Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
From Our Readers

In regard to A Very Frustrated Reader's letter , I say kudos to his honest, courageous, blunt, straight-to-the-point criticisms of malaysiakini . Same thing goes to your editor's decision to publish it.

Like the writer, I am also a frequent visitor to the malaysiakini website. My point of view is that there is no right or wrong in this case. I agree with the writer's comments (to a certain extent) and I also agree with malaysiakini's editorial policy of providing constant coverage on a certain pressing issue until it gets resolved.

Indeed, malaysiakini should provide broader coverage for pressing issues that concern all sections of Malaysian society. While I would propose that this media increase its content and variety of news, it should not at the same time lessen its focus on issues of public importance which surface suddenly such as the Edmund Terence Gomez affair .

As for malaysiakini's choice of news and its variety of sources. I do agree that they shouldn't be all political. I think it is also time for this news website to feature the voice of government figures including that of the prime minister, deputy prime minister and other leaders.

As for A Very Frustrated Reader's view that malaysiakini have overemphasised the Gomez affair, please allow me to disagree. Some of us forget, in Malaysia, with its government-controlled media, certain pressing matters almost always go unreported, effectively denying the issue a public platform.

Take the Gomez affair for instance. Would the prime minister have intervened if the matter handn't been extensively and doggedly pursued by a certain media? What would have happened if malaysiakini had not persistently highlighted Gomez's predicament?

And let us not forget the case of the seven students who were arrested and charged for protesting against the ISA. One of them has been allowed to continue his studies at the public university which suspended him following his arrest. I think this wouldn't have happen without malaysiakini's so-called 'overemphasis' in reporting the case.

Without malaysiakini playing its part in presenting public concerns and providing a space for public discussion and debate (from both sides of the divide), Anwar Ibrahim might still be in jail today, nobody would know the plight of activist Irene Fernandez and the struggle against the ISA would a lot more bleaker.

My message to malaysiakini is clear - do what you are doing and continue to emphasise those pressing matters that will not see the light of day in the mainstream media. Encourage more public discussion and debate by publishing more 'Letters to the editor' while at the same time increasing your news coverage, variety and sources.

In closing, I must point out that we all need to read both the independent press as well as the mainstream media in order to get a truly balanced picture. Never ever rely on just one source, irregardless whether it is malaysiakini or The Star .


Editor's note: Over the past five years, malaysiakini has time and again tried to obtain interviews with top government leaders but without much success. We will keep trying.

ADS