The Star's Wong Chun Wai has a point when he hinted that political discourse in this country can be conducted in a civilised manner and measured tone.
He asked: "Can we stop being angry people and try to make sense of the issues affecting the nation instead? Or better still, just laugh at them? It’s just the run-up to the silly season, as cynical reporters call it."
Unfortunately, readers of Malaysia Today had responded in a manner which justified Wong's call for courtesy in disagreement. It is not nice and appropriate to call him names. Wong has a right to voice his opinion and we have ours to disagree.
I agree with Wong that most of us are too consumed by anger and frustration to be able to stay courteous.
Perhaps, it is partly a mirror or a reaction to the political responses and actions taken by our politicians and ruling elites.
To be able to debate openly and courteously, there is a need of a platform to do so. Sadly, most of the mainstream media channels in Malaysia are controlled by the ruling coalition. I would like to encourage Wong to open up his newspaper and related media channels to provide an avenue for differing views and opinions.
By allowing a platform for us to do so, it will help to moderate voices of discontent in the country. Wong's good suggestions and editorials would not have been rubbished as mere PR exercise for certain political masters. He should persuade his bosses in MCA to not fear direct engagement with the people/rakyat.
He should also use his influence and access to the Barisan top leadership to change their approach towards peaceful public dissent and to start listening to the ground and grouses.
People are angry because their views are not respected but treated with disdain and hostility by the government. There is a general sense of being played out by the politicians who were given mandate by the people to govern in trust.
Wong has made a good observation: "In short, the rules are not consistent. Make it clear and easy for all parties to apply to hold such talks. Let there be fairness. The political and media landscapes have changed but many of our civil servants and leaders are still stuck in a time warp, and seemingly indifferent to it."
I sincerely believe that Wong's hope of a courteous discourse is not Utopian. There is an innate good in Malaysians if not we would have had a hibiscus spring long before the jasmine revolution in the middle east.
Malaysians have been a patient lot. There are not many governments which can continue to govern and rule absolutely despite countless of scandals, controversies and mismanagement.
With inflation skyrocketing, economy in doldrums, job opportunities shrinking and brain and money outflow, we could use Wong's know-how and know-who to start getting the government and politicians from both sides of the fence to focus on addressing these issues.
I am sure we have heard of the idiom, "A hungry man is an angry man..."
10 comments:
Hi KHOO,
"Malaysians aren't a ANGRY lot but instead Malaysians are a bunch of NUTS"
For TBH case, just imagine......
First, some quarters are NOT pleased with the Court's decision & they requested for a set-up of RCI. Now that the RCI had been set-up & had its' ANSWER, these quarters are still NOT happy & CAN'T accept the outcome.
WTF???
You might as well have these UNHAPPY QUARTERS to plead their own outcome, right???
Macam 'small kid' only. A kid cried & cried wanting a LOLLIPOP which the kid couldn't get hold off. Next when the mother finally gave the kid a LOLLIPOP, the kid cried for CHOCOLATES.
No wonder they said MALAYSIANS are NUTS!!!
Wei! Tokz nak mampus, if the person who die was not TBH. It's you. You came and tell me the same story. Malaysians are not NUTS but they are NUTs like you in Malaysia.
Like many overworked tired KL folks who struggle to feed our children,we have no extra energy to question but accept all such nonsense like Christian PM,communist revival,Jews plot,sodomy 1,2,3...WE WANT SINCERE ANSWER FROM BN-UMNO WHY ARE OUR STANDARD OF LIVING GOING DOWN EVERY YEAR WITH LESSER PURCHASING POWER?WHY DO SO MANY OF US NEED A PART-TIME JOB OR LOTS OF OT TO STAY AFLOAT?WHHHYY ??!!
Well,for starters where was Wong Chun Wai and his star supermarket tabloid(not mainstream media)when Tung Shin Hospital was under attack by you know who.Then the lying trio who wanted to protect the babarians who attacked the hospital.Two of them was his Mca bosses,both Umno's lapdogs.Forget about the on your fours stupid idiot of an IGP.
As an editor of a supermarket tabloid Wong can be forgiven for speaking through hjs noses.If WCW wants to be called an editor of a mainstream newpaper he has to be worth his salt.He has to have the guts to criticised his bosses and the pariah Umnoputras.If he only talks when needed to, he better go and join CSL's harem of lovelies.
A pondan or coward deserves to be treated like one.WCW cannot have it both ways.If he wants to be a respected newsman he has to be neutral and not be a chicken.He has to have the bolas to called a spade a spsde.If he cannot then it is better to keep his mouth zipped.
One of the main reasons for a lack of civility in Malaysian politics is the lack space for healthy public debate. Wong Chun Wai's Star is a classic example of a castrated mainstream press. Day after day its editorial content parrots the government line. I don't think they have a choice either, with their publishing licence at risk at any time.
The Internet is only a semi-acceptable alternative. The anonymity that many commentators take on tends to encourage uncivil language in some cases.
People who have the courage to speak up openly get threatened, have politically-motivated prosecution thrown at them....
I'm not surprised so many of the educated youth have left the country...
we could use Wong's know-how and know-who to start getting the government and politicians from both sides of the fence to focus on addressing these issues.
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thx for the joke LOL. ima sure wong has been around for so long cos he can see better and understand the situation anyone can choose to be in. i simply wonder who will be take over his seat in The Star if he really chooses to play smart to advise UMNO! Advise MCA to in turn advise UMNO? that would be the joke of the millennium LOL
WCW's writing on angry Malaysians can further anger a lot of Malaysians. He was not only biased but boils down to bigotry. A lobsided view of things happening for real in this peaceful land called home to many people.
It is a nation of sanity when its people expressed its emotions unrestrained with truthful openness, loyal to the king and their own conscience.
This stage of emotional development that the country is going through is but the result of 54 years of subtle harmful regime, which for now the people realised is the real culprit for its anger.
Anger like a storm will subside eventually when the barometer of our nation's pulse returns to a righteous calm and peace.
"Can we stop being angry people and try to make sense of the issues affecting the nation instead?
Wong, why not ask yourself this question? Why not The Star stop being angry with critical views on the MCA or BN?
Why not The Star make sense of the issues affecting the nation?
Issues like corruption involving BN leaders are all blacked out in your newspaper?
Why did you demonize Bersih 2.0 when you should have supported their 8 demands?
How may letters critical of the government ate carried in your Opinion pages?
How much space/features/ do you give the Opposition leaders like Anwar Ibrahim, Mat Sabu, etc?
Now do you know we are angry?
Because you are BN lackey?
Khoo,when it comes down to a hungry man is an angry man situation,which will be soon, looking at how inflation is eating into the working class paychecks, Umno GOM will be shown the door by the people's big stick.
What point is this WCW talking about? Is he aware that the rakyat has to struggle to put food on the table, pay bus fares for the kids to go to school, pay more for petrol and utilities..etc??? Wouldn't everyone be angry? Of course WCW is sitting mighty on that gravy train, and he has no idea what suffering the rakyat has got to bear!
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