The alternative media takes great pride in using the country's name to champion the cause of democracy.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right. – Abrahim Lincoln
To laugh or not to laugh – that is the predicament we all find
ourselves in after reading what Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said at the Umno
general assembly recently. Without even a tinge of embarrassment, she
intoned that God is with Utusan and not with all those pesky news
portals that have been the bane of the ruling party and presumably her
family. Perhaps God came to her in a dream and told her He loves Utusan
for showing the way to truth and justice. All the others have strayed
and must burn in hell.
Shahrizat is defending a paper noted for its “extreme racist
rhetoric” and religious bigotry, while condemning the news portals for
their “unfair coverage” of the ruling party. She blew kisses to Utusan
for “championing religion, the nation, the country and the people”,
while implying that the new media is trying to ruin the country with its
provocative headlines. This former minister, whose fall from grace was
not mourned, is the last person to stand sentinel at the gates of
heaven.
The whole world knows the true colours of Utusan. It is a daily that
publishes combustible stories that can spark race riots and religious
conflicts. It champions the cause of the majority race and sees the
other citizens as enemies who must be marginalised and crushed. It
constantly plays with fire by stirring Malay sentiments against people
of other faith. Its irrational and unethical behaviour goes unpunished
simply because it is controlled by Shahrizat’s party. Umno calls all the
shots and pulls all the editorial strings and Utusan dances wildly and
unashamedly on the stage.
Yet Shahrizat sees purity and sincerity in this propaganda mouthpiece
for the ruling party. She salutes a fighter not of moral causes but an
instigator of violence and hate. How can God side with such a creature
let loose on the country with impunity? Shahrizat invokes His name in
vain to lend credibility to an organisation that has lost all claim to
honour and integrity. The All-Knowing One can certainly fathom the
deceit and hypocrisy that oozes from a failed politician.
Shahrizat, who suffered an ignominious defeat to a young challenger
and who sneaked into Parliament through the back door, mourned the
unjust attacks on the Barisan Nasional. The BN is made to look like a
poor victim stoically enduring blows from the new media. Its only
defender is Utusan, the darling of the rabid fanatics who are itching to
burn all “infidels” at the stake and turn the country into a vast Malay
heartland. But more often than not, the BN is a not victim of
ill-treatment but a perpetrator of unscrupulous practices and the
fountain of injustice.
Scale of justice
The BN juggernaut driven by Shahrizat and her ilk did not have an
easy outing. Standing in their way are the news portals – the new media
that dares to expose the dirt and excesses of public figures. With the
entrance of the new players, a whole new ball game is born. In this wide
field, the voice of the downtrodden is given ample space to rise and be
heard. People now have more trust in the online media than in Utusan,
which distorts the truth to serve the interests of the ruling class.
Democracy is treated better in the news portals than in Utusan.
Utusan keeps mum over the abuses of the BN but its referee,
Shahrizat, cries foul when BN is vilified. She wants the news portals to
be fair to BN like what Utusan does. Balderdash. Justice and fairness
do not exist in BN’s lexicon or find pride of place in Utusan’s
dictionary. The ruling coalition and its mouthpiece are forever
colluding to clamp down on citizens seeking rights and fair treatment.
In the midst of all this unhealthy development, the new media has come
out on the side of the oppressed and suppressed. Where did Shahrizat get
the idea that God is on the side of Utusan – only God knows.
The alternative media will not go away. Its searchlight will continue
to hover, circle and swoop down on all those who abuse public trust or
misuse public office. The new voice is fighting for people and country.
It is more fitting to salute the common citizens struggling for truth
than those spinning lies, pouting threats, smearing God’s name. The
members of the new media take great pride in using the country’s name in
defence of democracy and human dignity whereas Utusan’s Malaysia is
devoid of honour and is a crying shame on the country. If God must take
sides, surely He knows better than Shahrizat in which direction to tilt
the scale of justice.
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