I write in response to Rockstar who has written in response to A Very Frustrated Reader, I would like to point out a mistake the former may have made. A Very Frustrated Reader did not state that the Gomez issue had been overemphasised.
Rather, he stated that instead of following the lead of bland, normal newspapers, malaysiakini should be pursuing other leads instead of constantly interviewing and praising the same person over and over.
A Very Frustrated Reader is correct - Mahathir or Badawi, Anwar or Gomez, many print media outlets spend a lot of time focusing on the same people, unfortunately in the same fawning way. Instead, A Very Frustrated Reader argues, reporters should be chasing other leads.
In his words, malaysiakini reporters should ‘... go beyond the man and start digging up the real issues of racial discrimination, cronyism and nepotism at public universities. Interview others, write critical analyses of it, do research and come out with a full and more indepth story’. That is precisely what the Malaysian public deserves.
Let us not fall into the trap of identifying a struggle with one or two key personalities only. As perfect as these people may seem, a cause is bigger than any one man. Instead of using a name to trumpet a cause, let's use facts and research to back up our case.
One other thing I would like to add - why is it that bread and butter issues are rarely covered by malaysiakini? Covering the ISA's unfair detention of dissenters is one thing, but there are numerous other problems Malaysians face every day that nobody seems to have given a thought to.
For example, why is it that we are prisoners in our own homes? Why do middle-class neighbourhoods have to hire private security guards? Why do middle-class homes have two or three water filters?
Are we saying the cleanliness of your water, and by extension, your health, depends on your wealth? Why is the road in front of a golf and country club, driven over by hundreds of luxury cars every day, full of potholes?
Malaysia's problems are not all related to unfair detention or draconian laws, or even issues closer to home such as education or the police. If malaysiakini is to cater to the people of Malaysia, let it focus with insight and depth on the basic standards of life every citizen of this country should be able to rightfully expect.
No. 48, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: 03-2284 3367 (Advertising/Tech/Subscription) | 03-2283 5567 (Editorial) Malaysiakini.com is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
