Malaysian media on the "little-red-dot"...again.
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New Straits Times Dec 28:
Saturday Notes:
SingaporeÂ’s behaviour over Pulau Batu Puteh dispute is truly unfriendly by Shamsul Akmar
WHEN Singapore, in March this year, was described as “an irritating pimple that would not burst”, the republic’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong took offence.
The pimple analogy was not the first of its kind. Former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has described the republic as "a small red spot".
These analogies were used to describe the manner in which Singapore has behaved towards its close neighbours — a manner that is anything but neighbourly. Goh, in response, had remarked that Malaysians were probably irritated by Singapore's refusal to play the role of younger brother to Malaysia.
He had then said it was up to Singaporeans to prove that the "pimple" was actually a sweetener, and the "little red spot" a gem.
It has been 10 months since the tiff over the land reclamation project by Singapore affected Malaysia, and much water — old and new — has flowed under the Causeway.
If Malaysians expected that Singapore would transform from an "irritating pimple" to the "sweetener" as envisaged by Goh, they must be disappointed.
That pimple obviously did not transform. Neither did it change from a little red spot to a gem.
The latest tiff between Malaysia and Singapore over the disputed Pulau Batu Puteh, or Pedra Branca as Singapore prefers it to be called, is neither sweet nor a gem of an issue.
No doubt both nations have overlapping claims and, based on the exchanges between the two, the dispute should be settled by the International Court of Justice.
The dispute is not about which nation has the right to the small rocky outcrop located about 15 nautical miles off Penggerang, Johor.
It is about how Malaysia and Singapore should treat the island while waiting for the ICJ to convene ownership proceedings.
Singapore first showed its intention of staking a claim on Pulau Batu Puteh in 1989, when its marine authorities stopped several Malaysian fishermen from fishing near the island.
The latest round of controversy over the island cropped up when Singapore decided to build new structures and increase patrols around it.
Not only were Malaysian fishermen turned away from fishing grounds near the island, but a Malaysian marine police boat with journalists on board was recently chased away by a Singaporean naval vessel.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when asked to comment on Singapore's behaviour, said Malaysia would not deploy armed forces personnel or warships to keep watch over the island.
He said Malaysia did not intend to go to war with anyone and would not take any action which would lead to a confrontation.
Singapore, in a statement through its Foreign Ministry, claimed that Malaysia had no right to question its activities on Pulau Batu Puteh.
Its spokesman argued that Malaysia had undertaken similar action over the Sipadan and Ligitan islands in its dispute with Indonesia, which the ICJ recently ruled belonged to Malaysia.
The Singapore Foreign Ministry further contended that the republic had exercised its sovereign rights on the island since the island was named Pedra Branca in the 1840s.
In short, Singapore does not feel that building new structures or behaving as if Pulau Batu Puteh belongs to it is wrong, nor has it given any indication of stopping such activities pending a decision by the ICJ.
Here lies the problem with Singapore, popularly known within the region as having the kiasu mentality.
Instead of addressing the issue that the island is still in dispute, Singapore has chosen to drag in Sipadan and Ligitan, an issue that has been settled by the ICJ and the decision accepted graciously by both Malaysia and Indonesia.
That is truly going off on a tangent as the Sipadan and Ligitan issue has been resolved.
The statement from the Singapore Foreign Ministry has obviously been made in bad faith, as it is trying to drag the settled Malaysia/Indonesia claims into its own dispute with Malaysia.
Is Singapore hoping to raise Indonesia's ire so that it can then have an "ally" in its dispute with Malaysia? Goh, when criticised 10 months ago, claimed that it was Singapore's refusal to play the role of younger brother to Malaysia which had led to the current circumstances.
The republic's behaviour is not about being a younger or older brother but that of an arrogant neighbour who does not care less for those living next door.
What if Malaysia too decides to act likewise? If Singapore chooses to chase away a Malaysian marine police boat, then probably it is time to send Malaysia's own patrol boats to do likewise to Singapore's patrol boats.
Perhaps the Malaysian authorities should start chasing away Singapore cars crossing the Causeway.
But where does that lead to, other than more hostility, hatred and distrust? The question is whether Singapore is bothered by all this.
Singapore's behaviour over Pulau Batu Puteh is truly a display of the republic's unfriendly attitude.
That established, Goh and other Singaporean leaders should stop taking offence at the "little red spot" or "irritating pimple" analogies being used to describe the small island republic.
