The traditional BN-owned mainstream media has been going too far in its crusade against the people. We thought that in the post-Mahathir era, the walls would fall down and tight leash relaxed.

But no, the media has turned to populism and sensationalism as a tool of the government to divide the people. For instance,

  • the Squatgate issue was used to pit the Chinese against everyone else;
  • the recent arrests af Black Metal music followers used to create a "moral crisis";
  • no full disclosure and explanation of the presence of a deputy minister at a Subang Jaya hotel during a raid;
  • the failure to report developments about the waste incinerator project at Broga; and the
  • the one-sided reporting on the Pengkalan Pasir by-election and trivialising of parliamentary debates.

We are all aware that some mainstream press are more guilty than others. Some are merely just toeing the line for we know of the Internal Security Ministry threats to not renew their licences.

The press is being systematically used to not only oppress and silence the public, but is also being used to divide the people and to steer them towards mindlessly supporting policies that only serve the interests of the few.

All the mainstream press cares about is readership (and distribution) figures though some care as much as pushing their own agenda. So the populace, especially us the privileged who have access to alternative media, should exercise our right to teach these offending media a lesson.

I can't remember the last time a boycott has been called against the mainstream media, but I believe that readers now have less to lose, and media outlets more to lose, when a boycott is called.

Of course, some would not wish to part from their Sudoku and this would mean less toilet reading material. But ultimately something needs to be done to check this imbalance. The government in this case is not on the side of the people.

We have to realise the harsh reality that our votes at the polls aren't worth as much as the RM1.20 we cast out every morning. The boycott need not be complete. Out of the three mainstream English press, I think only two are consistently guilty of the crimes above.

We can continue to shut up, or lament, or pack our bags for Australia. Either that or exercise our rights as consumers. Hurt their readership numbers (which is a different thing from sales) really badly and they can kiss their advertising revenue goodbye. Jalan Riong and Section 16 may argue about sampling bias and dispute this. Well, we can argue that they have had a reporting bias for so long.

Max Weber once said: 'By power is meant that opportunity existing within a social (relationship) which permits one to carry out one's own will even against resistance and regardless of the basis on which this opportunity rests'.

Media power is being used against the people. That has been established quite some time already. Society on the other hand has yet to exercise its option of reciprocation.

As long as we allow the agenda to be set arbitrarily by people with special interests (who want to exercise power and accumulate wealth) we are never going to free ourselves from this perpetual mess.

The reason why we have the AP/Moorthy/Broga/Squatgate/Isa/ISA/Paul's Place incidents and the countless other problems everywhere homelessness, poverty, corruption, death under police custody - happening over and over again is because of people's forgetfulness (and manipulability).

I bet you 2006 will be another field day for the media. And we all will go back to our kopitiam/ warung to gossip and cry. If you can explain this to your friends, family, maid, neighbours, we the people can teach a lesson to these arrogant and toothless media organisations a lesson.

One more thing, get the word out! news sites like malaysiakini and blogs like Kit's, Jeff Ooi's, Raja Petra's are only read by the converted. It is your friends and family who have been reading the puerile material churned out by the mainstream press every morning that need to be saved. It's like we're preaching to the choir.

In short, what is essential is to empower them to set the agenda.