Following the complaint by Chinese education group Dong Zong yesterday, two other Chinese associations today voiced similar grievances over declining news coverage on issues of concern to the community.

The Youth Section for Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (SCAH) and Malaysian Youth and Students Movement (Dema) claimed their news had been downplayed and "put aside" by the Chinese dailies since the controversial takeover of Nanyang Press by MCA.

SCAH Youth and Dema, considered the more progressive groups in the community, constantly hold talks and issue press statements on human rights, education and issues affecting the Chinese community.

Chief of SCAH Youth Jean Lee said that previously their press statements and activities were published by the Chinese press in either the national or local pages.

However, now, their statements would appear only in the local pages, if published.

"Since MCA's extraordinary general meeting at the end June, statements that were 'anti' takeover of Chinese dailies were completely blacked out," she said.

Dong Zong yesterday claimed that the Chinese education issue had been downplayed by the Chinese media since MCA bought over Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press and replaced their top editorial staff within hours of the transaction.

Last month, some journalists even held a special event to read out stories that were spiked or censored for "political reasons", to reveal to the public the difficulties they have been facing when reporting certain issues.

Another major Chinese daily, Sin Chew Jit Poh , regarded as supporting Ong Ka Ting, MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik's protege, is singing the same tune.

Lee added that the major Chinese dailies such as Sin Chew Jit Poh and China Press have stopped sending their reporters to cover their associations' monthly forum.

"Our statements on Damansara School and the Universiti Sains Malaysia Tionghua Language Society (PBT) were not published by the Chinese press," she said.

The ongoing protest against the relocation of SJK (C) Damansara in Selangor, the brouhaha over several undergraduates who took part in a debate without prior consent from USM, and the series of inquiries into student movements have become major concerns for the ethnic Chinese.

Deliberate boycott

SCAH Youth's Lee said its parent body suffered the same problem as functions co-organised by SCAH have been reported but the focus was not on what SCAH did or said at the function.

"It appears to be a deliberate act to boycott us," stressed Lee, adding that the papers did not bother to cover the function organised by SCAH Women last month.

Lee said they will continue to monitor the newspaper coverage before taking any action.

Lee Khai Loon, the organising secretary for Dema, complained that coverage of their student issues had also dropped tremendously. "About five of our statements have been rejected since mid-August."

"Before the takeover, the stories carried headlines of the student groups, but after that it was only added in as part of other political stories," he explained.

He lamented that the situation further deteriorated when Universiti Teknologi Malaysia banned the Muslim Students Association (PMI), followed with Universiti Teknologi Mara cancelling the registration of Persatuan Mahasiswa Intelek and Kelab Usahawanan in mid-August.

UTM vice-chancellor Prof Ir Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali was reported to have said that the ban on PMI was meant to curtail underground and anti-government movements in the university.

Chairperson of the Committee Against the Takeover (CAT) Tang Ah Chai noted that one of the significant changes after the takeover was that MCA politicians were given prominent coverage compared with other Chinese leaders.

The changes in the news coverage, he said, have reduced the grassroots to feeling lost, passive and depressed.

"They cannot find a way out and choose to remain silent," he said. However, he insisted that the silence does not mean the grassroots have accepted the takeover and given up on the issue.