The Muzzled Media Appeared Completely Ludicrous

I meant to get online and blog about recent events a lot earlier than this. However, I have been following up on the shenanigans of the ruling coalition UMNO, and its pathetically sorry machinery.

First up, I have to apologise for my incorrect assessment of the goons who call themselves the Malaysian government in assuming they would be less brutal in dealing with the public.

Seriously, I thought that they would have learned from past experience, but really, these guys are beyond teaching. Someone ought to send them out to green pastures and put a big sign out in the animal farm (or National Feedlot, if it hasn't been closed down yet) to warn against mad cow disease and foot & mouth.

Or in this case, foot IN mouth -- a phenomenon that they have single-handedly elevated into an artform.

You think I'm being unkind? Overly harsh? Mean?

Let's examine the evidence.

1. Nick Xenophon is an Australian senator. Against his better judgement, he decided to observe the BERSIH 3.0 rally in person. He had no idea what he was in for -- he got tear-gassed and witnessed rampant human rights abuses. Consequently, he spoke out against it. So the government-owned mainstream media was tasked to vilify him. Sorely lacking in ideas, they wrote blatant lies about him by switching words -- effectively putting his life in danger.

We hope he takes them to task (he has mentioned suing them). They offered a weak and insincere apology, but this is what puts him and consequently BERSIH 3.0 and the Malaysian protestors squarely on higher moral ground, in that they had to be falsely vilified to be seen as wrong.

2. BBC was outraged that its news reports were doctored and censored by Astro. The agreement between BBC and any broadcaster is that the full report should be aired in its entirety. Astro, the Malaysian satellite broadcaster, firmly breached this agreement when they removed certain sections. Instead of hanging their heads in shame, Astro claimed to be disappointed that BBC failed to understand their 'situation' as they were 'merely complying with local regulations'. Oh really?

3. BBC wasn't the only news channel to be offended. AlJazeera is appalled to discover news reports were also similarly doctored and censored by Astro, particularly because it showed excessive use of force by the police against demonstrators and damage of equipment belonging to sympathetic journalists.

And Malaysia calls itself a democracy? How could the government expect to be taken seriously when they resort to outright lies and manipulative attempts to spin the truth?

I do take exception to that, but not as much as to the Malaysians who are still bleating in weak protest against the mainstream media, saying that they have the right to speak out against tyranny.

I cannot understand why one would waste one's breath. The government-owned mainstream media deserve neither the time of the day nor any rebuttals. They are a waste of paper, airtime and energy. Heck, they are parasites; pimping oxygen.

So if you find yourself compelled to explain why you went out to protest on the 28th of April 2012, please do me a favour: DON'T.

Just do the right thing and ignore the mainstream media.

Related: Astro, give some respect to your customers please!