Parliament dissolving insensitive

The government has not respected the cultural sensitivities of the Chinese Malaysian community by refraining from dissolving Parliament and calling for a general elections during this period of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Although it is the right of the ruling party to decide on when to hold the elections, the call for elections during this festive period smacks of arrogance and cultural insensitivity - if not disrespect - to a sizable group of our electorate.

On another matter, election etiquette and good practice in democratic countries also calls for the media to function as a neutral stake player in the information blitz that will hit Malaysians shortly.

Fair coverage of the issues and of all political parties – ruling and opposition - plus honest and factual reporting; observance of the norms of accuracy, balance and fairness have all been in short supply during past elections.

This has earned the country the reputation of being an authoritarian system with considerable manipulation – if not outright electoral fraud - for electoral gains by the ruling autocratic parties.

Now is the time for the media to shed its fear and return to its core professional good values and practices and help change our country for the better.

Dr Lim Teck Ghee
Malaysiakini