I was there for the BUM 2010 forum in which Uthayakumar, Teresa Kok and Dr Zul were the speakers. It was a rather boring event till Uthayakumar presented. And I thought it was a very lively exchange between the speakers on the floor in the spirit of a debate . When I returned home and turned on Malaysiakini I was surprised to see Malaysiakini report that a fight had taken place in the event in their report BUM 2010: Uthayakumar sparks row Quote from the Malaysiakini report “A fight broke out – the verbal kind – at a bloggers meeting in Subang Jaya today when Hindraf founder P Uthayakumar was hit with claims that his struggle borders on extremism“
This is an outright lie. I think the bloggers there will attest to this. Ask any of the bloggers who were there including Harris Ibrahim to come out and say in their blogs or in Malaysiakini that what Malaysiakini reported was a true reflection of what transpired . An exchange and a fight are quite different things.
Besides the words “borders on extremism” were never mentioned. This is an interpretation on the part of Malaysiakini.
Further quoting Malaysiakini ”Panel moderator Helen Ang appeared to have a difficult time getting the situation under control as the verbal jousting continued for almost 15 minutes.”
I think Helen Ang needs to come out in the open and refute this. This is another terrible lie.I do not know of any fifteen minutes where she was trying to hold the meeting together. In fact she invited me from the floor to comment on a point that was being made by Salahudin. I made an appeal for an open mind on the part of the bloggers if that event was to mean anything. At worst, it was a lively exchange between the participants. To say that the situation was out of control is an outright lie and is terribly mischievous on Malaysiakini’s part.
Malaysikini is becoming Mainstream Media 2 distorting to the advantage of their benefactors. Malaysiakini has thrown objectivity and professionalism out of the window and are everyday proving our point that they do not anymore stand for real change, they only play to the gallery and to their benefactors – this is not the kind of stuff a media organization supposedly working in the cause of democracy and freedom of the press should indulge in.
Malaysiakini is no better than the tabloids. I do not know where else or what else they distort to deceive.
If Utusan slants news, well so does Malaysiakini.com. The difference is only in the direction of the slant. So much for new democracy.
N.Ganesan
