Aliran Media Statement

Abuse of the Internet? What about the abuse of the mainstream media?

We are surprised to read Dr Mahathir's statement that "the Internet has been abused to spread lies, slanders (sic) and create havoc in the society." (The Star, 16 March 1999) While it may be true that some Malaysians may have abused the Internet in some ways, he is not being fair to the greater majority of Malaysians who are rational and responsible.

It is a pity that he is unable to separate the wheat from the chaff. Instead of pinpointing the guilty ones, he generally condemns all and sundry as he is wont to. It is about time that he realises that the benefits of the Internet far outweigh its shortcomings.

It was the Internet that first revealed the identity of Anwar's cowardly assailant, the former Inspector General of Police - something Mahathir's Home Ministry failed to unravel, something the entire police force was unable to identify, something the Attorney General was incapable of exposing.

If the Prime Minister had taken the Internet reports seriously, the police would have zeroed in on the IGP and investigations could have started with the IGP being interrogated. We would have arrived at the truth faster and saved a lot of taxpayers' money. Instead, it took five months–after the various internal investigations failed to shed any light–and a Commission of Inquiry to force a confession out of the IGP.

Surely, the expose over the cyberwaves must be one up for the Internet.

Let 's also not forget that the powers-that-be are consistently abusing the mainstream media to spread lies and slander and to shut out critical voices. What has Mahathir to say about the field day the media had in publishing the police affidavit–which was unrelated to the Anwar trial–that carried so much unproven filth and dirt, seriously damaging the reputation of the former deputy prime minister? How does Mahathir reconcile this to the almost total media blackout of Dr Munawar's affidavit, which exposed torture and extreme cruelty to extract false confessions?

If Mahathir is so concerned about the so-called abuse of the Internet, surely he must be similarly concerned about the blatant abuse of the media, which bombarded Malaysians with Barisan propaganda during the recent Sabah election campaign.

Mahathir should realise that rumours and speculation would not flourish over the Internet if we had more honest, independent journalism and credible media that provide more space for alternative views.


P Ramakrishnan
President
17 March 1999