The news and Freedom; some comments about Malaysia

I have for the most part stopped paying too much attention to what that the news says. There are problems with it in the US and even other parts of the world. Election coverage of the US election is biased, where even the news pundits themselves are going out of the way in dubious manners to to defame certain politicians.

I have traveled to Malaysia where I have had the opportunity to stay at guesthouses run by local people living the country to learn that similar things happen here. One of the guesthouse I stayed at is partially managed by a journalist and I have heard from him that he is limited in the kinds of articles that they can publish. Especially ones that are critical of the government.

He would tell me that should the newspaper publish a critical article of the government, they would be called up by a member of the government and have “tea” with them where they are reminded that their charter to operate could be nullified. Also, to keep the officials happy, newspaper would be encouraged to let go of the reporter to show their sincerity. It would seem to me that Malaysia too, lacks a completely free and open press.

In Kuala Lumpur, I had an interesting experience with a Indian taxi driver while being transported away from the batu caves (a very large cave near the city). he would get a phone call from one of his buddies letting him know not to use certain roads back to the city as they are blocked off in anticipation for an upcoming protest. The protest is about the marginalization of rights of the Indian ethnic groups. I am not entirely sure about the details, but the one things that was certain was that the ethnic Indians were not happy with the way the government treats them.

I would read the local English newspaper (the Star) days after the protest. The newspaper paints an obviously biased picture for the government, calling the protest “illegal” and that the government found it unfortunate that the Indians could not use the system to voice their concerns. My opinion is that the system is likely broken.

The Chinese in Malaysia

I have read from one of the SE Asia Lonely Planet guide book that though the Malays run the government, it is the ethnic Chinese that runs the economy here. I have traveled through several cities in Malaysia and have had the opportunity to meet many Chinese Malaysians (technically, the Chinese born in Malaysia refer themselves as Malaysians and the Muslim population is regarded as the Malays). What I would learn about the co-existence between the Chinese and the Malays was quite fascinating.

Malaysia is a country that has not signed the Charter of Human Rights and that officially means that the government does not have to guarantee the equal rights or treatment of it's citizens. The laws in Malaysia prevent ethnic minorities from running for positions in the government, barring both the Chinese and the Indians from cabinet positions.

Though the ethnic Chinese do not have a say in the government, they more or less have a strong voice because should the government treat them poorly, Malaysia's economy would be sure to suffer.

The Chinese Malaysians I met are 3rd generation Chinese and they are caught in an interesting and yet odd predicament-- they would consider themselves foreigners in both Malaysia and China, a people without a homeland. But I would find this fascinating because they harbour little anger for the government so long as they are able to go about their business and make a living for themselves. Should things turn for the worse in Malaysia for them, some of the people I've met would simply consider leaving.

I find this mindset fascinating because in other places in the world, I believe that there are ethnic groups that would fight a bitter and often fruitless battle with the government to attain these rights-- if the game is rigged against them, it is simply just better to not to play it and look for a house with better rules.

I believe that if more people played by these rules, the government might become more responsive instead of the typical elections held approximately every 4 years, because ordinary people can vote with their feet at anytime.