Most mainstream newspapers are "trash" and are not worth reading as they do not articulate the real concerns of the community, said a regional newspaper columnist today.

Karim Raslan, who is also a lawyer and writes a syndicated column for the The Sun daily and a number of regional newspapers, said the current media situation has become a means for the powerful and wealthy to treat people like "dirt".

"In order to create a sense of community, you need newspapers; you need a media which people feel are voices that will articulate their concerns," said Raslan at the National Unity Convention held in Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel.

"Obviously people seek for other means of expressing their anger. I am not surprise that people will go to the streets because they are no other ways for them to voice their concerns," he added.

Raslan, who was speaking at the "Overcoming Impediments to National Unity - Addressing the Roots, Managing Conflicts and Regenerating Confidence" session, said it was critical that the media ask those who are rich and in power questions ordinary people want to ask.

He added that the media must become a watchdog for the people in order to prevent the people from going to the streets or take justice into their own hands.

"We must have a situation where the media must expose criticism about the system. This is not to say many things are not right. There are, but we have still got to have that (criticism)," he told the 100-odd participants.

"We must also have an independent judiciary and a justice system where ordinary people feel they are equal with the rich tycoons," he added, further saying that both the media and judiciary lack credibility and legitimacy.

Raslan said this has resulted in "a great sense of opting out, a great sense of alienation where people retreat into their own world".

Malays, he added, retreated into religious intolerance and obscurantism while the Chinese place greater efforts to maintain the Chinese language.

Sabotage

Meanwhile, National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general N Siva Subramaniam questioned whether there was sabotage at the lower rung of government departments which can impede nation building.

He said the racial composition of government officers did not follow the current formula of 55:45.

To illustrate his point, he said out of 160 district officers in a certain state, only one is Chinese. In Perak, which had 300 national-type schools, there were only two Chinese and one Indian headmaster, he added.

"Who are calling the shots at the bottom. Are these people racist?" asked Siva.

Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Dr Maximus J Ongkili, who was the only opposition member to be invited to speak at the convention, said Sabahans had achieved some kind of national unity when Malaysia was born in 1963.

He said Sabahan no longer think in terms of race or ethnic groups but in terms of "foreigners versus Malaysians".

He added Sabahans are now more worried about national security than national unity.

Another speaker, New Straits Times executive director Abdullah Ahmad, proposed a new quota, 50:35:15 which he believed would help enhance national unity.

"The 15 percent should be reserved for controlled meritocracy where we get the best regardless of race. This should be done stage by stage," said the former political secretary to former premier Tun Abdul Razak.

The two-day convention was attended by many professionals, politicians, educationists and trade union members.