A Letter to the Star Editor

Dear Sir
It is not the Opposition that has broken the National Front’s seemingly invincible two-thirds majority. It is the People. It is not that the Opposition wrested the states of Selangor, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Kedah. It was the People that consented to the new governments.

This was despite the extreme biased reporting on the part of the mainstream media, of which Star was part of. I have never seen such one-sided opinion in favour of the ruling party. Positive spin was poured on ruling coalition candidates’ campaign rounds, while the opposition’s campaigns were barely covered. And when it was, it was mostly negative commentaries.

Where is the responsible and fair journalism? Do not mock our intelligence. By demonstrating such blatant disregard for unbiased reporting, the Star failed in its duty to play a role as an important pillar of Malaysia’s democratic process. It only serves to push the readers to resort to alternative media, while the Star’s reports was read with great scepticism, and in some instances, even anger at the complete disregard for fair competition in a democratic country.

Of course we know that the Star is not an independent corporate entity, since its ultimate owner is a component party of the ruling BN. However, unless it wants to maintain its relevance as an important institution in the Malaysian society whose editorials are respected and read without preset prejudices, it has to break its shackles from its political masters. Let us form our own opinions by giving us both sides of the stories. If the Star continues to neglect its role as a provider of balanced views and genuine news to the People, then it will be a matter of time before its readers forsake the Star and turn to other sources that will.