12 theSun | WEDNESDAY MAY 6 2009

speak up!

The travails of a responsible journo

Every freedom has editors’ minds would be: “Would
the boss get angry if this report is
to be punctuated published?” For all we know, the
by responsibility. Every boss may welcome such reports
writer, every speaker, every because he finds it easier to gov-
politician and every journalist ern and pull up the wrongdoers.
owes that unto himself. That The editor is like a chef in a
restaurant who prepares food for
is the kind of self-mechanism all and sundry. But if he decides to
that we should create for the cook only dishes which he thinks
future.” the boss loves, then he takes the
– Information, Communication and CitizenNades stand that patrons have to eat
Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim what he thinks they should eat.
by R. Nadeswaran For all we know, the boss may
love other dishes, but the chef
EVERY year, about this time, various groups ultimately decides what he thinks is the best
organise events to mark World Press Freedom for his boss, and therefore, the paying patrons
Day. Until four years ago, I used to speak at such have to eat what he thinks the boss should
events, but not anymore. Year in, year out, we allow them to taste.
say the same things. We rant and rave about That is why I subscribe to Rais’ edict
press freedom or lack of it; pass resolutions, about responsibility. The chef should cook
have tea and cakes, say pleasant things about not what he thinks the people should put
each other; say our goodbyes and go home. down their throats, but what the people want
I have come to the conclusion that nothing to eat. Of course, being responsible means
has changed or will ever change unless the that you don’t use salmonella-infected eggs
powers-that-be accept that our role is to in- or marinade the meat with generous doses of
form and educate the masses. When the press paraquat. That’s certainly not acceptable.
is viewed as the “enemy” and certain media More than six years ago, when blogging
practitioners are given monikers such as “trou- was the in-thing and when Jelutong MP Jeff
ble makers”, there’s no way that the shackles Ooi was making a name for himself in cyber-
will be removed. I don’t blame the authorities space, we had an interesting conversation on
either because many practitioners have abused press freedom. We discussed extensively on
their position, sold their souls and have become the freedom that cyberspace affords and its
voices of their paymasters. pitfalls. After all the defamatory and unsa-
Why is a journalist treated as an “enemy” voury responses to his incisive comments on
or “trouble maker” just because he exposes the politics and the media, I declared: “Malay-
corrupt practices of those in government? Why sians don’t know how to handle freedom.”
should he or she be treated like a pariah when We discussed extensively on the personal
he or she is only doing the job that is entrusted
to him or her? Why are journalists being singled
out for such (dis)honourable mention when
attacks, the unsubstantiated allegations and
private information which had been posted
by readers on his blog.
Little did I realise (at that time) that three
years later, I had to sit across the table to
defend a complaint by Ooi to the Complaints
Bureau of Communications and Multimedia
Content Forum that I had incited violence.
And that’s because I had used the phrase “… it
is an open secret that unless you put a gun to
the heads of many of those in power, nothing
will move.” He had counter-complained after
former colleague, and now StarBiz’s manag-
ing editor, P. Gunasegaram had complained
about the phrase “shoot him for good” posted
on the same blog. Well, plenty of water has
flowed under the bridge since then, and these
days, we can agree to disagree on a wide
array of subjects without being personal or
resorting to using our channels to get at one
another.
This brings us back to Rais yet again:
What happens when loud-mouthed politi-
cians shoot their mouths off without being re-
sponsible or thinking about the consequences
of their actions?
What happens to publications which
incite violence and harp on narrow, racist is-
sues? While Rais may want to rein in the new
media with threats of action, what about the
fork-tongued politicians who talk in different
tones to different audiences?
The case of Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon
Cheng who was arrested under the Internal
Security Act last September is a case in point.
It not only left a bad taste in the mouths of
many Malaysians but it made headlines
world over for all the wrong reasons because
the minister claimed that she was arrested
“for her own safety”. While the politician
who made seditious statements is still walk-
ing around the streets of Penang, the mes-
senger who merely reported what she saw
and heard was hounded.
I can declare that I have always been
guided by responsibility. Exposing wasteful
expenditure, the (mis)conduct of people in
power and the crooked deals and slime-ball
cronies do not make a journalist irresponsi-
ble. He or she is filling a need – like the chef
– serving dishes to what the masses want.
Would such reporting result in violence
which would result in bloodshed? What’s
wrong in informing the public about local
councillors who go to inspect toilets in Mau-
ritius and South Africa?
Is anything wrong if Malaysians know
that some of their leaders used taxpayers’
money to go to Disneyland with their wives
and children? We are not letting out state
secrets which would harm the security of the
country and the safety of its citizens.
Yes, sir! Responsibility comes with a
price – we are compelled to conceal certain
facts because public knowledge of such
would cause chaos and disorder. Trust us to
draw our own boundaries on freedom. But
never, ever tell the chef what is good for the
masses.
R. Nadeswaran is a proponent of responsible
journalism and has been practising it for more
than 30 years. He is editor (special and investi-
gative reporting) at theSun. He can be reached
at: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

