On Nov 13, the pro-establishment New Straits Times (NST) reproduced from its archives an old political cartoon (p. 4) in which consummate cartoonist Lat deftly depicts the antics of endearing politicians during election campaigns. Mahathir Mohamad is sketched as a campaigning politician trying to help out a housewife in her daily household chores of pounding chili and putting a baby to sleep.

Yes, all politicians tend to show -- or feign -- what caring human beings they can be in their attempt to put up an affable image and win the election. But as far as the mainstream Malaysian media go, Barisan Nasional politicians appear more caring and concerned than Barisan Alternatif politicians. This impression is achieved by simply giving more than ample coverage to BN politicians' visiting the electorate, carrying babies, holding the hands of elderly people, etc.

That is why, for example, we are able to see incumbent Lembah Pantai MP Shahrizat Abdul Jalil attentively talking to people in her constituency or T. Sita Vellasamy, a widow, thanking MCA's Dr Ting Chew Peh for having helped her get a low-cost house and jobs for her children.

As if not to be outdone, former Semangat 46 president Razaleigh Hamzah was also portrayed as the people's man in the Nov 23 NST . A kicker ran across the page: "Ku Li wins hearts by visiting in rain, making everyone feel important". Certain BA politicians have also been covered in this light by the mainstream media, but these occasions can be counted on one's fingers.

In other words, the coverage of political hustings is highly in favour of BN politicians. The caring image of BN politicians is created by a concerted effort by both the party and the mainstream media to narrow any visible ideological and political gap between the BN and the people. Hence, the political, economic, social and cultural interests of the people are made to appear as one with those of the BN. "We" should be one big, happy family, this nation of ours, and we are expected to acknowledge that "father knows best" by voting the BN and its father-knows-best philosophy to power again in this general election.

As intimated above, the projected image in the media of the BN is of a party that conscientiously defends and promotes the rights and interests of ordinary citizens. That is why Malaysians, as exemplified by a group of Malaysian Sikh organisations in a one-page advertisement in the Nov 23 NST , are supposed to declare their utmost gratefulness: "we don't bite the hand that feeds us".

The same goes with the local television stations. The feel-good ntv7, for example, invariably carries a video clip at the end of its 8.00pm news bulletin, billed "Impian Menjadi Nyata" (Dreams Turned Reality), in which two old Malay men, as if reading from a badly-written script, sing praises of the BN government for having helped their sons be trained as medical doctors. And as if to warn us all, one of the ugliest media advertisements in our political history screams: "Don't gamble our future".

This is, of course, not to deny the fact that Malaysia has progressed in many ways under the BN government, progress that has been enjoyed by many Malaysians. But it is also a fact that, as mentioned earlier, under the BN our country has also faced a range of problems -- political, economic, social and cultural -- which unfortunately were conveniently swept under the carpet by the mainstream media.

As in the case of most mainstream newspapers, the electronic media are also generally predictable in their positive portrayal of the BN while consciously neglecting and belittling the BA. Indeed, Malaysian television stations' obscenely biased coverage of the political campaigns transforms the TV set in the sitting room into a proverbial idiot box!

The excessive display of the BN benevolence is not only unfair to the opposition, but also acutely improper, especially once the BN government has changed its status to that of a caretaker government. Once Parliament is dissolved, a caretaker government is entrusted to perform only the rudimentary roles of the state. It has no moral authority to make promises, particularly regarding development projects, during the election campaign period.

Thus, one could only surmise that government machinery has been abused when the caretaker BN government announced, for instance, higher pensions for 380,000 Malaysian pensioners ( The Star , Nov 24). And, not to forget farmers, caretaker Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad recently launched a Bernas (Padiberas Nasional Berhad) education fund for their children ( NST , Nov 22).

But, unsurprisingly, not a whimper has been heard from the Election Commission regarding the ethics, or lack of them, of the caretaker government in this regard, nor did the local media feel duty-bound to investigate..

One may argue that such crude unfairness is really nothing new or out of the ordinary in Malaysian mainstream media. The mainstream media have always had the inclination to foreground and promote BN politicians and policies, and marginalise the Opposition and other dissenting voices.

But these media's unfair and distasteful treatment gets even more pronounced and ugly especially during periods of political crisis and during general elections. Judging by their performance lately, the mainstream media are expected to be at their lowest ebb in this year's general election.

A visitor from the outer space may well be excused if s/he, after having a painful encounter with Malaysia's mainstream press and electronic media, comes to the conclusion that this century's Greatest Brain Robbery had actually occurred in the mainstream mass media.