[Alert] Press Freedom, may I count you in?
There are two dates for press freedom. Would you be free?
The first one is "Date of Yellow Ribbon, Tea with MCA Leaders".
Date: 1 December 2006 (Friday)
Time: 7.00 pm onwards
Venue: MCA headquater, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Agenda: (a) Media Laws Reform
(b) No to Partisan Control of Media
The second one is "Pro-competition, Anti-Monopoly" Virtual Peaceful Assembly
Date: 27 November to 26 December 2006
Time: 24 hours a day, Rain or Shine
Venue: Parliament House, MCA Headquarter, Sin Chew Headquarter (all at once through
http://merdekareview.com/emerge_files/virtual_assembly.php
Agenda: (a) Media Laws Reform
(b) No to Partisan Control of Media
(c) No to Media Monopoly
See you there.
posted by Chin Huat at 3:49 PM
3 Comments:
A date of Yellow Ribbon
– Tea with MCA leaders For Press Freedom
Date: 1st December 2006
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: MCA headquarter, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur .
Yellow ribbon became a sign for the campaign for press freedom in Malaysia since May 28, 2001 when Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) acquired with political pressure Nanyang Press, which owned Nanyang Siang Pao, China Press and more than 10 magazines, from Hong Leong Group. All signs suggested that Nanyang's archrival Sin Chew group was MCA's secret collaborator in this scheme. Understanding well how partisan control may kill newspapers, the takeover has caused a storm in the Chinese community.
The storm of yellow ribbons does not end and rather it gathers more energy five years on. On October 18, 2006, Tan Sri Tiong King, the owner of Sin Chew Media Group officially acquired enough share in Nanyang Press from MCA to be its largest shareholder. He now controls all the top four national Chinese dailies: Sin Chew Daily, China Press, Guang Ming Daily and Nanyang Siang Pao, Nanyang Siang Pao, which controlled 87% of Chinese press readership.
Such monopolistic control did not bode well for Malaysia. The Chinese community knows too well in the last five years, how media freedom and professionalism are made the sacrificial lamb in the four newspapers controlled by an effective alliance of MCA-Sin Chew. News and views unfavourable to MCA, Sin Chew or their collaboration are systematically blacked out. Advertisements against the political or economic interest of the alliance and their supporters were rejected.
The community is not the only loser. Nanyang Press has suffered greatly in credibility and circulation. This translated into losses to MCA in hundreds of millions in the past five years. MCA has been nothing but a tool to advance Tan Sri Tiong's ambition.
As concerned young citizens, many of us to vote for the first time in next election, we are extremely concerned with the threats to our democratic space with more partisan and monopolistic of mass media.
While we were not born or too young to take a stand when UMNO took over Utusan in 1961 and the (New) Straits Times in 1972, when MCA controlled The Star in 1979 and Nanyang Press five years ago, we are now ready to stand up and be counted. As Jose Rizal says, "there can be no tyrants where there are no slaves." We vow to have no media moguls, whoever their backers or masters are, to rule our heart and mind.
We harbour hope that MCA is a responsible and vibrant party that is capable of reflect and redeem its historical mistakes. It needs not to carry on the historical baggage of the 2001 leadership. It must reconcile with the civil society and voters. We believe the MCA leadership has an inescapable historical responsibility owed to the Rakyat Malaysia on these two outcomes:
1. Parliamentary Select Committee for Media Laws Reform
That MCA ministers and parliamentarians shall lobby the Cabinet to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to review, reform and repeal all provisions in the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), Internal Security Act, Sedition Act, Official Secret Act, to enact a Freedom of Information Act and introduce anti-monopoly clauses in relevant legislations. Only with printing licenses and publication permits abolished, there can be a free market of idea and opinion, a pre-requisite for any first-world mentality.
2. MCA relinquishing its remaining stakes in Nanyang Press
MCA central committee shall relinquish its remaining stakes in Nanyang Press to demonstrate its new commitment to freedom of expression and of the press. The buyer however must not be Mr Tiong Hiew King, Media Prima or any other dominant player in the industry. A few entrepreneurs, including Mr Ling Chiong Ho of Sarawak and Mr Foo Wan Thot (former chairman of Dong Zong) have expressed their intent to acquire MCA's stakes. MCA should therefore seize this golden opportunity of exit.
Communications and consultation are paramount in democratic process. MCA leaders have always called for dialogues in disagreements. We would therefore like to have a tea with MCA leadership to discuss the matter at 7pm on 1st December (Friday). For their convenience, we propose the MCA headquarter as the venue.
We have full confidence that the MCA leaders are well-cultured with Chinese hospitality and civility. We therefore expect open door, welcoming hosts and a pleasant evening over tea – Chinese, English or whatever sort. We believe there will be no lorry to block the entrance of the MCA headquarter and no policeman to chase away its guests.