Trying to make sense of it all

they are doing the nation a service by exposing
wrongdoings?
That’s because in many instances, journalists
and their bosses are appointed based on their
loyalty to certain groups, organisations, parties
and individuals. Hence, they are expected to be
subservient to the man who pays the piper. In
the process, they begin to second-guess what
their bosses prefer. Not that owners of news-
papers sit in the newsroom and censor their
reports and tell them what to do, but every time
a story is cleared for publication, utmost on the
ADB under
scrutiny
after
capital
boost
pg 15
by Ng Tze Yeng for social services, and the be liberalised. The wisdom of seeking a
replacement of “individual market solution is questionable, as it is
THE economic environment responsibility” as opposed to the state’s obligation to uphold citizens’
has got me thinking and link- public good. These will prove rights to access social services.
ing neo-liberalism, globalisa- to be challenges for Malay- Also, judging from the 2009 mini-
tion, and labour. I have in the sians, especially workers in budget’s RM60 billion stimulus package
last six months witnessed the time to come. that had a proportionately minuscule
shut downs and retrench- What is worrying in the allocation of RM20 million to “improve
ments, and the impact it’s statement is that “the govern- facilities caring for the aged and young”,
had on lives. I have also been ment will continue to support the state is insidiously moving away from
trying to make sense of the the industry in capacity build- providing welfare services (that are to be
government’s policies geared
towards returning growth,
Freespace ing and in the opening up of
export markets”, without
liberalised). Our patriarchal society will
allocate this work to its cheapest avail-
wondering why economic, Where young views rule mentioning protective meas- able resource – the unvalued and usually
social, and gender justice ures for the labour force in unpaid reproductive labour of the woman.
seem to be mutually exclusive with the these industries. This, to me, is particularly outrageous – for
pursuit of profits. Labour is often the most important while money is being pumped into pro-
I gained much clarity into the concept and expensive factor in the service moting the development of industries that
of neo-liberal globalisation through work- industry. Neo-liberal ideas treat labour will boost our GDP, the crucial reproduc-
ing on the Fiesta Feminista initiative in as a commodity. Market fluctuations call tive work done by women is again being
2007. Often misrepresented as simply for adjustments of this commodity that is rendered invisible and its contribution to
“globalisation”, it is based on the inter- achieved through a flexible labour force. the economy ignored.
linked market-led ideas of trade liber- Part-time work, fixed contract terms, While I understand that the capitalist
alisation, deregulation and privatisation. seasonal contracts, and sub-contracting model is firmly embedded in our economy,
The basic premise of these capitalist are ways of supplying labour according there has to be a way of ensuring labour
market-led ideas is comparative advan- to market needs. The shifting of “mar- is treated more than as just numbers to
tage – whereby businesses seek the most ket risks” by employers to the already be included and ignored. For one, pro-
efficient methods of production to gain emasculated workforce safeguards the ductive and reproductive labour should
maximum profit. They do this by relocat- profits of employers at the expense of its be recognised by fair remuneration and
ing and formulating new ways of using employees. upholding the rights of those who provide
land, labour and capital. Another red flag is health and social them. Second, to re-look our real costs of
This is often linked to the need for services are cited as one of the service production, among them, environmental
relaxing controls to promote an environ- sectors. It categorises “welfare services degradation that is often discarded as
ment conducive for businesses, that delivered through institutions to old peo- “externalities”. Last, we need to, as with
usually translates into policies of lower ple the handicapped and to children”, the rest of the world give critical attention
taxes for businesses, less control over and “child day-care services including to the obsession with GDP as a measure
the flow of capital, and more “flexible” day-care services for the handicapped” of a nation’s health.
labour and environmental regulations. as areas that will Neo-liberal policies that began under
Putting all of this in a global context, the Reagan and Thatcher regimes have
developed and developing countries had their chance, and done their damage
effectively open their economies to as the gradual move towards regulation
each other under an illusory “equal We believe that the young around the world has shown. The social-
playing field”. ist model too has not fared any better.
Twenty-seven service sectors should have a say in how things While it is difficult to imagine how to
will be liberalised by the govern- are run, because they have eve- undo the damage, it’s for us to envision
ment to be more competitive to rything at stake in our future. other worlds where economic, gender
attract foreign direct investment and This column creates that space and environmental justice come into
eventually join the WTO. The mantra the equation.
for our panel of bright young
of maximum efficiency is used to
argue for neo-liberal policies. Often sparks to debate a whole range
cited effects of neo-liberal policies of issues that they feel strongly Tze Yeng is a feminist who is think-
are – the rule of the market forces, about. ing and linking. Comments: letters@
the reduction of public expenditure thesundaily.com