign instead for real freedom for everyone.
Enough hypocrisy already.
© 2010 uppercaise
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These people have sufficient funds to live in any apart of this globe. I do not know why they keep interfearing in Malaysian Affairs. In politics you must accept that when you are out of power you should accordingly try to claw your way back.And them do wahtever you want to do to fix the system. This all stems from the fact that the institutions in place do not have the strength to stand on their own legs. As you eminent father once said they need support. The problem with that is the person in power can withdraw that support if you try to do anything inimical to his interest.
This is the irony… she plays the little innocent pussy whilst the monster of a tiger who mauled the press to bits is right within her backyard. And yet there are people out there who read her articles with reverance whilst she completely keeps mum over dear daddys monstrous deeds to fellow human beings, in general and to fellow Malysians in particular.
As you rightly pointed out, it is the height of audacity that she should pick up the cudgel against the Star whilst dear daddy is the unseen hand for all to see.
When will this guy give Malaysians a good night’s sleep. Isnt 20 over years of misery caused by one man to so many not enough.
Doesnt Najib have the gumption and the testicular fortitude to reign in this miserable guy who should be playing with Marinas kids and praying so that he would be at peace when he meets his Maker!
Or is this a well-orchestrated sandiwara by Najib himself whilst supposedly embracing this rather confusing and contradictory 1Malysia concept?
Oh Marina! Oh Marina! What hypocrisy!! I am told that there is a word in Malay ( or is it in Islam, I don’t know )called munafiq. I wonder if it rings a bell.
As for dear Guna, I knew his time was up when his articles about politics and politicians made a lot of sense. Remember his tongue-in-cheek article about theft of the engines from the Army ( or is it the Navy, Air Force, who cares, they are all the same )… he took the Mickey out of the guys ( including Najib). Hey, it made a lot of sense and hence KDN aint going to be too pleased. Its a matter of time when the goons would show up at your doorsteps.
You should learn from the spinless Wong.. see how he apple polishes his bosses and yet he has than holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to the oppositon? Along the way he picks up a Datukship also.
Its not within reason that the Stars tagline is: who cares!!!
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