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Police probe on Isham Jalil: A case of shooting the messenger’s messenger?

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Publish date: Wed, 09 Oct 2024, 01:19 PM

JUST when we thought that the Madani government couldn’t get any more absurd, it chose to outdo itself again.

This time, former UMNO information chief Isham Jalil was hauled up for questioning by the police because he had the audacity to suggest that the government should sue Bloomberg for its reporting on alleged wrongdoings involving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Yes, that’s right. The government isn’t just targeting the original messenger – Bloomberg – but it is going after the person who merely commented on the issue. This level of paranoia would be laughable if it not terrifying.

In a democracy, media outlets are supposed to function as the watchdogs of power. They are the Fourth Estate. That is their role – to report the facts, ask tough questions and hold the powerful to account. It doesn’t matter if the government doesn’t like what they have to say.

Freedom of the press means just that—freedom to report, freedom to scrutinise. But are we now seeing not just an attack on the media but an attack on anyone who even hints at holding this government accountable?

It’s one thing to take issue with Bloomberg’s reporting and decide to challenge it in court or charge the global news behemoth such as for spreading fake news (if the government thought so).

But to act against someone who simply reacted to the news is a whole new level of absurdity. This is like shooting the messenger’s messenger.

Hope of freedom vanishes

Has Pakatan Harapan (PH) which Anwar hails from forgotten that it came into power on promises of greater freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of thought, among others? Remember their reformist manifesto? All that talk about a new Malaysia?

But now, criticising the government or questioning its actions has suddenly become an invitation to get hauled up for police questioning. And we thought we had left that kind of authoritarianism behind with Barisan Nasional (BN).

This latest move is not just about silencing Isham Jalil. It’s about sending a message to the broader public – stay in line or else…. What kind of precedent does this set? Is every critic going to be targeted now? What happened to the promise of an open and inclusive Malaysia?

It’s starting to feel like this government’s version of freedom is more like a gilded cage where you’re free to speak your mind – as long as your thoughts are government-approved.

The irony, of course, is that PH’s criticisms of BN back in the day were often about the latter’s alleged attempts to stifle free speech and media freedom. Yet, here we are with the Madani government mirroring those very tactics it had railed against.

Had this happened during BN’s rule, PH would have been up in arms. But now – with power in hand – such tactics become acceptable. The hypocrisy stinks to the high heavens. It’s not about protecting democracy anymore – it’s about protecting their own skin.

Does the Government want to create a culture of fear where people will think twice before expressing any opinion that might ruffle the feathers of those in power?

And make no mistake for this won’t just stop with political commentators like the now opposition-slant Isham Jalil. If unchecked, could this attitude seep into other areas – academia, civil society or even private conversations on social media?

PH is now behaving like the very government they once so vehemently opposed. It’s time for the Madani government to be reminded of what democracy really means. You don’t get to pick and choose when freedom of speech applies.

You don’t get to silence people just because their opinions make you uncomfortable. If PH wants to maintain any credibility, they need to step back from this dangerous path.

Otherwise, their legacy will be one of stifling freedom – not championing it. – Oct 9, 2024

 

 

https://focusmalaysia.my/police-probe-on-isham-jalil-a-case-of-shooting-the-messengers-messenger/

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