I refer to Nash Rahman's Abim should mediate between PUM and writers (Mar 2) exhorting Abim to mediate between PUM and those accused, wherein he writes that the war of words between both are counter-productive.

As someone who has been following this issue closely in malaysiakini as well as the English and especially Malay press, I think it is important to point out to Nash that the accused have basically been silent except for sporadic instances of statements or letters, or statements attributed to them.

But it is PUM and everyone else — including analysts like Nash — who are dominating the issue. The media are also the ones who write the way PUM speaks — as if those accused are already guilty, and not as if PUM has asked the Conference of Rulers to decide about it. As a Muslim trying to understand this important issue, this manipulation is what shocks me the most because this practice is not adil (just).

More importantly, it should be pointed out to Nash that PUM has repeatedly rejected any dialogue or mediation, including when first offered by Abim and Dr Chandra Muzaffar of Just.

In both examples I have given, we see the power of the media to distort an issue and actually made it worse, despite the journalist himself exhorting others to stop escalating it! I feel Nash has been much more inclined toward PUM as was his commentary siding against PAS' Harakah editors, and the malaysiakini coverage except for the letters section.