988 fiasco: DVD Chua refuses to apologize, silent on media freedom

988 fiasco: DVD Chua refuses to apologize, silent on media freedom

Malaysia Chronicle

Embattled MCA president Chua Soi Lek ducked criticism he was interfering with media freedom, choosing to deflect attention on suspended 988 talk show host Jamaluddin Ibrahim - warning him not to sensationalize Islam for his own self interest.

“When Jamaluddin started talking, I was just reminding him. It was nothing excessive. I hope he will not abuse what he thinks he can abuse for his own self interest,” Chua told reporters on Monday.

The scandal-plagued MCA president also refused to apologize to Jamaluddin, who had demanded that Chua did so for suggesting he was not a good Muslim, especially when it is now Ramadan, over an erroneous news report. An online news portal had mistakenly reported that Jamaluddin as saying he met Chua five times this year.

Jamaluddin had also rapped Chua for trying to turn the issue, which he said was about the freedom of the press, into a racial and religious one.

"Chua has openly made a religiously discriminatory remark. I hope he can clarify and apologise," Jamaluddin said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"As Chua had clarified earlier, I have met him once in his office on May 3 this year. In the 45-minute meeting, Chua had promised at least five times that he won't interfere in the radio's affairs and would respect press freedom. I hope he can keep his promise and I thank him for his clarification to the media."

Hypocrisyand passing the buck

Jamaluddin and his colleagues at the radio station owned by MCA unit Star RFM were suspended by their employers after industry regulator complained that his popular Say Hi to Malaysia show was “threatening national security" and "compromising race relations".

Amid accusations that the MCA was making scapegoats of Jamaluddin and his colleagues to appease an Umno upset because words like “racial politics” and “racism” had been used in the show, Chua threw the hot potato over to the Star’s management board.

But political pundits were unconvinced and slammed his hypocrisy, questioning if it was true, he and MCA did not interfere with the management of the Star and its units, then why did he meet Jamaluddin in the first place?

They also pointed that among the first things that Chua did when he won the MCA presidency earlier this year was to install his own loyalists on the Star’s board of directors, namely, Kuah Hun Liang as non-executive chairman, Lee Siang Chin and Vincent Lee Fook Long as non-independent directors.

“Is MCMC saying there is no such thing as racism in Malaysia and there is also no racial politics in this country? If they believe it, they must be blind. But why is Chua and MCA perpetuating these sort of lies when it is unhealthy and works against the interest of their community? Are they trying to keep the Chinese dumb and un-knowledgeable. Is this what they are supposed to do?" an MCA watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

Meanwhile, the controversial Chua insisted that he maintains a hands-off policy on the MCA’s sprawling media interests.

“I do not even know how much money Star makes. We do not disturb, especially me. I never get involved. We do not touch 988, and I do not know what is happening. All I know is that the company (988 radio station) is having a problem with the MCMC. And the one who is dealing with the MCMC is the Star management, not the MCA,” said Chua.