Of open houses and closed minds
BARE KNUCKLESPublished: Feb 4, 2001 9:31 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 10:21 AM
Malaysians of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds are often reminded by their government leaders of the importance of promoting good ethnic relations through various means possible especially the cultural (although some of the latter's actions themselves may threaten national unity at times).
And often during festive seasons, such as Hari Raya, Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali, to name but a few, the practice of an 'open house' is regarded by many as one of the ways to help foster national integration, and is therefore encouraged.
For those not familiar with this practice, 'open house' generally refers to an open invitation to relatives, friends and, in certain cases, strangers, irrespective of their ethnic origins and religious bent, to one's house, a community hall, or some other public places where food and refreshment are normally served.
At times, depending on the nature and size of the gathering, cultural shows are presented. What is invariably stressed here, though, is the occasion and opportunity for members of one ethnic and/or religious group to mingle and interact with those of other groups in society, and also to celebrate their multiculturality.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently claimed that Malaysians have now opened their "hearts to accept all as friends" (New Straits Times, Jan 26), as he welcomed the apparent willingness of Malays and Chinese to visit each other's houses during festive seasons.
This statement was made when he attended the state Gerakan Chinese New Year open house at the Dewan Sri Pinang in Georgetown, Penang, where Abdullah was seen, in a colour photo, presenting mandarin oranges to the state's Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon presumably all in the spirit of muhibah.
Kissing babies
The importance of such cultural exchanges and get-togethers gains further prominence with the mainstream media giving wide coverage to these activities especially if they are held or attended by government leaders and other VIPs.
Hence, ministers would be seen shaking hands with their many visitors, serving food, as well as planting kisses on the cheeks of little babies. Photographs of these activities grace many of the pages of the mainstream newspapers, and/or fill the TV monitor. Such is the cordiality that is portrayed in the mainstream media during these auspicious occasions.
But, if recent events are anything to go by, it would seem that such merry-making and inter-ethnic activities have their limits particularly when they involve people from political persuasions that are regarded incongruous with the political philosophy of the ruling Barisan Nasional.
It appears that not all hearts are open to accept all as friends. And as if taking the cue, the mainstream media would see to it that the non-BN activities, no matter how multiethnic they can be, would receive scant reportage, if any.
Not important
So when opposition party Keadilan held its 'Raya Gathering of 100,000 people' in a remote village near Banting in Selangor, sections of the mainstream press were ready to downplay, if not ridicule, it.
This despite the professed intent on the part of the organizers to invite people of various ethnic and religious groups to celebrate collectively the religious and cultural festivities of most Malaysians, i.e. Christmas, Hari Raya, Ponggal, and the Chinese New Year.
Predictably, the New Sunday Times (Jan 21) carried a three-paragraph story of the Keadilan gathering headlined, "Opposition holds Raya gathering". The fact that the NST used a Bernama report suggests that the event wasn't important enough to be covered by its own reporter(s).
On the same day, the Sunday Star pooh-poohed the Keadilan gathering with a report and a black-and-white photograph under the headline, "Keadilan fails to muster 100,000 people". It claimed that the planned 100,000-people gathering "fizzled out when only about 3,000 supporters turned out" Only God knows how the paper came to that figure even though one might suspect that the party might have failed to achieve its desired target.
The Sun on Sunday, however, was relatively sedate in its reporting of the event. Headlined, "Tense moment at Keadilan gathering", the story that carried a black-and-white picture of Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah and daughter Nurul Izzah tried to capture the event to a certain extent.
Unlike the other two English dailies, this tabloid did suggest a heavy police presence in the area concerned so much so that a massive traffic jam developed.
Half-truth report
This brings us to one of the important points pertaining to the gathering and its media coverage: The mainstream newspapers did not clearly state, if at all, that road blockades were one of the possible reasons for the resultant traffic crawl and late arrivals to the gathering.
Also, these physical obstacles were too much of deterrent to some visitors that they were frustratingly compelled to turn back. In other words, the context to the so-called failure "to muster 100,000 people" was not duly provided by the newspaper concerned. Half-truth, in other words, was stitched into the news report.
Secondly, a newspaper worthy of its name should have questioned the authorities concerned as to why a cultural gathering of this nature required a police permit. An equally serious question that should have been posed: Why on earth would cultural fare such as kompang and lion dance require a police permit? How would these cultural activities jeopardise national security, as the police claimed this as a justification for its action? Would the "noise" emitting from the beaten drums, for instance, cause a trance of catastrophic proportions?
If it's true that, say, the lion dance has the potential of creating social unrest, then, the declared concern of the police seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Just take a look at, for instance, The Sun on Jan 26 where you'd see in a colour photograph MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik "being greeted by lion dancers as he arrives at the MCA open house celebration at Wisma MCA".
And what's even more "frightening", as reported by the NST on Jan 23, were shoppers at one of Johor Baru's shopping complexes - as shown in a colourful photo - being "entertained" by lion and dragon dance troupes! And to think that all this happened in public places.
Double standard
This episode clearly shows that the human right to assembly and to enjoy cultural practices and activities among a group of Malaysians has been violated by the insistence of a police permit. Besides, the Banting get-together isn't the sort that aims at stirring sentiments of ethnic superiority to the extent of being ethnically and politically provocative.
It is indeed a human rights violation that should be the concern of all Malaysians, including and especially Suhakam (Malaysia's Human Rights Commission). As it turned out, the Raya party would have been worth going to even for Suhakam.
