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Assault on media must be condemned and stopped immediately

The local media scene is indeed in a pitiful state of constant assault. Not only are the enforced legal acts in place a form of legalised “assault” on free media, the thuggish and threatening attacks employed by those in power are even more frightening.

The latest evidence of assaults on the media is the brutish physical blows rained upon the staff of Tamil Malar daily yesterday in Kuala Lumpur.

Worse, one of the victims of this gang-like attack by a large group of men was a woman.

One wonders how low must we go before the media world in Malaysia is returned to its rightful and respectful place, and the age-old philosophy of “the right to know must be matched by the duty to inform” is honoured?

From the press statements issued by the injured and frightened victims of Tamil Malar and the alleged mastermind of the attacks on the media – a deputy minister to boot, mind you – we need to ask some very serious questions if Malaysia is to be a respected country under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

MIC has a longstanding, local reputation of being thuggish in the past especially under the leadership of former president Samy Vellu.

And yesterday's assault on Tamil Malar staff, including owner Oms Thiagarajan, photographer S Shanmugam, and legal advisor K Saraswathy, by some 70 men, some clad in “MIC Taskforce” t-shirts, further cements the perception that MIC indeed thrives on gangsterism.

The explanation offered in a rebuttal press statement by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister M Saravanan seems to give the impression that he is justifying the overwhelming presence and show of thuggish behaviour.

His statements very clearly indicate that if you are not happy with what the media publishes, go confront them. And if you physically attack the media in the process, it is because of "provocation" and therefore is also no big deal.

Such actions being propagated by politicians and those holding high office must be condemned and curbed. Disciplinary action and even tough legal action must be pressed upon anyone who attacks, maims and cripples journalists and media publications.

MIC must not continue to make Malaysia look like a land of lawlessness. Worst, through this latest alleged attack on the media, MIC has brought great shame to BN and inflicted much damage to the image of the country's prime minister, who is also currently targeted under the global media radar.

We proclaim to be a developed nation soon. We peddle the mantra that making Malaysia a high-income nation by 2050 is achievable. But we continue to witness how the media is under assault, especially by politicians to keep their grip on power at all costs.

This shameful act by Saravanan and the MIC party must be slammed by all responsible media.

Media owners and operators and the respective media associations must come together to take serious notice of these reported attacks on Tamil Malar.

The duty to inform that rests squarely upon the media’s shoulders cannot be sledgehammered by thugs, gangsters and bullies.

The captain of MIC must not underestimate the power of the media and also has that duty to now take express action on Saravanan if he is to rescue the battered image of MIC and heal the bruises on BN leadership.

The prime minister has a categorical duty to defend the media especially when there has been a lawless affront on media personnel. The option to remain tight-lipped will lampoon his planned visit to the US next week given the swarming foreign journalists.

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