(Petaling Jaya, Friday): Greater openness, accountability and transparency is one of the bitter medicine the government must take as part of the political, economic and financial reforms if the Malaysian economy is to be restored to health and dynamism in the shortest possible time. This means the government must permit greater press freedom in the country, not to be an obstacle to an united national effort to promote national economic recovery, but to identify, expose and remove obstacles and factors which would hamper a quick economic turnaround.
The Malaysian press can only play one of two roles in the national effort at economic recovery and turnaround - to play an active and independent role to help restore the return of confidence or to continue to play a negative role in trying to promote a "denial syndrome" in the country.
What Western media say is not gospel truth, but it does no harm for the Malaysian media in particular and Malaysians in general to consider its argument that the press in Asia had contributed to the Asian economic turmoil, on the ground that the press in most Asian countries is either an appendage of the ruling political powers or indirectly controlled by them. "Consequently, rarely do in-depth reports bring to light dirty deals and flawed financial records."
Last month, one American newspaper, San Jose Mercury News, carried the following report:
"The beast rampaging through Asian financial markets is neither a bear nor a bull. It's a hydra-headed monster that has arisen from a miasma of corruption and incompetence that some have come to call �crony capitalism.'
"Corruption and incompetence are not unique to Asia, of course. But one reason the monster they created has managed to roam so widely and destructively there is because the watchdogs of many Asian nations have been kept on too short a leash.
"I'm talking about the press. More specifically, the free press. Much of America has grown disenchanted with its media in recent years, often for good reason. But I think if given the choice between a fettered press and a free though sometimes irresponsible press, Americans would still choose the latter.
"I think Asians would also, though not many have been offered that choice. In most Asian countries the press is either an appendage of the ruling political powers or indirectly controlled by them. Consequently, few bright lights get shined into the dark corners where dirty deals are made and flawed financial records are stored."
It then referred to a recent Human Rights Watch/Asia report which blamed press censorship as contributing to Southeast Asia's current financial woes.
This report was most unflattering about the Malaysian press, when it said:
"How Malaysia's news editors will accomplish that task (publish less negative reports about the Malaysian economy) is difficult to imagine. Even before the tightening of censorship, the Malaysian press, which is controlled by businessmen loyal to the government, was like a mistress who followed Mahathir around whispering sweet nothings in his ear.
"What makes the increased censorship all the more unfortunate is that Malaysia's people face a crisis they cannot fully comprehend because they lack the necessary information."
It was reported today that the International Advisory Panel (IAP) on the Multimedia Super Corridor, comprising the Who�s Who in the world IT industry like Bill Gates of Microsoft, James Barkdale of Netscape, Louis Gerstner of IBM, Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems, Larry Ellison of Oracle, world-renowed strategists like Alvin Toffler and Kenichi Ohmae and chaired by Dr. Mahathir, would be holding its second meeting in Kuala Lumpur in mid-February next year.
The IAP of the MSC, which held its first meeting in mid-January this year at the Stanford University in California, has as its primary responsibility to provide advice and counsel to the Prime Minister and the Malaysian Government on strategic issues related to the MSC, such as infrastructure and the environment, policies and cyberlaws, marketing and incentives, and the development of domestic industries.
This report said:
"Perhaps one of them should advise the prime minister that it's going to be difficult for Malaysia to enter the Information Age when its people are denied the information they need to make sound assessments of the challenges facing their country.
"That advice may not be warmly received, but it's sorely needed. And it's not something Mahathir will learn by reading the Malaysian newspapers."
It is great to see a new trend of some local press playing a more critical and independent role as watchdogs of society.
Mingguan Malaysia on 21st December 1997 in its editorial comment "Jangan Permudahkan Rakyat", wrote:
"Terdapat sesetengah pemimpin pada peringkat negeri yang sebenarnya memperkecilkan intelligence rakyat mereka sendiri. Mereka masih menganggap rakyat boleh diyakinkan (atau digula-gulakan) dengan pelbagai kenyataan dan sedikit sebanyak air mata. Mereka menganggap rakyat mudah menelan apa sahaja yang diberikan pada mereka.
"Ternyata pemimpin jenis ini tidak berpijak di bumi nyata. Mereka nampaknya lupa bahawa rakyat rata-rata tidak lagi buta huruf atau duduk dibawah tempurung. Rakyat sudah jauh lebih kritikal dalam menilai (dan membaca) tindak-tanduk pemimpin mereka�
"Mereka sudah boleh menilai di antara kaca dan permata. Mereka tahu membuat penilaian di sebalik retorik, perisytiharan politik, janji dan ratap tangis. Mereka juga mahukan hasil dan bukti.
"Mengandaikan bahawa teguran jujur ialah sebahagian dari konspirasi teori untuk menjatuhkan pemimpin tertentu ialah jalan keluar paling mudah. Hari ini kadar toleransi terhadap kritikan dan teguran nampaknya semakin menipis. Setiap pandangan (terutama yang terpapar di media) bagi golongan ini, tidak lebih usaha jahat untuk menjatuhkan tokoh tertentu."
A week earlier, another daily, Berita Minggu in its Sunday Komentar of 14th December 1997 under the heading "Mengkritik diri lebih mulia daripada dikritik" said:
"Menyalahkan orang lain memanglah perkara mudah tetapi tidak semua kambing hitam boleh dijadikan korban. Kemelut ekonomi yang sedang kita hadapi sepatutnya mengajak kita berhenti sejenak berfikir dengan tenang dan hati terbuka di manakah kesilapan kita sebelum menuding kepada orang lain. Kita tidak mahu dituduh telunjuk lurus kelingking berkait. Kita mahukan pembangunan tetapi apakah semuanya perlu dibuat serentak seolah-olah tidak ada hari esok? Kita mempunyai dasar ekonomi yang tersusun tetapi dalam tempoh 10 tahun lalu dasar penswastaan yang terlalu pantas telah memindahkan bebanan kerajaan kepada swasta, sedang kekuatan pasaran terletak kepada ketahanan swasta. Terlalu banyak projek yang dikejar tentulah terlalu berat pula hutang yang dipikul.
"Tidak salah kita melihat diri sendiri dan melihat kesilapan diri kerana amalan mengkritik diri lebih mulia daripada membiarkan diri kita dikritik orang lain. Apakah semua projek yang diswastakan itu benar-benar memenuhi aspirasi kebangsaan atau sekadar ciptaan sektor swasta bagi menunjukkan keuntungan syarikat supaya harga saham mereka tidak jatuh? Apakah semua projek besar yang diluluskan itu benar-benar perlu disegerakan? Kita sepatutnya mengindahkann sungai bukannya membina bangunan di atas sungai. Kita belum memerlukan lebuh raya di kawasan pergunungan kerana banyak lagi jalan kampung yang belum terturap tar."
This is the time for the Malaysian mass meda to conduct a soul-searching as to whether there is any basis in the thesis in the Western media that the Malaysian press must also bear responsibility for the economic crisis because of their failure to be the people�s watchdog to identify and expose corrupt practices and policy mistakes.
All Malaysians hope that the more critical and independent stance shown in the recent Utusan Malaysia and Berita Minggu editorials are not just "one swallow that does not make a spring" but represent an expression of greater press freedom in Malaysia to better enable the country to face up to the national economic crisis, find a solution and effect a revival and turnaround in the shortest time possible.
(26/12/97)