A local self-help group in Georgetown, Penang has launched an alternative publication to highlight issues blacked out by the mainstream media.

Initiated by Save Ourselves Penang (SOS), the inaugural edition known as Aiyoh Penang was launched to commemorate the first anniversary of MCA's controversial takeover of two Chinese dailies — Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press .

SOS was started by a group of tenants affected by the repeal of the 50 year-old Rent Control Act which provides greater leeway to landlords.

The maiden issue with a run of 5,000 copies was distributed for free on the island yesterday. The monthly magazine has positioned itself as "A publication of Penang by Penangites and for Penang".

The 16-page magazine, with the headline 'Housing Crisis Spills into the Open' focused on the homeless problem, the recent fire and flood in Georgetown, and the implications of the controversial RM1.02 billion Penang Outer Ring Road project.

The magazine also promises to put Penang under the microscope and publish local stories ignored by the local press.

'Baseless' information

SOS coordinator Ong Boon Keong said the idea was to promote local publishing and alternative views to counter "baseless or inaccurate" information in the mainstream media.

"As locals, we are more familiar with the issues. There are also many stories of public interest in Penang that the local media is not interested in carrying and we have the stories," Ong told malaysiakini .

"We used to have quite a good press but things deteriorated when there is more and more editorial intervention by political parties in the media," he added.

The magazine is run by a group of 10 volunteers, and funded by advertisements and donations from well-wishers.

The idea for the publication was sparked off by the controversial takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press by MCA's investment arm Huaren Holding Sdn Bhd on May 28 last year.

The magazine will have a different name for every edition which will allow it to be printed without having to apply for a publishing permit as required by the Printing Presses and Publication Act.

"This is the price we have to pay [for dodging the Home Ministry's regulations]," said Ong, a social activist who runs a small health food restaurant in Penang.