THE 'RASPUTINS OF COMMUNICATION' BLOW FATALLY ON ANWAR REGIME - ONCE UNIMAGINABLE, "OPPRESSIVE" PAKATAN NOW SAYS SUE MCMC IF UNHAPPY WITH CENSORSHIP OVER HANNAH YEOH'S DRT ISSUE
THE 'RASPUTINS OF COMMUNICATION' BLOW FATALLY ON ANWAR REGIME - ONCE UNIMAGINABLE, "OPPRESSIVE" PAKATAN NOW SAYS SUE MCMC IF UNHAPPY WITH CENSORSHIP OVER HANNAH YEOH'S DRT ISSUE
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow!
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Anwar Ibrahim's credentials as a credible prime minister is really wearing thin - from taking the local ringgit currency to its lowest value ever in history, while cost of living and inflation surge to the highest in memory and now stamping out even the most basic rights of democracy - such as questioning possible corruption, free speech and press freedom.
The apparent reason for the latest and perhaps gravest mis-step appears to be rooted in the perennial and sad 'I want to stay in power forever' syndrome. And the man seen as responsible for the 'Anwar digging a grave for himself' metaphor is none other than his very unpopular Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, whose 'shoot from the hip and at any and all targets' style is lighting up a wildfire of scorn and odium for the Anwar administration.
Fahmi, who is from Anwar's PKR party but has roots in Umno, an ally party perceived to be the most racist in the entire governing coalition, has been called many names by critics disgruntled with his iron-fisted but short-sighted tactics. These include being Anwar's lackey because of his perceived 'blind loyalty' and even the 'Rasputin' of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition - which is believed to mean he will be their downfall and this is starting to look very likely.
"This blatant disregard for democratic ideals directly contradicts Anwar's Malaysia Madani slogan and the unity government's promises of openness, progress, and a more democratic nation. The responsibility for this betrayal lies squarely on the shoulders of Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and his deputy Teo Nie Ching," Saw Yee Fung, the young but outspoken secretary-general of MCA Youth said in a statement received by PoliticsNow!
SHOCKING FIGURES SHOW UP ANWAR CRACKDOWN/BETRAYAL ON FREE SPEECH
The MCA or Malaysian Chinese Association is a political party aligned to Anwar's government. Saw was hitting out at "the ongoing suppression of free speech and press freedom on social media platforms in Malaysia" - calling it the worst ever compared to any other past regime.
"As pointed out by netizens, the statistics paint a disturbing picture. Facebook data reveals a staggering increase in content restricted on the platform – from a mere 536 instances in 2022 to a shocking 8,580 in 2023, a 1,501% surge. Compared to 2019's figure of 255, the rise in content restriction under the current administration is a colossal 3,265%," said Saw.
"These figures demonstrate a clear pattern: the unity government, particularly through the Ministry of Communications, is actively silencing online voices to a degree far exceeding the previous administration. Their methods are forceful, brutal, and far-reaching, directly contradicting the promises of a more democratic, progressive, and open Malaysia."
TOO LATE TO SAVE 'NO CLASS' PAKATAN FROM 'ONE TERM ONLY' FATE?
Indeed, there have been many calls in the past from both the public as well as from politicians in the Opposition for Anwar to sack Fahmi or risk permanent harm to already dwindling public support for his coalition.
Fahmi has been accused of using industry watchdog, the MCMC or Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to carry out his so-called "dirty work" - which is to slap bans on any website or social media accounts that question, challenge or criticize Anwar's often-times contradictory statements, poorly thought-out policies and disorganized implementation.
The use of the MCMC is exemplified in a recent incident involving prominent lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind, who disclosed that his Facebook post questioning the controversial awarding of a project by the Selangor state government without open tender to a company owned by the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh was censored.
In his post, Shamsher had also questioned if Fahmi's deputy, Teo Nie Ching, had issued the directive for censorship. Hannah and Nie Ching are close friends and members of the same DAP political party. Nie Ching had previously lashed out at critics even though the deal clearly contravened the anti-corruption and abuse of power promises by Anwar that his government would conduct all public deals transparently via open tenders.
Nie Ching has since denied any hand in the taking down of Shamsher's post. Yet her advice to Shamsher, which is hard to describe as anything less than facetious or a joke and perhaps even insensitive or arrogant, to sue the MCMC if he was not happy drew even greater public flak that she and boss Fahmi were trying to shift the blame.
TWISTED LOGIC? WHY SHOULD THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SUE MCMC?
Many are already questioning why should Malaysians have to sue the MCMC for what is wrongful or unjust action when Fahmi can rebuke or even remove the MCMC chief for poor performance and heavy-handedness.
“What I can say is that I didn’t request MCMC or Meta to take down the post," Nie Ching was reported to have said on Thursday (June 6).
“MCMC’s decisions as an enforcement agency, I can’t say it’s 100 percent correct. If you disagree with MCMC and Meta’s decisions to geo-block or take down the post, you can challenge it in court,” she added.
Political pundits have long opined that when a regime starts to tamper with media rights and free speech - such as during the darkest days of jailed ex-premier Najib Razak's corrupt administration - that's a sure sign that not only is the leader fatally insecure about his future but also that his entire ship has already started to sink.
"Regrettably, this is not an isolated occurrence," Saw warned in no uncertain terms, socking it to Anwar and his Pakatan coalition.
"While most would agree on the need to restrict hate speech concerning sensitive topics like race, religion and royalty, the question remains: is all restricted content truly related to the 3R category, or is it being targeted simply because it criticizes the government, as in Shamsher's case?"
"Instead of resorting to heavy-handed censorship, the government should utilise its abundant public resources and official channels to address criticism transparently. Open discussion and clarification are far more effective tools than silencing dissent. This oppressive approach only fuels public suspicion and raises questions about the government's own transparency and accountability."
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow!
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