Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Re: "Hypocrisy of Sin Chew at its best" by Josh Hong

Posted: 25 Sep 2011 10:56 PM PDT

It is so unfortunate that a newspaper that used to be the conscience and voice of the Chinese community in Malaysia has sold out the community by abandoning its state mission of preserving and promoting the fundamental rights of the Chinese community in Malaysia.

By Johnny Yeoh and friends of Sin Chew

We (six of us) refer to the article "Hypocrisy of Sin Chew at its best" by Josh Hong published in Malaysiakini and wish to give our five-sen worth on the issue.

We fully endorse and support what Josh Hong said about Sin Chew and its boss C.C. Liew and senior writer Tay Tian Yan. We have been faithful readers of both the Chinese daily and its English news portal mysinchew.com for years. The paper used to be very brave and bold in publishing news without fear or favour during the 1980s and 1990s. However, since the beginning of the new century, after Sin Chew celebrated its 80th anniversary, the content of its daily paper has degenerated very much, like its English counterpart The Star, which has become a mere shopping guide with many advertisements and no real newsworthy content.

We and many of us were elated when we discovered early last year in 2010 that the outspoken prolific Malaysia Today writer Thomas Lee had started writing a weekly column in mysinchew.com. We followed his brave and bold column, and were very impressed by his insight and interpretation of many vital issues
affecting the nation and people, issues such as the "Allah" and Malay Bible controversies, the Little Napoleons, and the MCA crisis. However, we were deeply shocked when Malaysiakini reported early this year 2011 that the courageous editor was given the boot by Sin Chew, apparently due to political pressure from the Barisan Nasional government. Since the sacking of Thomas Lee, mysinchew.com has become a dumping site for rubbish writings such as that by Tay Tian Yan, who usually repeats what has been reported in the mainstream media and add a little comment of his own, usually in support of the Barisan Nasional, especially the MCA. Lately, Tay has been sugar-coating MCA president Chua Soi Lek.

It is so unfortunate that a newspaper that used to be the conscience and voice of the Chinese community in
Malaysia has sold out the community by abandoning its state mission of preserving and promoting the
fundamental rights of the Chinese community in Malaysia.

Josh Hong is right that Sin Chew boss C.C. Liew has made himself very low by accepting the Tokoh Wartawan award, whose previous winners include the Mahathir loyalist Zainuddin Maidin. Within the intellectual circle and media fratenity, such awards for journalists and editors, including civil titles like Dato, are viewed contemptuously as rewards for being loyal political lackeys. The Star, for example, has several Datos who are known political lackeys of top Barisan Nasional political leaders. C.C. Liew had also received a Dato from Gerakan president Koh Tsu Khoon when the latter was Chief Minister of Penang.

Josh Hong is spot on when he said that Sin Chew had sold out to the Barisan Nasional, currying favour with
Najib. He is also correct in questioning the dubious writing abilities of Tay and other senior writers of the
newspaper. Josh Hong said that the opinion pieces by the "so-called senior journalists" of Sin Chew are
"either wishy-washy or completely ridiculous". This is a very correct observation, and we hope the Sin Chew
management would not condemn Josh Hong for his honest view, but rather do something to correct the sad
state of affairs in the newspaper.

And we would add that it is also such a shame that mysinchew.my, which could have been used as a viable
vehicle to promote the rights of the people and help in the nation-building process, is now in such a bad state, with not only poor content, but bad English to boot. We and our friends have stopped reading
mysinchew.com.

There is no malice in our writing this letter, just doing our part as loyal readers of Sin Chew in wanting to see
the newspaper redeem and improve itself. We have confidence that Sin Chew can rise again as a great
Chinese daily newspaper in Malaysia if it is prepared to honestly and objectively consider the critical and
analytical comments by people like Josh Hong.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Isnin, 26 September 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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