"If you muzzle the press, kill the press, the country will go to the dogs. And the work of the government will become 10 times more difficult. I am saying this because I know the futility of campaigns against corruption, for example, without the support of the press and the people. I believe that unless the press keeps a watch, we politicians will forget ourselves."

Who would remember that it was our third prime minister, Tun Hussein Onn, who uttered those words in an interview with K Das of the Far Eastern Economic Review (Jan 26, 1979)? He was one prime minister rich with values and principles, but alas poor in the charisma and vision departments.

Therefore, his legacy is treated by so many as not much more than a footnote in Malaysia's list of prime ministers - even by those who proclaim to stand for democratic values and human rights.

Did that statement make the headlines and lead to the flowering of Malaysian journalism in 1979? Alas, no. Our society and our culture that reward conformity, compliance, obedience to authority has left us catatonic even when the offer of freedom was served to us. Thus, no editor jumped at the prime minister's words and pushed the boundaries of press freedom in the country.

Government censorship and self-censorship in the Malaysian media began a long time ago in the name of national unity, stability, development, nation building it was called developmental journalism. In the process, Malaysian journalism developed a culture where editors and journalists enjoyed a cosy relationship with political leaders, that to this day, very few have the courage, or the intellectual or moral strength, to extricate or even distance themselves from.

In 1978 when I joined the New Straits Times as a feature writer, my first editor read my stories not with the intention of improving on them, but to remove any statements, any quotes, that could in any way be construed as criticism of the government.

I did a story on the miserable lives of factory girls in the Sungei Way free trade zone and he struck out a quote from one of the girls who said that her friends who had political connections could get jobs as clerks in the government or enter teacher training colleges. But she, without any connections, ended up in a factory. Black lines went through my copy.

A story I did on racial polarisation at the University of Malaya in 1978 never saw the light of day because the editor-in-chief felt that it was too sensitive an issue to be discussed in public.

On a trip abroad in 1979, the boat people story broke out in Malaysia. The foreign press was filled with stories of the thousands of Vietnamese boat people landing on Malaysian shores and shipped to the Pulau Bidong camp, off the coast of Terengganu.

I returned home to find that no Malaysian journalist had gone to Pulau Bidong to do a story while foreign journalists were flying from all parts of the Western world to cover this human drama. When I asked the news editor why hadn't anyone been sent to Pulau Bidong, he said he didn't think the authorities would allow us to go.

My logical question was if the foreign journalists could go to Pulau Bidong, why couldn't local journalists? I received the permission from Task Force VII in charge of the Vietnamese boat people with no problem at all.

In 1981, when the 2M (PM Mahathir Mohamad and DPM Musa Hitam) administration took over from Hussein Onn, their open, activist style captured the public imagination. The New Straits Times had a new editor-in-chief who had revamped the newspaper and launched an investigative journalism series. There was greater openness and willingness to experiment. I did a story about how the outgoing menteri besar of Selangor had carved out a stretch of parkland in Taman Aman in Section 14 Petaling Jaya , divided it into bungalow lots which were awarded to seven or eight people who were the who's who of his administration. It was his last executive action before the State Assembly was dissolved.

Everyone was surprised that such a story not only saw the light of day, but was the front page lead story of the conservative, pro-government New Straits Times . The new deputy prime minister, as chairman of the Land Committee, ordered the new menteri besar to rescind the subdivision and the land was reverted to the park.

However, all too soon, as rumours that the honeymoon between the 2M was beginning to sour, the self-censorship began again. As usual when politicians fight, our weak institutions of democratic governance suffer.

The New Straits Times went through several editors. 1987 was a low point. Newspapers were shut down. Laws such as the Official Secrets Act and the Printing Presses and Publication Act were amended and made more draconian. There was no recourse for appeal to the courts. The decision of the minister was final.

Is it fair or even realistic to expect heroics of free, fair, independent and vigorous journalism from our newspapers under such circumstances? Not to forget, of course, how ownership of the mainstream press is in the hands of governing parties.

In spite of such restrictions, I firmly believe that there are ways in which editors and journalists of the mainstream press could push the boundaries of press freedom in this country.

First, let us accept the fact that this government will not hand over press freedom on a silver platter. Therefore, I have always taken the stand that it is up to the newspapers to push the parameters of freedom.

They have to take risks, stick their necks out, be smart and test the waters. Even the most slavishly pro-government editors have lost their jobs because they were deemed not loyal and trustworthy enough to be the master's voice.

What is the point of being obedient, slavishly and unquestioningly loyal, lose credibility and respect for yourself and your newspaper in the process, and still at the end of the day lose your job?

Wouldn't it be more satisfying, not to say dignifying, at least, to stand up for your principles, challenge and question authority, be creative and smart in treading the political minefield, so that at least when you finally lose your job, you can walk away with some dignity, knowing that the price you pay is worth the effort?

[#1]Pushing the boundaries of press freedom, Part 2[/#]

ZAINAH ANWAR was a journalist with the New Straits Times from 1978-1984 where she started as a feature writer and then moved on to cover politics and foreign policy. The above edited paper was presented at a panel discussion on World Press Freedom Day organised by the Centre for Independent Journalism.