Media ownership control is a continuous effort undertaken by the ruling party to suppress the autonomy of the media to unleash "massive and subtle" propaganda, said a media analyst today.

"With ownership control, the practice of censorship without the clear involvement of coercive power, for example, a warning from the Home Affairs Ministry, could be put in place," explained Chang Teck Peng, a former journalist with Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily.

Chang, who is now a lecturer for the Media Studies Programme at the New Era college was commenting on the controversial takeover bid of two Chinese Dailies by the MCA, a move which has ignited a blaze of criticism.

In Malaysia, the control of media ownership has been used to regulate the mass media since the 1960s when the Utusan Melayu Malay daily was taken over by Umno and in the following decade when the party seized the reins of another powerful daily, The New Straits Times via Pernas - a government linked company, said Chang.

"This is normally done in order to suppress or to remove criticism of the power elites from the mass media and make such criticisms difficult to be accessed by the public," explained Chang, who has been monitoring the Chinese media situation in the country for the past 10 years or so.

Star Publications, which is controlled by MCA's investment arm Huaren Holdings, is seeking to buy Nanyang Press, the publisher of Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press while the publisher of another Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh , Pemandangan Sinar, is also rumoured to be eyeing a minority stake in the company.

Star publications publishes the popular English daily The Star .

Speaking to malaysiakini , Chang said MCA's takeover of Nanyang Press would result in the Chinese-based political party having control of at least 17 publications, including the influential Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press .

'Great blow'

"We should not see this as a purely business deal. This is indeed a great blow to press freedom, especially when another Chinese-language daily publisher (Pemandang Sinar) is reported to be involved in it as well," he said.

Chang said if the deal materialises, it is foreseeable that the intense criticisms of the ruling parties will be hard to find in these dailies.

"And this would be another blow to writers who are critical of the government, particularly the MCA as there would be no avenue for them to express their views," he said, adding, "This is not a question of their (MCA) personal interests but a vital question of freedom of speech."

The readers of the three dailies would be at a loss as they would not be treated to different and plural contents once the deal goes into effect, he reasoned.

Chang urged journalists, non-governmental organisations and pressure groups to stand up boldly to protest the politically-initiated control of the newspapers.

"We have to send a clear message to MCA and Pemandangan Sinar that their respective selfish agenda will not be a success," he said.

'Highly improper'

Chinese Election Appeals Group (Suqiu) secretary-general Ser Choon Ing said the takeover is a clear move by the government to "abandon the different voices" in the Chinese community.

The deal must not only be seen from a commercial viewpoint but should also be considered as one which would be responsible for destroying the independence of the media, he said when contacted.

He added that MCA was planning to control not only the business people, but intellectuals as well as grassroots through direct control over the Sin Chew Jit Poh , Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press .

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang, meanwhile, said the Nanyang takeover bid was "highly improper, irregular and undemocratic".

"It is highly improper for MCA's acquisition of two Chinese dailies to be approved by the party's presidential council without the sanction of its central committee in view of the overwhelming objections and criticism of the Chinese community to the takeover," he said in a statement.

MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik was reported to have said that the presidential council was empowered to make decisions and the plan would be brought before the party's central committee on May 30.

Lim said he would lead a delegation to visit the China Press tomorrow to discuss with staff the implications of MCA's acquisition of the two dailies.