An opposition party accused MCA's takeover of Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press as a 'revenge' for Barisan Nasional's loss in last year's Lunas by-election in Kedah.

PAS secretary-general Nasharudin Mat Isa said today that MCA is practising revenge politics on the newspapers because of their neutral coverage of the Chinese community during the by-election in November 1999, which eventually cost BN its traditional stronghold.

"The two newspapers were fair in their coverage on issues such as the Chinese Elections Appeal Committee (Suqiu) and mother tongue education which were the main reasons the community rejected the BN candidate," said Nasharudin.

Suqiu's alleged questioning of Malay special rights led to Umno Youth demonstrating outside its premises in Kuala Lumpur. Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad later labelled the activists as extremists a la communists in the past and the Al-Ma'unah group in his 43rd Merdeka Day speech.

Nasharuddin said PAS was unable to accept MCA's guarantee that it will not interfere in Nanyang's editorial policy, claiming that the Home Affairs Ministry had interfered many times with the Chinese newspapers' editorial matters, especially during former deputy home minister Ong Ka Ting's tenure.

Nasharudin said there is no effective mechanism to ensure that MCA will not interfere in the newspapers' daily operations.

"Who will stop MCA if the party decides to go against its own guarantee?" queried the PAS leader.

Keadilan Youth vice-chief Low Chee Chong also condemned the takeover as an "absolute tragedy to the media industry in our country, which is sure to bring about oppression of the press".

The journalists would no longer be able to avoid succumbing to the editorial stance that the media owners are expecting them to adopt, since the newspapers have changed from being public-orientated to party-owned, said Low.

May 31 deadline

Suaram coordinator S Arutchelvam regarded the takeover as "another form of suppression to kill dissent towards the government" as under the control of the political party, the two dailies will now be regarded as party organs.

Arutchelvam said Sin Chew Jit Poh's alleged stake in the takeover is more disturbing as it will eventually lead to a monopoly of the Chinese media and will wipe out existing healthy competition among the Chinese newspapers.

"The relatively freer space enjoyed by the Chinese media to date will be totally destroyed. It will not only further limit the freedom of expression but narrow the right to access to different information and opinions," he said.

Meanwhile, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the campaign to stop MCA from 'gobbling' the two newspapers is not completely over yet as the deal has not been signed.

He said the deal can be undone by the MCA central committee which meets at the MCA headquarters tomorrow as the deadline to seal it is by 4pm on Thursday.

"The question is whether there are enough MCA leaders and central committee members who are prepared to put the interests of the Chinese community and the nation above MCA politics," said Lim.

Even if the battle there is lost, Lim questioned whether there are enough 'righteous' MCA national and state leaders to take the fight to uphold the interests and rights of the Chinese community as well as the Malaysian cause for press freedom, human rights and democracy.