Harakah, 17th January 2000

by Abdar Rahman Koya

The call by political commentator Raja Petra Kamarudin to boycott pro-UMNO dailies has been welcomed by Malaysians from all walks of life. The offices of Harakah and keADILan have been flooded with telephone calls from as far as Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, urging the Alternative Front to spearhead the move.

And responding to the call, the BA said it will launch an organised and systematic campaign of boycotting the pro-UMNO media. Analysts say the move will send shivers down major media establishments in the country - already hit by a sharp fall in circulation following their controversial coverage of the events sparked by the assault on former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

As a first step, the BA announced that it was joining hands with NGOs, Unions and Associations across the country in a systematic campaign to boycott two daily newspapers and a private television station, beginning this February 1.

"The local media has distorted facts and used blackmail and threats to goad voters into voting for the government-of-the-day. Islam was pictured as cruel and Islam's laws as primitive and barbaric. It was promised that riots and racial strife would occur in the event the government of the day fails to retain its two-thirds majority - just like what happened 30 years ago in 1969," said BA spokesman Rustam Sani, who stopped writing for his popular column in Utusan Malaysia in the wake of the media onslaught against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The targets of the boycott are Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times and TV3 - three pro-Mahathir media establishments which played a leading role in the Barisan Nasional's "dirtiest election" campaign last year. The boycott is planned for a period of three months.

"If it is found that these three have not repented then the boycott may be extended indefinitely, in fact, the boycott could be extended to include other media organisations," he added.

The boycott campaign will be the second official anti-media campaign organised in the country since the dramatic sacking, arrest and assault on Anwar in September 1998. UMNO president Mahathir Mohamad has tightened his control on the local media amid months of widescale anti-UMNO protests in the capital. The move sparked GERAK - a coalition of NGOs and political parties - to launch an intensive anti-media campaign which resulted in drastic drop of circulation of several daily newspapers.

Malaysians are also invited to a simple launching ceremony to mark the commencement of the boycott plan. The date and venue will be announced later through Harakah and Internet websites. They are also invited to sign a petition and protest message which is expected to be the longest protest message in the world.

"We hope to enter the into the Guinness Book of Records and make Malaysia proud in the spirit of Malaysia Boleh," quipped Rustam. T-shirts, badges and bumper stickers will also be on sale for those who would like to "spread the word".