January 12, 2013
January 12 People’s Uprising Rally: Scant UMNO Mainstream Press Coverage
by Malaysiakini (01-11-13)
Although Pakatan Rakyat and NGOs are mobilising their supporters for tomorrow’s People’s Uprising Rally, which could be the biggest such event in recent years, English and Malay mainstream coverage did not reflect it.
Even Sinar Harian, the Malay daily seen as relatively neutral compared with those in the UMNO-linked Media Prima stable, did not give much space to the news today.
The daily dedicated its frontpage to the controversy over the use of ‘Allah’ word, relegating its news on the rally to page 8 with five reports.
Three reports quoted taxi drivers, university students and UMNO Vice-President Mohd Shafie Apdal respectively objecting to the rally, one report on police’s assurance that it will be controlled peacefully, and another on tomorrow’s commuter service tomorrow operating as usual.
No mention was made about the seven gathering points and rally guidelines issued by the organisers yesterday.
Yesterday Sinar Harian carried a report on its page 10 quoting PAS Deputy President Mohamad Sabu as saying that the organisers will guarantee a rally free of riots and chaos.
The UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia has launched an aggressive campaign against the rally, publishing at least 10 news reports and commentaries lambasting the planned event.
In its second page, the Malay daily featured a full-page of photographs highlighting the violent scenes during last April’s BERSIH 3.0 rally, warning readers not to join tomorrow’s rally.
Berita Harian, the Malay newspaper under the Media Prima group, published two reports quoting Shafie and Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Mohmad Salleh.
The latter advised the organisers to shift to Bukit Jalil National Stadium as the venue can accommodate more participants than the Merdeka Stadium, the organisers’ preferred venue.
New Straits Times, the English newspaper belonging to the same group, carried only one story on the issue, which contained Mohmad and Dang Wangi police chief Zainuddin Ahmad’s statements on the rally.
The MCA-owned The Star also has only a single report on the event, including all the views expressed by the police, the organisers and those against it.
It quoted rally’s spokesperson Hishamuddin Rais (seen with Poet Samad Said and Activist-lawyer Haris Ibrahim) as saying that the participants would converge from different areas in the capital, and they hoped for a trouble free rally.
Complementing the report is the photograph of the mysterious anti-Jalur Gemilang banner with a caption reading “Down with the old: Banners calling for the Jalur Gemilang to be changed. They have since been taken down”.
In contrast to the Malay and English newspapers, their Chinese counterparts including Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press and Oriental Daily News have given significant and wide coverage on the event, carrying statements from all quarters and details of the gathering points.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
KL112 at Merdeka Stadium is a tipping point in civil society activism. Strong support from the Malaysian people in large numbers will send a clear signal to the plutocrats in Putrajaya that they want and will vote for change.
KL122 will be bigger than BERSIH 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 in terms of turnout. May it be peaceful and orderly. Send a resounding message to the government that we want clean, responsible and competent leadership of our country. Good luck, fellas.
You need the numbers only to show that there is only one voice, the voice for change. No need for intimidation and the use of force on both sides. There will be peace and a great future for all Malaysians. Good luck to all you brave people of KL112.
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Al-Wahab,
What are you doing in Tawau when you should be back in Kuala Lumpur for this historic event. A spectacle is about to happen. Nampaknya, perubahan sudah pun sampai dan rakyat tidak mahu dikelengtongkan lagi dengan politik kotor. Gelombang pelangi rakyat itu kan kah digelar tsunami. Salams to you.–Din Merican
Those against the rally are the beneficiries of the UMNOMelayu croniyism. These bunch of goons and corrupted figures 55 years of ruins. They have prostituted their names and status.They have wasted their education and sense of justice and nation building. When the the change of governement comes, as it surely will one day, these anti rally bastards will be publicly shamed and their offsprings will also unfortunately have to carry the shame.
This media assignment is too tough for primary school kids who run the mainstream media. They would not be able to write any essays on such short notice, pass-up to their UMNO teachers for correcting and then published.