COMMENT | In the early hours of May 10, the journalist fraternity joined in the jubilation after Malaysians voted for change and put an end to BN's 61 years rule in the country.

Most of us had been dreaming of a world with press freedom and an end to oppressive laws, as promised in Harapan's election manifesto.

At last, we got a prime minister who actually addresses the press, where we would throw him questions, without fear or favour, and he would field those queries with the same gusto.

Yes, in a way, Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a breath of fresh air, compared to his predeccesor Najib Abdul Razak, who avoided questions - like these were a plague from the reporters.

But for local journalists like me, who are away from the seat of power in Putrajaya, I must say it is a real struggle to cover our former opposition leaders who are now ministers in Mahathir's cabinet.

It's a battle every day, especially when you are an independent media, when the colour of your tag is still grey, and you don't have a TV crew accompanying you.

It's not even 100 days and the old BN habit of favouritism and treating the media unfairly is already taking root in this so-called New Malaysian government!

We would like to remind this new breed of ministers: Najib and gang behaved in a similar fashion, where are they today?

Malaysiakini has always been neutral but we did give the voiceless a lot of space since it was established in 1999. We have not changed and this is the reason why I am proud to be with the portal.

I dare say Malaysiakini's presence contributed to the making of this New Malaysia. However, at the rate things are going, all this means nothing much now if it is just "old wine in new bottles".

When they had no federal power...

When they had no federal power, some of us used to get calls at nights, even midnight, to be asked why we are not carrying certain statements. Nevermind that the topic is irrelevant. Now, the same people are too busy to answer your WhatsApp messages.

An incident that occurred last week made me realise that all politicians are alike but worse are their over-zealous staff or political appointees.

For example, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu (photo), or dearly known as Mat Sabu, may be a great guy but he has a lousy press team.

Just the other day many of us were not invited, nor informed, of Mat Sabu's Hari Raya open house in Tasek Gelugor, Penang.

The privileged ones invited were only the government-linked broadcasting stations and a certain portal deemed to be pro-Pakatan Harapan. To me, this is totally unprofessional!

The rest of us got to know about the event when we watched it on national TV. I felt really disappointed because I had questions for him as defence minister. I also had questions for Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was present at the event with his father, Lim Kit Siang.

I don’t care about his rendang and ketupat or duit raya. I covered Mat Sabu for 20 years. I would go to whatever nook or corner to give him coverage as he was a nobody then and was very much marginalised. Now he is a minister, and he has probably forgotten everyone in his past who made it possible for him to be where he is today.

Even for some who have no power yet but are running around and issuing all kinds of statements (many unnecessary and annoying), treat journalists badly when we are just doing our job.

In Guar Perahu, Permatang Pauh, last Sunday, reporters got barred and shoved around, as if we were terrorists.

We couldn't ask Anwar Ibrahim or his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, more than one question before being told to stop by his bodyguards.

I don't know why the fuss. Are we carrying guns? Are we suicide bombers? I wanted to blurt out as I did many years ago at the same venue: "You are not even PM yet, but we are already being treated like this!"

Eventually, Anwar did allow me one question and his wife replied "ditto" when I asked for her response as well.

Only one question! How about the other reporters? I'm sure they have questions too. To think that before he went to jail, we spent most of our weekends covering his events. Now that he is free, we cannot even get near him?

Nevermind that their daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar (photo), the Permatang Pauh MP, is supposedly a defender of press freedom.

The instructions come from the top

Nevermind that we waited till 10.30pm on a Sunday night for a press conference and were later told, "Sorry, there is not going to be one."

Now, if anyone asks why we are disturbing these ministers during their Hari Raya open do, I have only this to say: "It's an open house. The rakyat pays your salaries, the people's support led you to your freedom, and you cannot even take questions from reporters without your bodyguards almost manhandling us?"

But should we blame these bodyguards? I was told by a Harapan leader that instructions to the bodyguards come from the top. Like us, they are merely carrying out their duties.

Anwar, and the other newly minted ministers, seem to be enjoying newfound publicity and limelight - basking in the spotlight of being featured daily on the TV screen, getting all the attention of the international media, that they forget who were the people there in those early days, sometimes they cut a lone figure, covering their events when they were nobodies.

Seeing them strutting like peacocks on national TV every day, the Malay idiom comes to my mind "Macam kera dapat bunga!"

It's okay if you forget those bitter days - perhaps it is too painful to remember the past - but today, when you are up there on the pedestal, please just let the reporters do their jobs. Don't shove us around as if we are beggars. Is that too much to ask?

Note: PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has apologised to members of the press over the heavy security protocols imposed by his security detail during his Hari Raya open house celebration in Guar Perahu on Sunday.

In a tweet, Anwar said recognition was due to the media who persisted and thrived through “very repressive circumstances” under the previous government.

"I will look into ways to loosen the UTK protocols," said the unelected PKR leader who currently holds no posts in the federal government.

SUSAN LOONE is a member of Malaysiakini team.