UTUSAN MALAYSIA SHOULD BE DECLARED A NATIONAL HERITAGE. – PART II.

… IF IT IS THE MOST MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER, WHICH THEN IS THE MOST ALIEN MALAYSIAN NEWSPAPER BY MOST ACCOUNTS?
By Mansor Puteh


THE ANSWER IS THE STAR.

The Star is the most alien, foreign and un-Malaysian newspaper that serves Hong Kong and America more. The Melayu are portrayed in the various sections in such a cursory fashion so that they look alien even in their own country. The Sun is no better.

This paper, like the many other English language papers and magazines tend to over-emphasize foreign stories and characters and incidents, many of which are inconsequential and unnecessary distractions.

The problem with the Star is that they have too many advertisements to print, so they have to provide with the space for them and in doing so they have to also publish stories and articles or photos, and most of them are those that are sourced from foreign news agencies. They look elsewhere to publish news and how to create them.

The Melayu seem to be missing in the Star, as much as in the Sun who are controlled by the non-Melayu. They are as good as non-existent. And their columnists too are mostly non-Melayu so their views are too stereotyped.

Their reactions on social, cultural, linguistic and artistic issues are too predictable as well as banal. They sound like they were all written by the same person. Yet, none of them has ever been given due recognition as important and interesting speakers abroad, where it seems to matter more than speaking here.

Those few Melayu columnists and other writers they like to engage often have to follow their editorial policies, even if they claim to practice the freedom of the press and of free speech, etc.

So an essay like this can never be found in the three English language papers because it shows a mirror into the faces of their editors.

And this has also indirectly created some of the more prominent and vocal Melayu individuals and organizations to do the bidding for them, or else they would not be entertained by these papers.

They are Marina Mahathir and Sisters of Islam (SIS), whose views on many things concerning Islam and the Melayu can never be accepted by the Melayu papers.

Were they ‘created’ by the Star, and also the other English language papers since no Melayu paper would want to publish their thoughts and ideas?

In fact, one can even jokingly say that they were all ‘created’ by these two papers that seem to like to ‘encourage’ them to write their personal views and opinions which are of a certain type and style.

Want to look at this matter in a different way? Try and ask Marina and SIS if they can exist if not for the support from these two papers?

The only platforms that they would have are the public forums that are sometimes held at the Selangor Assembly Hall and the Bar Council auditorium and such places where discordant views are often expressed.

Now they can utilize their blogs to express their views on anything. But the truth is without the English language papers, they are almost non-existent.

In fact, the vernacular Mandarin and Tamil newspapers are also worse. They look like they are published in Hong Kong and Chennai.

An analysis of the newspapers in Malaysia has never been done before. One has to be done, and now is the right time to do it so we know what they are and who they serve and see if they deserve to be given the KDN publishing permit by the ministry of home affairs or ‘kementerian dalam negeri’ (KDN).

Can’t we see how some of the papers are secretly promoting Chinese and Indian chauvinism in the most subtle ways and expose it?

I’m afraid they have failed.

What they have succeeded in only publishing stories and articles which do not seem to influence and shape the thinking of their own readers and the general public especially from amongst the Chinese and Indians who know better.

Just how many of the Chinese and Indian youths who now do not have a fascination of their own cultures? Just go to the next Chinese opera held during their Hungry Ghost festival and you will find yourself sitting alone to watch it, as what I had found out on a few occasions.

In fact I had written some articles on those operas, and was even criticized by some Chinese readers who said they were not popular with the Chinese anymore.

It’s a fact that the vernacular mandarin and Tamil newspapers do not seem to care for the other races. What have they done to promote racial unity? They are basically papers that look like they are organs of foreign countries – Hong Kong and India.

Whereas Utusan and Berita Harian look at Malaysia from the point of view of the Melayu and Malaysia.



In fact, Utusan should be declared a ‘national heritage for what they had done to the country in the past.

What are the Melayu without Utusan which promotes the Islamic, Melayu and Malaysian agenda like no other paper does?

