Give more freedom and space

                                        

I have written countless articles on the importance of press freedom.

A 18th century British Statesman,  Edmund Burke, once professed:

“Three Estates in Parliament; but in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth estate more important far than they all”.

The 3 estates that he refered to are the 3 pillars of democracy, namely the Executive Branch, the lesgilative nad the judiciary. The Fourth estate is the press. To the westerner, the press plays an important role of a watchdog, and the press gives valuable feedback to the government.

I have been asking for the abolition of the Printing Press and Publications Act. We should allow more leeway for the people to express themselves, and what is better than having a freer press?

One of the mistakes of BN this time is that many of them BN leaders themselves are misled by the spin stories of the government controlled press, so much so that a few days before voting day, BN still confident ofa big victories, because the press had been posting rosy articles about BN’s candidates, and how well they were received by the people and so on.

I though they would have learn a lesson. But no., a Tamil newspaper, Makkal Osai, has been refused permit to carry on. They have to close down, just because, according to Malaysiakini reports, they have given prominent reports on opposition and published a photo of one of the HIndraf leaders under ISA detention.

This move will not endear govenrment leaders to the Indians but also  all those Malaysians asking for freer press and more space for freedom.

will it herald the crackdown on other newspapers? I heard rumour that Oriental daily might be the next one. I do not know whether such talk is true or not, but I hope that it would not happen.

A newspaper that is critical of government policies may in fact help the government by providing frank and critical feedback. It is those who “bodek” and “spin stories” that a leader should be beware.

I hope the leaders will understand this point and perhaps review the ban on Makkal Osai.

pls also read this :  reflections in a mirror

                               press freedom

Dr Mahathir should apologise

It was many years late. Nevertheless, what Pak Lah did last night was one of the best things that he has undertaken since becoming PM 4 plus years ago.

According to Malaysiakini ,

The prime minister said the government will establish a judicial appointments commission to identify and recommend suitable candidates for the judiciary to him.

Pak Lah also promised to review the judiciary’s terms of service and remuneration – another point of contention which has elicited loud calls for reform from many quarters, the legal fraternity in particular.

More importantly, the PM has acknowledged the pain and sufferings of those who have been affected by teh 1988 judiciary crisis precipitated by the sacking of Tun Salleh Abbas.

“There is a pressing need to set salaries and compensation to the right levels to ensure that the bench can attract and retain the very best of the nation’s talent.

In a report on the 1988 crisis , Malaysian Insider mentioned:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last night called the six judges who were sacked or suspended in 1988 “towering judicial personalities” and said that the nation never fully recovered from the judicial crisis 20 years ago.

There was no apology in his speech but it did not matter. The regret and the admission of wrongdoing on the part of the executive were evident from the choice of words and the manner of delivery.

“For many, the events of 1988 were an upheaval of the nation’s judicial system. Rightly or wrongly, many disputed both the legality and morality of the related proceedings. For me, personally, I feel it was a time of crisis from which the nation never fully recovered,” he said.

“For me and for many other Malaysians, these towering judicial personalities represent a very different era for the nation’s judiciary. Many felt that the judiciary then was a venerable institution which could be trusted to deliver justice. Some even hailed Malaysia’s judiciary as a model for other countries – independent and credible,” said Abdullah.

He said that the government wanted to put on record the contribution of the six judges to the country and their commitment towards upholding justice and to acknowledge the pain and loss they have endured.

“For Tan Sri Eusoffe and Tan Sri Wan Suleiman and their families, I know this sentiment is made too late. For Tun Salleh Abas, Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Wan Hamzah and Datuk George Seah, although this acknowledgement is 20 years too late, it is made with much hope that a measure of the pain and loss may yet be healed,” he said.

Abdullah said that in recognition of the contributions of the “six outstanding judges”, the Government has decided to make goodwill ex gratia payments to them.

“Gentlemen, I do not presume to equate your contributions, pain and loss with mere currency, but I hope that you could accept this as a heartfelt and sincere gesture to mend what has been,” he said.

pic from Malaysian Insider – Tun Salleh felt vindicated .

I am gald that the judges involved are vindicated officially, even though it has come a bit late… all right thnking Malaysians have been clamouring for it since the retirement of Dr mahathir.

There should be an apology to these judges and their families, for the pain and sufferings that they have gone through. The son of Datuk Seri George Seah, Basil summed it up in the Star : ” We want a simple apology. The goodwill payment – how do you gauge and measure how much to compensate? An apology would have been better”.

The apology should not perhaps come from the present government . The person who should apologise is Dr Mahathir, the person behind the setting up of the Tribunal in 1988.  The apology should be tendered to all the people of Malaysia, including the affected judges. Malaysian judiciary, once noted for its fierce independence, was never the same again after the crisis. A compromised judiciary affects all Malaysians, and indrectly contributed to the poor goverance and the rots that we are facing now.

I hope the PM is sincere in trying to undo the rot that has affected almost all aspects of Malaysian society ( he has promised to deliver what he promised 4 years ago after the recent GE) , and  not just doing it to spite Dr Mahathir, who I am sure will be fighting back with his own mudslinging.