Hisham says newspapers should be given leeway


By Melissa Chi
The Malaysian Insider
May 15, 2011

SUNGAI BESAR, May 15 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today that newspapers should be given leeway despite stringent laws under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).

“The law is very clear but everybody, every paper has crossed that line one time or another. This is probably Utusan’s time. Before this there was China Press, Nan Yang, I know, because it happened under my watch.

“But in such situations, we give them a little space. We find which is really news that can benefit us as one race, 1 Malaysia but they shouldn’t go past the boundaries which touches on sensitive issues such as religion and race,” he told reporters after launching the Sungai Besar Umno division meeting here at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Sin Min.

The latest controversy to rile the country’s dominant majority was the “Christian Malaysia” report first published by the Umno newspaper Utusan Malaysia on May 7.

The Umno daily carried a front-page article headlined “Kristian agama rasmi?” (Christianity the official religion?), claiming the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to take over Putrajaya and abolish Islam as the religion of the federation.

Utusan Malaysia’s report had been based entirely on unsubstantiated blog postings by two pro-Umno bloggers, alleging that the leaders had taken a pledge during the gathering promising to take over Putrajaya, abolish Islam as the religion of the federation and install a Christian prime minister.

The paper also published a grainy photograph showing what it described as a secret pact between the DAP and pastors at a hotel in Penang last Wednesday.

DAP and Christian leaders have since voiced their rage over the allegations and vehemently denied taking any part in such a pledge.

Hishammuddin said he wants to call the chief editors of every newspaper for a discussion.

“There are times when the Malay community is not happy with the reporting of the Chinese papers. And now the Chinese community are not happy with the reporting at Utusan.

“I think it is time now for us to get together and get the chief editors to tell me this change that is happening in the world that we cannot stop information from going across borders if it doesn’t go through the main papers, it will go through Facebook, it will go through the multimedia context and it will go through SMSes,” he said.

Hishammuddin said that he had met with chief editors individually but now, he wants “them as a whole to be responsible for their actions”.

“So this new landscape will require some internal soul-searching of the mainstream papers and this I will talk to all the papers across the board.

Hishammuddin to meet chief editors of newspapers
Malaysiakini
May 15, 11

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein plans to meet chief editiors of newspapers on the reporting of sensitive issues.

He said he wanted to ensure that the chief editors exercised caution in the reporting of sensitive issues on race and religion and that they understood they would be held responsible for their action.

Commenting on a report published in Utusan Malaysia recently alleging that certain groups wanted to make Christianity the official religion, Hishammuddin (right) said:

“There are times when the Malay community were unhappy with the reporting of the Chinese newspapers (on sensitive issues) and vice versa.

“It is the responsibility of the chief editors to ensure that their organisations do not go beyond the boundaries set in reporting such issues,” he told reporters after opening the Sungai Besar Umno division delegates meeting near Sabak Bernam.

Despite the clarity of the country’s publishing laws and guidelines, he said, “every paper has crossed the line (in reporting sensitive issues) one time or another. Now it’s Utusan (which has crossed the line).”

Hishammuddin said that it was difficult to control the flow of information on sensitive issues, especially with the emergence of the new media.

“If it (the information) does not make it to the mainstream papers, it will somehow or rather get to the new media like online news portals, Facebook and the short messaging service,” he said.

Referring to the acid splashers who have been terrorising women in the Klang Valley, Hishammuddin urged people with information on the suspects to come forward and help police with their investigation.

He said he was making the appeal on behalf of the police who had so far received 22 reports on women being splashed with acid.

– Bernama

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 7:48 am

    Again, I say all this is about Mahathir. Najib is now forced to bend to Mahathir’s agenda and he is having sleepness night worrying about when Mahathir will decide he has to go.

  2. #2 by undertaker888 on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 7:56 am

    We should give leeway to this mudin to resign from his post and give it to more capable person. he is a bad joker, bad actor but a good sandiwara maker.

  3. #3 by waterfrontcoolie on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 7:56 am

    Obviously, as the Minister, he could not draw the discerning line of such reports. Surprised? that he is a lawyer by training?

  4. #4 by baochingtian on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 8:19 am

    “he told reporters after launching the Sungai Besar Umno division meeting here at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Sin Min.”-MI
    So this is ok bringing politics to school premise?

  5. #5 by Thor on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 8:26 am

    You’ve seen what it’s like and you all knew who the devils are!
    First, they “bashed” the indians by using interlok and now the christians, by claiming them of conspiracy to “take over the country”.
    Come this GE13, many of these “victims” will be happily voting for these buggers again.
    Malaysia just can “bolih”!!!

  6. #6 by Thor on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 8:50 am

    And speaking of christian being made a PM here, I think the most likely ones are the jews.
    Do remember that our chief advisor to our stupid government is Apco and they knew very well about the inside out of our country.
    So! to all piggy brains fellas, think twice before you throw any accusation.

  7. #7 by dagen on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 8:53 am

    Every publication makes mistakes once in a while and must be given leeway. Good shall we all now yell “Phaaark you Kerismuddin bin Lembuddin” and then claim the leeway under his once-in-a-while-mistake. I mean we may be no newspaper but we certainly hv a right to speak dont we?

  8. #8 by cemerlang on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 10:04 am

    Utusan Malaysia is like a religious book. When you don’t know what your Barisan Nasional politician is saying, just read up the papers and you know what to do. It is easier than communicating face to face with fighting roosters.

  9. #9 by rockdaboat on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 10:13 am

    “There are times when the Malay community is not happy with the reporting of the Chinese papers. And now the Chinese community are not happy with the reporting at Utusan.”

    # This dick head can’t even get his facts right. Hello, it is the Christians community who are not happy, not the Chinese! (Knock knock, anybody home?)

    “The law is very clear but everybody, every paper has crossed that line one time or another. This is probably Utusan’s time. Before this there was China Press, Nan Yang, I know, because it happened under my watch.”

    # Either this dick head is stupid or he thinks that we are stupid. Just compare the treatments meted out; why the double standard?

  10. #10 by baochingtian on Monday, 16 May 2011 - 10:30 am

    I’m no Christians, but I’m definitely not happy with how things how are handled by bunch of idiots in the ministry.
    To people who keep supporting the dacing, have we not had enough of all the double standards? Don’t we deserve the basic human dignity? People met up with the PM and instead of having our dignity restored we are to assure the pm we respect what’s in the constitution. The pm is to serve the rakyat and assure the rakyat of harmony and peace in the country, not the other way round.

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