The irritating pimple will only go away after it bursts. If not, perhaps some sweetener may help improve its disposition.
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Question:
What does the author mean when he writes that "irritating pimple
will only go away after it bursts" ?
What is the objective of such article in "respectable" major paper
like Malaysia's News Straits Time?
Does this article reflects a balanced editorial in their media ?
And if they are so confident in winning another ICJ case, why then
do their media reacted in such manner that mirrors the behaviour
of their politicians, cronies and the likes whenever the island
Republic comes in to spotlight ?
Does all these, along with the water issue, has do with Malaysia's
general election and changing of leadership in 2003 ? -
Of course wad... they're just trying to use Singapore to direct attention away from them.
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wonder when will they grow up? yawn..
it becos of them everybody cant chao geng army liao. haha all must gone thru the manhood! prehaps becos of this... 20 yrs down the road.. we can tell those recuits... "i tell u hor.. 20 yrs ago.. the saf trg i undergo.. was so much tougher than u gu nian right now"
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I'm just wondering. . . what on earth is that Marine POLICE boat doing with a 'boatful' of JOURNALISTS on board??? been wondering abt this for some time, may be some of you would like to enlighten me. . . does their marine police specialise in sight seeing tours for journalists??? or issit just a sort of bribery where the journalists put them malaysians in a better light. . .
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the journalists were not on the marine police boat, they were on another separate boat. the purpose of the marine police boat is to escort the boat which the journalists hired.
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Originally posted by Gun:
isn't that obvious? u pop the pimple, u squeeze out the pus, u patch up the wound and pimple bothers u no more
Question:
What does the author mean when he writes that "irritating pimple
will only go away after it bursts" ?
a rather crude analogy but i think everyone got the point. they hate us... but more to the point is, what can they do about it? What is the objective of such article in "respectable" major paper like Malaysia's News Straits Time?
who said it was "respectable"
its a pro-government mouthpiece. publishing something like that would imply that it was echoing the gov'ts stand or articulating support for such a position (aka. more hardline, less conciliatory).
of course, it might be just want to boost readership... nothing sells papers in malaysia like anti-Sg rhetoric...Does this article reflects a balanced editorial in their media ?
their forum is NEVER balanced as long as it concerns Sg... just as ours is never objective when it concerns malaysia...
And if they are so confident in winning another ICJ case, why then
do their media reacted in such manner that mirrors the behaviour
of their politicians, cronies and the likes whenever the island
Republic comes in to spotlight ?
i think at this point in time, nobody is sure exactly how the ICJ might rule... they are not certain if the ICJ will rule in their favour. such violent outbursts might imply a clear sense of insecurity on their part.
the media reacts this way because it sells papers and the politicians reacts this way because it wins votes. their interests coincides, so why not?Does all these, along with the water issue, has do with Malaysia's general election and changing of leadership in 2003 ?
it would seem so to me. all the issues previously put on hold took on a new sense of urgency in the subsequent months that PM mat broke down, cried and wanted to quit... (political wayang )
its very likely that he wants to leave with a positive legacy and a clean slate for his successor. someone should remind him that historians aren't blind to such too-little-too-late efforts... -
[quote]Originally posted by CX:
of course, it might be just want to boost readership... nothing sells papers in malaysia like anti-Sg rhetoric...
Boost readership ? Its that what is all about ? Talk about media
responsbility, don't forget Maria case in Dec 1950 and the recent
Miss World event turn ethnic riots in Nigeria. If this is what is
all about, it is clear reflection of Malaysia media's total lack
of social sensitivity and accountabilty in their reportings .
They alsoattempted to sway and influence Singapore's
Malay/Muslim community over the tudung in local public schools.
For over 3 decades now, with turmoils, violence and religion
fanatism from the M-east, it seems the region's moderate
Malays themselves has been gradually influenced by these new
breed of ideology that thrives on anger, hate and terrorrism.
