Mourning over a journalist’s resignation

Kwong Wah Daily, June 9^th 2016.

I always admire journalists who faced all odds to enlighten us the dark and bright side of the society through their reporting.

Two decades ago while I was still studying in the university, I visited a group of people in the press fraternity during my holidays. They were Said Zahari, Li Wan Qian, Zhang Yong Qing, Lim Kit Siang, Luo Jing Shan and others. They were former pressmen, publishers and columnists. I was influenced by their righteousness in using the mighty pen to spread the ideals of fighting against evil. This was what a real man should do.

In this era of myriad and confusing values, it is very difficult to find a role model. The media and journalists are subjected to pressure from the top management, the Sedition Act, Defamation Act, Communication and Multimedia Act. No matter big or small, the pressure can break the camel’s back. My main fans of my column were from the Special Branch and my rival political parties. They scrutinized every word that I wrote to make sure I did not break the law. They also tried to find faults in my article.

At this juncture when we read the open letter in Mustapha Kamil’s Facebook who was the former Group Editor of New Straits Times and a very experienced journalist, we would be moved and salute him .

Mustapha resigned from the post after serving for 25 years. Initially he kept silent but on the 31^st of May he revealed his reasons for resigning on his Facebook. This type of open letter was very rare in the media circle. Mustapha stressed that news reporters must be responsible in reporting only the truth.

He said an American newspaper in Manhattan disclosed a Malaysian issue which happened right under our nose. This investigative report was nominated and shortlisted in the Pulitzer Journalist Award. The award is on par with the Noble Prize Award which was well known globally. This prestigious award is the highest accolade craved by all journalists worldwide.

A few days after the disclosure on his Facebook, he accepted an interview by the Manhattan newspaper and the Wall Street Journal. According to the Wall Street Journal, 10 journalists from 7 nations worked together fielding the report on the 1MDB scandal from July to December 2015. Their investigative report was shortlisted in the Pulitzer Journalist Award this year.

Mustapha said the Malaysian government control over the 1MDB report was the reason he left New Straits Times. His public expression on his stand was indeed a very rare incident.

I used to read news in the Wall Street Journal both in English and Chinese versions. The 1MDB issue had become international news and was regarded as the Malaysian Watergate. At present investigators from at least seven nations are still investigating the 1MDB issue.

Other than a few media websites which had reported on the news on Mustapha, other vernacular newspapers did not touch on the open letter of Mustapha at all.

The media is very indifferent towards the resignation of such journalist.

In mid-May this year, I attended and debated at the Penang state assembly and raised the issue of the World Press Freedom Day celebrated on the 4^th of May. We concluded that there was nothing to be proud of that could be celebrated. The reason was press freedom in Malaysia was placed at a very low 146^th position. This season we lost a news portal The Malaysian Insider which had more than 50 workers and 2 journalists based in Penang. The Multi Media Act caused the company to cease operation and later it rounded up.

I must record here The Malaysian Insider reported the state assembly debate impartially. Every night after 9.00 pm when the debate at the state assembly ended, I would reach home around11.00 pm. Yet The Malaysian Insider managed to post my debate at the state assembly on its website within a short period of 2 hours.

At the state assembly I mentioned that The Edge publication was suspended for a few months and later through the process of law the suspension was lifted.

If society and media are indifferent towards Mustapha`s open letter as well as the issue of The Malaysian Insider and The Edge, it is really a tragedy.