Senator Chai Kim Sen is puzzled. The MCA publicity bureau chairperson is unable to decipher the reason behind the dress code imposed by PAS for media personnel covering its muktamar.
In a statement today, Chai said the dress code was outdated.
PAS has informed female journalists that they are prohibited from wearing sleeveless T-shirts, tight clothing or skirts with slits, while headscarves are “highly encouraged”.
Male journalists, on the other hand, must not wear patterned shirts or clothing with “impolite” quotes.
“PAS should explain how a striped or checkered long-sleeve office or T-shirt for males is offensive.
“Similarly, so long as modesty is practised, PAS should not assert subtle pressure by imposing its conservative values on non-Muslim women to don the headscarf,” Chai added.
Fears independent reporting
The MCA leader also flayed the muktamar media committee for the guidelines, saying that the party feared independent media reporting.
Chai ( photo ) was responding to the caveat, which reads: “If we find that there are any news which should not have been reported and which result in a negative impact in the opinion of the PAS central committee, the secretariat reserves the right to withdraw approval for coverage from the relevant media organisation at any time, without compromise.”
Chai pointed out that deeming news as “negative” is subjective and this would allow PAS to shift the goalpost anytime according to its whims and fancies.
“For the avoidance of doubt and to prove its sincerity, PAS should list down the types of articles it considers appropriate or offensive.
“News reporting and commentaries are reported from different angles from which the reporters and editors access the situation,” he said.
Media responsible for check-and-balance
Chai argued that it is the responsibility of the media to act as a check-and-balance on the ruling government and political parties, be it at the federal or state levels.
“It is so obvious that PAS wants to behave like the theocratic state it longs for by silencing whatever critical articles or opinion pieces it thinks ‘should not have been reported’.
“PAS must cease living like the ‘emperor with no clothes’. Stop behaving arrogantly or out-of-touch with the masses, with self-delusion that all Malaysians welcome its demand to implement the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 (Amended 2015).
“PAS is behaving like the Talibans who smashed television sets and forced Afghans to listen to only the official Taliban propaganda mouthpiece. PAS must grow up and accept constructive criticism, in the same manner it only wants to listen to self praises,” he added.
Chai also wondered if PAS wanted to prevent the media from reporting on the internal chasm between the ultra-conservatives apparently aligned with its president Abdul Hadi Awang and the so-called Erdogan group.
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