by Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Centre for Policy Initiatives

Even before the dust has set on the fixing of the polling date, the Barisan Nasional (BN) had already begun the hijacking of the elections. With the apparent connivance of the Election Commission (EC) – the pit bull ensuring BN’s electoral victory for the past 12 general elections – they have imposed a 10-minute slot for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties to explain their polls manifesto over the official media.

According to Rais Yatim, the Information, Communications and Culture caretaker minister, the short time offered to PR will be more than enough to showcase their pledges. Although an attempt has been made by the EC at damage control over the government’s ludicrous but at the same time deadly serious intent – it has explained that the opposition had misunderstood the offer which was intended to be serial and not one-time – the objective of the government is clear.

This is to use its monopoly of the official (and much of the unofficial print) media to ensure a BN election victory by seeing to it that the public – especially rural and Malay voters – will hear only the good side and promises of the BN and to downplay, ignore or demonize the PR side.

Quite rightly, the PR has snubbed the offer in response, calling it a “joke” and a mockery of press freedom.

In fact, media manipulation has been one of the cornerstones of the BN’s remarkable record of cheating and trickery in the elections over the past 50 years. So it is not surprising that the BN and its partner in electoral crime, the EC, will want the racket to continue.

And it will continue until the strongest possible stand is made against it.

Although the media in Malaysia does not primarily decide the outcome of elections, its role in influencing the decision-making process of the electorate is crucial and needs to take place on a level playing field. Free and fair access to media should be what our electorate deserves, not media coverage which is saturated by BN propaganda and political advertisement overkill.

What is puzzling for now is the timidity of the opposition response. Although leaders from the opposition pact have maintained that they want equal media access in the mainstream media and television stations controlled by the government (RTM)) or by companies that are closely linked to the BN (the New Straits Times, The Star, Utusan Malaysia, etc) they appear to have forgotten or decided not to draw a line in the sand on this No.1 game changer.

Surely the opposition must be aware that any decision to limit them to anything less than equal time over official media for the elections will make a mockery of the democratic process.

Not only that, this blocking of media access will also hurt – if not – kill the PR’s chances of winning power in Putrajaya. Although PR have rightly rejected the offer, they need to go further and to insist on equal time as a precondition for participation in the elections or else they will boycott it.

Such a stand is not as extreme as it may appear.

PR in allowing themselves to be restricted in national media coverage is akin to trying to compete with the BN in a 100-metre sprint by conceding the archrival a 30-meter head start.

Media restriction that creates a lopsided situation where PR have no way of responding to BN claims and attacks or making their case for being the next government is a deadly handicap, especially since the caretaker minister had earlier told national news agency Bernama that it was “okay” for the BN to use state assets to campaign ahead of the official campaigning period.

The opposition have an important case to make to Malaysia and the world by standing firm and refusing to go to the elections without equal media access. Should they fail to do so, it may be construed that blinded by the scent of power, Pakatan Rakyat have been beguiled or have permitted their arm to be twisted on this important principle.

And should they lose – as is likely to happen if the media access and coverage issue is not redressed – it will be too late for them to complain. The EC will insist it has conducted free and fair elections; the BN will call their opponents sore and perennial losers, and PR will deserve to remain warming the opposition benches.