I just came back from Krabi, Thailand. I almost bought their yellow t-shirt which the Thais wear very religously every Mondays to mark their support to their beloved King. Baby blue on Fridays, for the Queen. I have always wanted to get it but when I tried they always don't have the size I wanted.
Before Krabi, I promised myself not to switch on my handphone. But on Sunday morning I reluctantly switched it to check if I have missed important messages / calls.
I received a couple of sms about BERSIH protest. I had a feeling something was brewing. I ignored.
Today when I boarded the aircraft, checked out The Star and the headline confirmed it. I did not believe what the paper is trying to project or protect.
KW (Lim Kit Seang supporter) asked me to check out jeffooi.com.
KW also said: Eh, Chinese people say ah, you cannot cover fire with papers you know!
I just checked out the website.
Let us share this interview between Al Jazeera ad YB Minister of Information of Malaysia:
What follows is a transcript of the telephone interview that Malaysia's Minister of Information Zainuddin Maidin (ZAM) gave to the Doha-based TV Network Al-Jazeera (AJ) over the 5.00pm bulletin yesterday, moments after the BERSIH memo was delivered to Royal Palace at the close of the biggest anti-government protest in Malaysia in ten years.
ZAM: ....I commend your journalists trying to project, to exaggerate more than what actually happened. That, that, that, that's it. We, we are not, the, the -- and I, I congratulate your journalists behaving like an actor, that, that's ---
AJ: As you say that, sir, we're watching scenes of protesters being sprayed by chemical-filled water ...
ZAM (interrupts): Ya, I am watching, I hear, [?] .... trying to do it everywhere but in Malaysia people are allowed, to, you know [?] ... Police have allowed the procession to go to the Istana Negara, you know, do police, first police, like, they handle them, they [?] them, they ... the police don't, don't, don't fire anybody ...
AJ: Our correspondent came back to the office, sir, with chemicals in his eyes!
ZAM (speaking over her): ... You, you, you, you are here with the idea, you are trying to project, what is your mind, you think that we are Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar, everything you, you are thinking ...
AJ: Well unfortunately when you refuse to let people protest, it does appear so.
ZAM (speaking over her): ...Ya, ya, we are not like you, you have early perception, you come here, you want to project us like undemocratic country. This a democratic country!
AJ: So why can't people protest then, if it's a democratic country?
ZAM (interjects at "protest then"): Ya, people protest, people then -- first they protest, we are allowing protests, and they have demonstrated. But we just trying to disperse them and then later they, you know, disperse, but later our police compromise. They have compromised and allowed them to proceed to Negara. Police, our police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why do you report that and you take the opposition, someone from opposition party you ask him to speak, you don't take from the government, right?
AJ: Why did you not break up these protesters --
ZAM (interrupting): Pardon? Pardon? Pardon?
AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?
ZAM: I can't hear you. I can't hear you.
AJ: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?
ZAM: No we, we are, we, this protest is illegal. We don't want, this, the, normally ... (slight pause, then continues to talk while she interjects)
AJ (interjecting): OK, so let me return to my former question. Why is this protest illegal?
ZAM (babbling on): Ya it's illegal protest because (AJ: Why?) we have the election in Malaysia. It's no, no point on having the protest, we are allowing to have every, an election every five years, never fail. We not our like, are not like Myanmar, not like other country. And, and you are helping this. You Al-Jazeera also is helping this, this forces, the, you know, these forces who are not [?], who don't believe in [?] ...
AJ (seems to want to say something, but decides not to): I don't ... many thanks for joining us.
ZAM: I don't, ya, you, Jazeera, this is, is Al-Jazeera attitude. Right?
(she doesn't reply. In the background, the chants of the protesters fill the silence)
Transcription by me, and I take responsibility for errors -- in fact, if anyone can help me fill in the [?]'s, that would be helpful (email).
Points to Note, Objectively
ZAM is right that the journalist in question was being overdramatic, if that's what he means by "behaving like an actor". For those who haven't seen the footage, the reporter is ducking ludicrously (and mostly unnecessarily) about the screen with the crowd scattering in the background under water-cannonfire from the police, acting as though he's being attacked by a swarm of invisible mosquitoes.
This is, of course, not the point.
ZAM made the connection to Pakistan and Myanmar/Burma himself. Paranoia, methinks.
Inconsistencies regarding his claims about democracy and the legality of the protests are manifold. "This is a democratic country," he insists. "We are allowing protests," he goes on to say, emphasizing that the police have "allowed" the protesters through to the Istana (Palace), and that this is an indication of their "gentle" handling of the situation. Not half a minute later, he says, "This protest is illegal," and cannot answer why.
Essentially, what he ends up saying is that the protest is illegal because we have elections. This is a very strange claim to make for a protest about elections.
With all these inconsistencies, it's no wonder that he has to fall back finally on the one justified claim he has made, which is that the journalist played up the drama. Note, though, that he goes much further and lambasts the entire Al-Jazeera network for this "attitude", and for acting in cahoots with the opposition, which is not justified.
Finally, his accusation that Al-Jazeera has not interviewed any government official's side of the story is just too rich. This, from a government that controls all mainstream media and bolsters its authority by only providing its side of the story, is too much. Also, Al-Jazeera is interviewing him, are they not? I don't see RTM putting Anwar or Lim Kit Siang on air anytime soon.
Cut from http://www.idlethink.com/bersih/ and pasted on choratchoret.
That was only an interview by Al Jazeera. I wonder what would it be if the Minister was to be grilled in HARDTALK in BBC.
Dang!!!!! Should have bought that Thai Yellow T Shirt.
I want a fair election too!
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