Not least mentioning that even HARIMAU himself make an opportunity to take a swap at Singapore as the case of Malaysia's
allegation that an M16 criminal gang is headed by a Singaporean
NS man. -
hehheh, if I wanna go out to sea, can I ask for escort from Malaysian Marine Police Escort Agency also?Originally posted by kanzer:the journalists were not on the marine police boat, they were on another separate boat. the purpose of the marine police boat is to escort the boat which the journalists hired. -
oh yah, and thx to kanzer for pointing my error
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only if your destination is a geo-political hotspot currently the topic of a territorial dispute...Originally posted by laser51088:hehheh, if I wanna go out to sea, can I ask for escort from Malaysian Marine Police Escort Agency also?
this whole issue is LAME lah... kinda like the more u tell them not to aggravate the situation, the more they wanna butt their head against the wall... then they kao peh that its our fault
like... DUH...
makes be so sick of hearing the same old rhetoric... the economy is already so weak... kinda makes one tempted to think that a little bit of deficit spending might do some good to kickstart it... and nothing does it like fighting a war
maybe if this situation really gets aggravated, we can transform from being a little pimple into a big, festering gangrene... u can burst a pimple and it will bother u no more... but the only way to stop gangrene would be to cut off their own limbs...
they're raising the stakes too high... i get the feeling that they don't know what they're getting themselves into... -
Originally posted by Gun:
on the contrary... this shows that they are extremely sensitive to THEIR social context. Nigeria was a disaster because a journalist who did not understand her social context went out of line and offended the sensibilities of her OWN coutrymen.
Boost readership ? Its that what is all about ? Talk about media
responsbility, don't forget Maria case in Dec 1950 and the recent
Miss World event turn ethnic riots in Nigeria. If this is what is
all about, it is clear reflection of Malaysia media's total lack
of social sensitivity and accountabilty in their reportings.
the malaysian media prints what the people wants to read. its free-market forces at work. they cease reporting when people stop becoming interested.
and lets take Harimau's point about the singaporean in the M16 gang with a bit of humour and intelligence. i'm sure he isn't trying to be offensive it doesn't prove anything other than the fact that in today's world, crime has become a transnational affair and crooks will strike wherever and whenever there's an opportunity for them to do so. -
this doesn't make any sense. We always said that the straits times are pro PAP but at least they do still haf autonomy.
Now this in malaysia,the government actually keep an eye close on baseless accusations n uncompounded facts publishes in the papers?
man,my foreign minister always haf a hard time in dealing with 'public relations' -
Actually, from what I've gathered, it is the very nature of howOriginally posted by CX:on the contrary... this shows that they are extremely sensitive to
THEIR social context. Nigeria was a disaster because a journalist
who did not understand her social context went out of line and
offended the sensibilities of her OWN coutrymen.
this report got past the editorial screening, got into print.
It is all too easy to put fault a single reporter when the paper itself
has failed to realise the reactions of its readers.the malaysian media prints what the people wants to read. its free-market forces at work. they cease reporting when people stop becoming interested..
If that is the case about "free" for all in media reporting , be it fillled
with lies or falsehood, then this still follows with my statement that
the fact that Malaysian papers have displayed lack of journalistic
professionism and social accordablity.
God help us all if these media frenzy ultimately can turn lies into
reality of war, considering the fact that their out-going PM had
used this word at least twice in public when referring on the relation
with Singapore.lets take Harimau's point about the singaporean in the M16 gang with a bit of humour and intelligence. i'm sure he isn't trying to be offensive
Well, I certainly hope he can take his own medicine in stride too,
since I've also prescripted him a slightly heavier dose of fact and
fun about Malaysia's terrorism link -
i realli like the English tat u pple used
so powerful and powderful
Cheers
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i am a good good boy in a good good world. Mi cool dude man. -
Originally posted by Gun:
give them a break
If that is the case about "free" for all in media reporting , be it fillled
with lies or falsehood, then this still follows with my statement that
the fact that Malaysian papers have displayed lack of journalistic
professionism and social accordablity.
God help us all if these media frenzy ultimately can turn lies into
reality of war, considering the fact that their out-going PM had
used this word at least twice in public when referring on the relation
with Singapore. how did u think joseph pulitzer started out?
here's the thing: facts are sacred. opinion is FREE... now, facts alone without opinion is BORING so there's gotta be a bit of both
the problem over there now of course, is that the line thins... its difficult for the reader to see exactly what the facts are because they're not always publicly known... like why was the Special Agreement drafted in 1998 but not yet signed? who's the party most responsible for the delay?
so if we can't believe the NST 100%, can we believe the ST? the Sg MFA papers are not open for academic and historical research and i wouldn't take LKY's memoirs too seriously either... so we'll never really know what exactly transpired between Sg and M'sia.