The More Power Changes The More It Stays The Same

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More than two decades ago, at a press conference announcing the Malaysian leg of an international golf tournament, a meek voice broke the room’s polite hum.
“Why is the tournament scheduled during the fasting month? Don’t you realise this robs Muslim caddies of their livelihood?” asked a reporter from Utusan Malaysia, theatrically backed by a Bernama colleague.
The room froze. Heads dropped. Foreign guests looked on. Did our journalists not understand that global sporting calendars - F1, ATP tennis, golf - are locked in years ahead, with each host country slotted into a fixed rotation?
Volvo Masters director Mel Pyatt didn’t take the bait. He sidestepped the question, sparing the reporters further embarrassment.
Fast forward to last Thursday, déjà vu struck at Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming’s press conference for the “I Lite U” project, part of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Once again, an Utusan reporter was in the limelight, asking: Why is the theme in English?
The question was not unreasonable, though. It was a legitimate query from a newsperson or under the instructions of his or her superiors.
Internationally, it is Visit Malaysia Year 2026 - not “Tahun Melawat Malaysia”. English is the lingua franca of tourism. Nga explained this, and he should have stopped there. But instead, visibly flustered, he threatened to call the reporter’s editors.
“I don’t want you to come here and highlight something that will spoil the whole thing. I will call your chief editors,” he said, in full view of the press corps.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor MingSpoil the whole thing? By asking a question? Are journalists expected to play deaf and dumb and only collect press kits and regurgitate speeches verbatim?
The right to ask questions
Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil later reaffirmed Putrajaya’s stance: Journalists have the right to ask questions, and ministers must respond with courtesy and openness.
But did Nga extend the courtesy as expected? What happens when ministers overstep the boundaries?
Communications Minister Fahmi FadzilFahmi said he had contacted Nga, who provided an “explanation,” after which the matter was raised during the cabinet meeting.
“In the meeting, I stated that the government’s stance is clear - journalists have a right to ask any questions in carrying out their duties as journalists.
“Every answer or response given by a minister should also be delivered courteously and based on the principle of openness, while maintaining mutual respect between the media and the government,” the communications minister told a press conference yesterday.
Fahmi said he would leave it to Nga’s media team to address the issue.
Hollow response
However, the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s follow-up statement - which claimed to respect media freedom and also defended the minister’s “right to respond” - rang hollow.
There is a thick, broad line between the courtesy envisioned and practised by most, and Nga’s brand of response, which amounts to intimidation.
If this was damage control, it failed. If it was an attempted exoneration, it flopped.
Veteran journalist Kalimullah Hassan noted in his Facebook post: “A more seasoned person or someone with more humility, when faced with a question which he did not like, would have explained nicely, like an elder to a younger person, and he would have earned more respect for it.
“But many in the administration have forgotten the mantra that it is the people who put you in power and it is the people who can throw you out.”
Politicians may forget, but not media
Let’s rewind to when Nga and his party were in opposition. Their rallying cries? Transparency, accountability, good governance and press freedom - these were their buzzwords in their election campaign.
The public responded positively to these words because they were done with the continuous government interference and censorship over the print and electronic media.
In a commentary last year, I wrote about the predicament of journalists during the BN/Umno era.
“Wielding power over newspaper owners and editors, it was their view that any news detrimental to them and the party should not be published.
“Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi even went to the extent of threatening to close newspapers if they reported his speech calling the Tiga Line underworld group his friends and urging them to do what they needed to do.”
Politicians may forget. Voters do not. And the media never does - it continues reminding the powers that be of the unkept promises for almost three long years. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is an advocate for press freedom and has participated in events and written opinion pieces to highlight its importance and deplores threats against journalists. Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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