With such confidence, we would like to invite all members of public who share the same concern for press freedom and democracy to come along. We are sure that MCA leaders will have as many as tea cups as the number of guests can be. Do tie or bring a string of yellow ribbon if you can. That will be how our hosts may recognize us.
Convened by,
Lee Khai Loon
Ng Yap Hwa
Heng Hui Yi
Lim Sok Swan
Ng Chong Soon
Lee Huat Seng
Lua Khang Wei
contact ：
kllee78@gmail.com
yaphwa@gmail.com
tohko_5@hotmail.com
黄丝带之约：
与马华领袖喝茶救媒体
日期：2006年12月1日
时间：傍晚7时正
地点：吉隆坡安邦路马华大厦
2001年528报变后，黄丝带成为了新闻自由的象征。当时许多朋友手上系着黄丝带，参与反对政党收购南洋报业运动。五年后，星洲媒体集团主席张晓卿再从马华手中购买南洋报业股权，一跃成为最大股东。马来西亚的中文报市场也因此有了重大的变化，从星洲报业集团和南洋报业集团互相竞争的年代，转变成张晓卿拥有的《星洲日报》、《南洋商报》、《中国报》、《光明日报》四大报盘踞中文媒体市场。而《东方日报》和《光华日报》市场占有额与四大报相距甚远，难撼张晓卿的媒体霸业。
事实证明，马华当年的收购行动是个错误。马华在短短数年内亏损近一亿令吉；《南洋商报》报份下跌、公信力尽失；华社的声音日益萎缩，社团领导人、批评星洲的团体和评论人被封杀，新生报纸被围堵、猪农广告被拒登、袒护校长职工会等等。当年马华领导层的错误决定，造成马华、南洋报业集团和华社三输，而张晓卿独赢的局面。
如果我们今天放纵张晓卿借助政治势力垄断中文报，明天巫统控制的Media Prima要和张晓卿交换股权，建立一个更大、跨语言、横跨出版与广播的媒体霸权，我们将要怎么阻挡？现在巫统大会种族主义气焰嚣张，连国阵盟党领袖都视如粪土，我们就不相信马华上下竟无丝毫羞耻感、危机意识！
我们是一群关心时政的年轻公民，万分担忧政党介入民营新闻媒体、报业集团独大，以及报业集团联合政治力量排斥竞争者入场，而导致新闻自由倒退、公民社会积弱的局面。我们相信马华作为负责任的政党，能够也应该对历史错误进行反省，并采取以下两项行动，以便亡羊补牢，将功赎罪：
1． 国会特选委员会改革媒体法律
马华部长与国会议员促使内阁，在国会成立特选委员会（Select Committee）以检讨、改革、废除《印刷与出版法令》、《内安法令》、《煽动法令》、《官方机密法令》中所有不利新闻与言论自由的条文，并制定《资讯自由法令》与反媒体垄断条款。如果《印刷与出版法令》被废除，改准证制为登记制，各语文报业就可以自由竞争，种族主义言论在开放的公共讨论下就会失去滋长的温床。
2． 马华公会脱售南洋报业剩余股权
马华公会中委会应该全面脱售南洋报业剩余股权，表明尊重新闻与言论自由的新政策；但是，买家不能是张晓卿、Media Prima或其他支配性买家。只要马华愿意脱售，必然可以在华社找到各方接受的买家。砂拉越企业家林昌和先生和前董总主席胡万铎先生都先后表达了献购的意愿。马华绝对不应该继续泥足深陷，断送自己和华社的未来！
民主社会的正道是沟通与咨询，而不是对异议者进行封杀和抹黑。为了能够和马华领导层作进一步的沟通，我们谨此邀请马华所有中委与国会议员，在12月1日傍晚7点，喝茶共商此事。为了方便马华领袖们，地点就订在吉隆坡马华大厦以及马华各州总部。马华衮衮诸公信仰“终身学习”精神，总会长与署理总会长以下都受过真正中华文明的熏陶，当天必然会开门揖客，清茶相待；绝不至于出现拒人于千里之外，甚至动用警察、罗里干扰等等有违中华礼仪与民主风度的荒谬场景。
至于所有关心新闻自由、社会和谐、民主自由的公众朋友们，我们也希望您也会来和我们一起与马华领袖喝茶商量争取新闻自由、媒体自主的公共议程。我们相信马华大厦有足够的空间和气量，容纳我们真诚的声音。
请大家记住啦：下月一日，是我们和黄丝带的约会。带一条黄丝带，一个纸杯，一包茶袋，一颗炙热的心，让我们一起 --
喝清茶，救媒体，争自由！
召集人（排名不分先后）：
李凯伦、黄业华、王慧仪
林仕妆、吴仲顺、李发成、
赖康辉 谨启
联络：kllee78@gmail.com
yaphwa@gmail.com
tohko_5@hotmail.com
ah fatt - saliva more than tea,
when r u going to hv a demonstartration in front of
UMNO HQ and also the UTUSAN and
NST HQ???
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