In this regard, the mainstream media have - or should have - a moral responsibility to highlight this double standard and an erosion of fundamental rights of Malaysians so that some people would not close their minds to the fact that the forging of closer ethnic relations and the right to peaceful assembly are not the sole preserve of the ruling elite.
And often during festive seasons, such as Hari Raya, Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Deepavali, to name but a few, the practice of an 'open house' is regarded by many as one of the ways to help foster national integration, and is therefore encouraged.
For those not familiar with this practice, 'open house' generally refers to an open invitation to relatives, friends and, in certain cases, strangers, irrespective of their ethnic origins and religious bent, to one's house, a community hall, or some other public places where food and refreshment are normally served.
At times, depending on the nature and size of the gathering, cultural shows are presented. What is invariably stressed here, though, is the occasion and opportunity for members of one ethnic and/or religious group to mingle and interact with those of other groups in society, and also to celebrate their multiculturality.
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi recently claimed that Malaysians have now opened their "hearts to accept all as friends" (New Straits Times, Jan 26), as he welcomed the apparent willingness of Malays and Chinese to visit each other's houses during festive seasons.
This statement was made when he attended the state Gerakan Chinese New Year open house at the Dewan Sri Pinang in Georgetown, Penang, where Abdullah was seen, in a colour photo, presenting mandarin oranges to the state's Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon presumably all in the spirit of muhibah.
Kissing babies
The importance of such cultural exchanges and get-togethers gains further prominence with the mainstream media giving wide coverage to these activities especially if they are held or attended by government leaders and other VIPs.
Hence, ministers would be seen shaking hands with their many visitors, serving food, as well as planting kisses on the cheeks of little babies. Photographs of these activities grace many of the pages of the mainstream newspapers, and/or fill the TV monitor. Such is the cordiality that is portrayed in the mainstream media during these auspicious occasions.
But, if recent events are anything to go by, it would seem that such merry-making and inter-ethnic activities have their limits particularly when they involve people from political persuasions that are regarded incongruous with the political philosophy of the ruling Barisan Nasional.
It appears that not all hearts are open to accept all as friends. And as if taking the cue, the mainstream media would see to it that the non-BN activities, no matter how multiethnic they can be, would receive scant reportage, if any.
Not important
So when opposition party Keadilan held its 'Raya Gathering of 100,000 people' in a remote village near Banting in Selangor, sections of the mainstream press were ready to downplay, if not ridicule, it.
This despite the professed intent on the part of the organizers to invite people of various ethnic and religious groups to celebrate collectively the religious and cultural festivities of most Malaysians, i.e. Christmas, Hari Raya, Ponggal, and the Chinese New Year.
Predictably, the New Sunday Times (Jan 21) carried a three-paragraph story of the Keadilan gathering headlined, "Opposition holds Raya gathering". The fact that the NST used a Bernama report suggests that the event wasn't important enough to be covered by its own reporter(s).
On the same day, the Sunday Star pooh-poohed the Keadilan gathering with a report and a black-and-white photograph under the headline, "Keadilan fails to muster 100,000 people". It claimed that the planned 100,000-people gathering "fizzled out when only about 3,000 supporters turned out" Only God knows how the paper came to that figure even though one might suspect that the party might have failed to achieve its desired target.
The Sun on Sunday, however, was relatively sedate in its reporting of the event. Headlined, "Tense moment at Keadilan gathering", the story that carried a black-and-white picture of Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah and daughter Nurul Izzah tried to capture the event to a certain extent.
Unlike the other two English dailies, this tabloid did suggest a heavy police presence in the area concerned so much so that a massive traffic jam developed.
Half-truth report
This brings us to one of the important points pertaining to the gathering and its media coverage: The mainstream newspapers did not clearly state, if at all, that road blockades were one of the possible reasons for the resultant traffic crawl and late arrivals to the gathering.
Also, these physical obstacles were too much of deterrent to some visitors that they were frustratingly compelled to turn back. In other words, the context to the so-called failure "to muster 100,000 people" was not duly provided by the newspaper concerned. Half-truth, in other words, was stitched into the news report.
Secondly, a newspaper worthy of its name should have questioned the authorities concerned as to why a cultural gathering of this nature required a police permit. An equally serious question that should have been posed: Why on earth would cultural fare such as kompang and lion dance require a police permit? How would these cultural activities jeopardise national security, as the police claimed this as a justification for its action? Would the "noise" emitting from the beaten drums, for instance, cause a trance of catastrophic proportions?
If it's true that, say, the lion dance has the potential of creating social unrest, then, the declared concern of the police seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Just take a look at, for instance, The Sun on Jan 26 where you'd see in a colour photograph MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik "being greeted by lion dancers as he arrives at the MCA open house celebration at Wisma MCA".
And what's even more "frightening", as reported by the NST on Jan 23, were shoppers at one of Johor Baru's shopping complexes - as shown in a colourful photo - being "entertained" by lion and dragon dance troupes! And to think that all this happened in public places.
Double standard
This episode clearly shows that the human right to assembly and to enjoy cultural practices and activities among a group of Malaysians has been violated by the insistence of a police permit. Besides, the Banting get-together isn't the sort that aims at stirring sentiments of ethnic superiority to the extent of being ethnically and politically provocative.
It is indeed a human rights violation that should be the concern of all Malaysians, including and especially Suhakam (Malaysia's Human Rights Commission). As it turned out, the Raya party would have been worth going to even for Suhakam.
In this regard, the mainstream media have - or should have - a moral responsibility to highlight this double standard and an erosion of fundamental rights of Malaysians so that some people would not close their minds to the fact that the forging of closer ethnic relations and the right to peaceful assembly are not the sole preserve of the ruling elite.
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