The PM is consistent.

In Oct 2007, speaking at the Gerakan National Delegates Conference, he called on “leaders, especially those in Barisan Nasional” to tell him the truth and to stop “be in a state of denial”. He also said the same on November 9, 2003 speaking at the opening of the MIC branch chairmen convention. In both instances he called on Barisan Nasional component party leaders and members to tell the truth. He did not tell the press to do so.

If you follow the theory that Barisan Nasional parties “supposedly” represent majority of rakyat who voted them in, then, the truth canvassed for by the PM is from at least these sections of the rakyat through the leaders of the BN parties “supposedly” representing them.

The media is neither leaders/members of Barisan Nasional nor does it represent the rakyat, does it?

So is Zam telling an untruth that Abdullah’s pledge to “hear the truth” does not apply to the media as it was restricted to Barisan Nasional leaders and government officials”?

I think, strictly Zam is correct. What he said implies : (1) our media is neither leaders/members of Barisan Nasional nor does it represent the rakyat; (2) the media represents and is the propaganda tool of the State; (3) whilst the government wants to hear the truth from the rakyat through BN’s leaders/members, it does not necessarily imply that the Government quid pro quo will want to reciprocate and tell the truth back to the rakyat; (4) and when it wants to package and give a good presentation of its version of the truth to the people, there is the media whose ‘proper’ role is not to tell the government the truth from the people but to tell the government’s version of the truth to the people…….

Hence neither the PM nor Nor is lying – both are telling the truth.

If one says that “no Information Minister would have (like Zam) such temerity to regard himself as the Comptroller-General of the Press”, then good for Zam for his temerity because all along, even way before Zam, we’ve never had press freedom, and every Information Minister was/is the Czar of the Press, so what’s the big deal in Zam saying the truth openly? We all know press freedom all along has been in a deplorable state and Zam merely admitted it by his directives to the media.

As to whether what Zam said contradicted the PM’s pledge of greater openness, accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance, well maybe only 5% because it is true there is under Pak Lah’s watch a notch greater openness allowed so far for the people to voice their opinions than before in TDM’s time though this does not necessarily imply the corollary of the government itself also being open to the people) – whilst for the balance of 95%, there’s no real contradiction because accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance have not been practised in not only in relation to the Press but in other areas as well, and there is widespread discontent of the disjunction everywhere between what was being preached in the last election and what is being carried out thereafter.

If it is THE TRUTH, does it matter to the government who said it to the government – whether it is Barisan Nasional’s leaders or the mainstream press?

I would think not, if one really wants to know the truth, and do something about it.

There is but only one reason why one does not want to know the truth from the press, and that will be because the press is reporting unsavory truths about oneself (ie the government) – it is however Ok if its about the unsavory truths of others eg. who is rapping the national anthem etc – and because the press has a reach and influence over a wide readership, then the press would not be allowed to make negative reports, no matter how true, if to do so would cast one self in an unfavourable light vis-à-vis its readers.

So the net net conclusion, one’s image has to be protected at all costs, no matter how bad one’s behaviour is and how many mistakes one makes .

The blocking of the avenues of exposure is also a cover to continue to perpetrate this bad behaviour.

This is basically what Information Minister, Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin (“Zam”) is openly admitting about what the stand of the administration is in respect of its own image – Truth that diminishes its stature and image is not to be disseminated but truth that makes it bask in glow of light should be highlighted.

A Truth skewered in this way is at best half-truth and actually no truth. Therefore it may be inferred that even if the government wants to know the truth about others or what is going on, it does not mean that it wants the negative part about itself known through the media by others whose support it depends.

To this extent, it is correct to say that pledges of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance are contradicted by what Zam advised the press.