So now the doctor has been made to taste his own medicine! What CNN has done to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is what the local mainstream media have been doing to anyone who may be critical of the government or the ruling Barisan Nasional.

The spin-doctors in the government sometimes make fools of themselves with ludicrous statements, just to catch the eye of their bosses. Not only that, they will also resort to distorting news by opposition personalities, or create news out of nothing!

For example, if we were to total up all the 'disillusioned' opposition party members who have joined Umno, there will really be no one left in the opposition. This normally occurs just before a by-election.

So sensitive are our leadership at being asked questions that they cannot or do not want to answer, that certain reporters (eg malaysiakini reporters) are disallowed from certain press conferences.

So these 'leaders' end up in their small cocoon, deep in comfort, knowing that they would be 'protected' from having to answer or account for anything controversial. So when they meet the likes of CNN, who themselves have their own narrow-minded agenda, these public figures cannot handle the situation, and come home to grumble to the local press who faithfully reports it 'as the doctor ordered'.