Increasingly, I think most of the grandfatherly politicians share the same attitude towards young journalists. Be it Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang, they seem to think that journalists are hired by them as private secretaries. Maybe that was the case before 1998, but no more.

I also observe that these politicians are so self-centred that they think the whole world revolves around them and that the world would cease to exist without them around. They should learn from Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

It is for this reason that I must say kudos to The Sun's reporter, Claudia Theophilus, who posed a very pressing and relevant question to the prime minister on whether the government put pressure on the management of that unfortunate daily (as reported in the New Straits Times today).

The job of a reporter is to pose the right question to the right person. In this regard, Claudia has done the right thing. However, I must say that for the prime minister to publicly vent his personal frustration on a reporter is uncalled for. It only showed to the world that he has an inferiority complex towards more intelligent people.

The same could be said of Lim Kit Siang whose occasional and unfounded outburst against news reports or opinions not to his liking has always been well-known in the community of older journalists.

Even though DAP has never come to power, it has surprisingly acquired the bad attitude of a bad home minister. I am glad to see that malaysiakini stood by

I hope malaysiakini and the reporter concerned would continue to carry out the job of telling the truth and sharing informed opinions, with fortitude, and without fear or favour. Truthful and independent-minded journalists are the cornerstones of the civil society and democracy.