Unsustainable Media Freedom Can Be Taken Away Anytime Reminds Academic

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The media freedom in the new Malaysia is a fragile one that can be taken away any time by those in power because the main structures supporting the status quo are still in place, said academic V Gayathry
“I think what has not changed (since GE14) and will be our main problem are the structures
“So what has upheld politics and media for so long, I think we've not really begun to crack, we haven't chipped at that yet,” she said in a forum for the book launch of "Rebirth: Reformasi, Resistance and Hope in New Malaysia" in Petaling Jaya today
Gayathry (above), who is a University of Nottingham media and politics assistant professor, gave several examples to show that the media still grapples with its freedom post-GE14 as well as why this freedom is not sustainable

Using Media Prima as an example, she said it has been pro-BN for the last three decades, but now all it has done is shift from being “pro-(Prime Minister Dr) Mahathir Mohamad in BN to pro-Mahathir in Pakatan Harapan”
Another example she gave was the performance by local rock group Drama Band which seemingly mocked former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and others, which was aired on TV3
“But then you think, TV3, you could have done this a long time ago, but you allowed yourself to be a machine of that party and that coalition for years and then today you are allowing for this because somebody else has fought for your freedom
“Yet you are not using your freedom in ways to expand those spaces. You don’t know how to manage that freedom
“For you, the freedom is 'okay, now we just see who the government of the day is and then just follow that',” Gayathry said
She pointed out that the ownership of some of the large media companies remain similar so the element of control over media remains
When the panel moderator Masjaliza Hamzah (photo) wondered whether the performance supposedly mocking Najib would have been aired if it was mocking Mahathir instead, Gayathry said it probably would not have been allowed
“If he (Mahathir) feels threatened then he has all the tools necessary to tell the media to stop all this
“We certainly hear a lot more in BFM, Astro Awani and LiteFM talking about politics. That’s great but it is not sustainable because something can just turn the switch the other way tomorrow if they are unhappy
“And if that situation exists where the switch can turn on immediately, with that power, that means we have not really actually cracked at the heart of the problem,” she explained. - Mkini

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