For trying to do this, they are charged for a host of things by their adversaries, especially the vernacular papers especially if they trust the mirror in front of the others to show who they are in relation to the history of the country.

Isn’t the history of the country already defined? Does it need to be redefined and rewritten and distorted?

The star and the sun, on the other hand, look at Malaysia from the point of view of the Chinese while the new straits (NST) tries to be fair to all the races and fail to do so because of their bias for foreign news.

The NST is basically a business and sports paper with a small news section.

The English and vernacular papers mostly publish foreign stories and have non-Melayu bias. No wonder the NST does not report activities by Melayu literary and creative groups as a habit.


In fact, the country and especially the Melayu would not be what they are today without Utusan and also Berita who played a vital role in ensuring that there is stability in all areas.

This often made them to be the center of snide attacks by those from the other races, who like to play the ‘race cards’ all the time.

No doubt that stating what is obviously enshrined in the Constitution can often-times create a lot of uncertainties and anxieties especially to those who are living in a state of denial.

Even talking about some of the more salient aspects of the Constitution can cause many to constipate.

What I find to be interesting is how Utusan, especially, rise up to the occasion to constantly remind the public of what that have been spelled in it, so that everybody knows. Many do. But there are some who are confused and refuse to acknowledge the sanctity of the document and what it aimed to do to the country and everybody who are its citizens.

So we can still and expect to get more howling and squealing on Utusan, every now and then. And their writers and editors still dare to remain stoic and not curl to surrender to the many suits that had been instituted against them, because they know they are not doing anything wrong or hurting anyone.

Those who are hurt should not hold any public office in the first place and operate their own private companies instead because one must have ‘thick skin’ to hold such offices.

Yet, this accolade will not sit well with some for obvious reasons, although Utusan may not be able to get such a recognition in the near future. But at least the public and country ought to know what they had done for the country and especially for the Melayu.

What many Melayu can ask is: What are the Melayu and Malaysia today without Utusan?

I was lucky to be able to work as a reporter with Utusan Melayu in the late 1970s so I got to know this news organization a bit more than the average Melayu and Malaysia.

Its headquarters are still at Jalan Lima, off Jalan Chan Sow Lin and its main building which holds the editorial department has been preserved by the management, as is its original signage which was the same as it was when I was working there.

I hope that this building can be recognized as a Malaysian heritage building by the government soon because Utusan deserves it.

Comments

il pirata said…
a'ah..iye lah..macam ada agenda tersembunyi je..
ledisordre said…
utusan malaysia has long been the propaganda arm of the BN govt. it is responsible for cover ups, lies, inciting fear and racial/religious tensions, and overall maintaining the backward, narrow mentality of the majority malays.

without utusan and berita or any other BN mass media tool, i'm sure the malays and malaysia today would be a more progressive society. without media monopoly and tight control by the BN govt, i'm sure another media would spring up to represent the voice of the majority malays, instead of the ruling few.

this is just what i think. i agree on the english papers representing an almost foreign voice which often sounds american. to me this is just the american invasion through the media and shaping the culture of every nation in the world to mirror its (destructive) culture.

thanks.
Anonymous said…
suma suratkhabar kena wakili kaum masing2,kenapa utusan di label racist,sedangkan surat khabar lain pun buat benda sama.utusan menjalankan tanggungjawab utk mempertahankan hak2 org melayu,salah ke?suratkhabar cina,india pula menjalankan tanggungjawab minta hak sama rata.repesent the voice of majority malays?kita nak bn lagi lah,previous election dah buktikan,respect sket kat majority,tunggu next election la pulak.apa nak kecoh.kalau kata election tu tipu,memang takde chance la opposition nk menang,try la buat armed revolution,tapi suma opposition leader dah comfortable sebenarnya,tak berani buat,ini suma tactic dap,lee kuan yew s'pore stail la,mula mula sibuk tentang kemajuan,melayu akan jadi perkasa lagi..last2 kena tipu la..macam kat spore.