Early last year, I attended a dinner graced by the then minister of youth and sports Hishammuddin Hussein. During the question and answer session, a number of young professionals of all races came up and expressed their concern over the lack of democratic progress in the country.

Seemingly aware of the doom-saying atmosphere in the hall, the minister sought to assure the audience that the government, especially the younger generation of Barisan Nasional politicians, would continue to listen to the people and be responsive. To drive home his message, the minister said, "That's why I am here with you, the young Malaysians who love and care about the country, just to hear you guys out."

Looking around the hall, I saw many nodding heads, some even with beaming eyes. I couldn't help thinking to myself, "How easily contented we young Malaysians are". Behind the assurance and the sincere words of Hishammuddin, the draconian laws that severely curtail our freedom of speech remain intact and, to the despondence of many, the situation has hardly improved with the departure of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

NST interview

So, when veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, who re-entered Parliament in the fashion of the Return of the King recently, was given a prominent interview by the New Sunday Times , he must have been delighted at the progress made by the mainstream press.

To Lim and his most faithful party comrade Karpal Singh, entering Parliament is akin to attaining an eternal life on earth. Having endured five years of purgatory outside the Dewan Rakyat, Lim eventually claimed back the right to represent the opposition, which he sees as rightfully his but accidentally 'usurped' by PAS since November 1999.

The day the new Parliament opens is, no doubt, Lim's red-letter day, and the interview in NST may signal some better things to come for the opposition.

But such optimism is in fact misplaced. As far as I see it, the acid test for greater media independence, for now, would be to see if the Malay and the English press would give fair coverage to the ongoing Federal Court hearing of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's appeal, as well as whether or not the editors and commentators would be brave enough to make a stand on the issue without fear or favour. Luckily for the mainstream press, the world now has enough hair-raising pictures of Iraqi prisoners being cruelly tortured by their American captors to sweep all the embarrassing stories at home under the carpet.

So, if one sees more critical reports and thought-provoking analyses on issues ranging from corruption to national service, that would be a more reliable indicator of greater press freedom in Malaysia than an interview with any opposition figure.

'Sanctioned' leader

In fact, I have long suspected that Lim is in fact a 'sanctioned' Opposition Leader favoured by the government. By 'sanctioned', I mean he is one that is acceptable to Umno. Unlike PAS, which competes mostly with Umno over Malay representation, DAP will have a tough time shaking off its Chinese-centric image and platform, an modus operandi that Umno is familiar and comfortable with.

Immediately after the NST carried the interview with Lim, some of my friends could not wait to express their gladness. Just like those that I saw at the dinner with Hishammuddin slightly more than a year ago, these friends are so easy to please. As much as those young professionals were heartened by the promise of Hishammuddin to create a more open government, some Malaysians are pleased with the improvement they see in the NST . Alas, we are so easily contented.

By the way, despite his busy schedule as Education Minister, Hishammuddin did not forget the important task of standing up for the Iraqi people. Last Tuesday, he took some time off to lead a delegation to hand in a memorandum in protest of US cruelty to Iraqi prisoners, as reported by Berita Harian the next day.

In the build-up to the US invasion of Iraq, Hishammuddin as the de facto leader of Peace Malaysia (Aman Malaysia) appeared nearly daily in the national press, which added tremendous value to his profile as Umno Youth chief. However, the protest this time did not make headlines as it used to, or perhaps the government, under the new leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has been working relentlessly to make up with the US.

Hishammuddin is not the only 'young' Malaysian aghast at the horrific deeds of US soldiers in Iraq. Muhd Ramadhan Fitri Ellias, representing the Student Representative Council at Universiti Malaya (Majlis Perwakilan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya), is feeling equally, if not more, indignant at the unruly and inhumane behaviour of the American army. In a letter to Berita Harian , the student leader parroted the same old tune of Mahathir by condemning the sole superpower for making the United Nations a convenient tool to advance its own cause.

Well, it is always good to see young Malaysians speaking their minds on important international issues with a sense of justice. But will Hishammuddin and the student leader, both sharing the same concern over the deteriorating situation in Iraq and Palestine, also speak against the torture and ill-treatment of the past and present ISA detainees and prisoners by Malaysian authorities?