September 3, 2011
Media Lynching and Academic Collaborators
by Lim Teck Ghee@http://www.malaysiakini.com
September 2, 2011
1:02pm
Every once in a while the government-controlled or government-associated media engages in a public lynching of individuals who dare to challenge the UMNO-scripted truth about the political system, religion, the monarchy – or just about any subject seen as threatening to UMNO’s political and ideological dominance.
The latest case involves Mohamad Sabu and the reason for his lynching relates to a speech he made in Tasek Gelugor on August 21, in which the PAS deputy president touched on the Bukit Kepong incident of February 23, 1950.
In that incident, armed members of the Malayan Communist Party attacked and killed 25 police personnel and some of their family members. In his speech reported by Utusan Malaysia, Mat Sabu allegedly glorified the MCP by claiming that they were the real heroes for fighting against the British and for leading the country’s struggle for independence.
Following the Utusan report, the New Straits Times had four articles, including an entire page by its group managing editor Zainul Arifin, attacking Mohamad Sabu (left) for allegedly “rewriting history for political gain” (NST, Aug 28).
This has since been followed by Utusan‘s Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia, which devoted
extraordinary coverage, spreading over six pages, to the excoriation of Mat Sabu.
Mat Sabu even featured in the Prime Minister’s Aidilfitri-cum-Merdeka anniversary speech where Najib Abdul Razak sanctimoniously lambasted anyone who dared to discredit the sacrifices of the country’s forefathers and security forces in the path to independence.
Missing from the Historical Narrative
At the end of his article, the NST’s chief Zainul – who surely must be aware that most people in our country know fully that not only history but also media editorials and pieces, such as his, have been written for political gain – makes the plea for history “to be debated by historians, and not politicians”.
While he makes a valid point that “a relooking at history is important… [and that] some say it is biased and a tool of political dominance”, Zainul will know too that those looking for a debate or a relook will not find it in the pages of his newspaper.
So what is the verdict of professional historians on the communist insurgency and its contribution to the movement for independence from which a real debate and the historical truth can have its starting point?
There is not enough space in this piece to reproduce the various analysis but readers interested in the MCP and its role in the struggle for independence may want to consult the following:
- CC Chin and Karl Hack, Dialogues with Chin Peng: New Light on the Malayan Communist Party
- Anthony Short, The Communist Insurrection in Malaya, 1948-1960
- Richard Clutterbuck, The Long Long War: The Emergency in Malaya 1948-1960
- Richard Stubbs, Hearts and Minds in Guerrilla Warfare: The Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960
Especially useful is the latest scholarly assessment of the MCP’s role and place in Malayan history which is found in the journal ‘Kajian Malaysia’ (Journal of Malaysian Studies), Vol. 27, No 1 & 2, 2009. It is available online at http://web.usm.my/km/vol27(1&2)2009.html
In the volume, Richard Mason has an article ‘Re-visiting 1948 Insurgencies and the Cold War in Southeast Asia’ that provides an overview on the almost simultaneous revolt against colonial regimes in Malaya, Indonesia and Indochina. Also, three writers, C.C. Chin, Leon Comber and Abdul Rahman Ismail, provide new insights into the MCP and the tumultuous events and nationalist stirrings of the period.
What is noticeable about the NST media coverage is not only the way the paper has ignored the real scholars who have undertaken the studies of the MCP but also its reliance on the preferred modus operandi to trot out what appear to be court academicians in the guise of Malaysian academic firepower to provide intellectual justification for their public lynching exercise.
One such academician, Prof Emeritus Khoo Kay Kim (right) – who is prominently featured in the NST and other government controlled media – should know better.
Mat Sabu’s Intellectual Honesty
Khoo’s field of specialisation is not the Malayan Communist Party or Chin Peng or recent Malayan political history. Although his PhD was on the topic ‘The Beginnings of Political Extremism in Malaya 1915-1935’, it does not cover the period of the 1940s and 1950s when the struggle for independence took place in earnest and during which time the MCP underwent various metamorphosis and change in ideological direction in its objective to free Malaya from the colonial yoke of the British.
Khoo could have waited for clarification or explanation from Mat Sabu, and for any justification the latter may have provided for his views. That would have been the correct academic etiquette. Or if Khoo was in haste, he could at least have relied on scholars who have done more authoritative work on the MCP and through their studies provided an academic and more truthful historical context and explanation for the Bukit Kepong incident and the communist fighters.
Instead, he was reported to have stated that “Mohamad should not lie to the people when the rakyat today was easily led astray and misinformed” (NST, p.10). Not only has he dismissed Mat Sabu’s account without checking with the victim of the public lynching but he has diverted the issue away from Mat Sabu’s focus on who were Malaya’s freedom fighters to the international origins and orientation of the Malayan Communist Party in the 1920s and 30s!
Readers can view Mat Sabu’s talk at this link. And, check out this link as well. Khoo is no academic innocent or virgin when it comes to press coverage. He must know that the New Straits Times has its knives out for Mat Sabu and other opposition or civil society leaders who stand in the way of UMNO’s agenda.
He must know or at least he should know that there would be no fair trial and that the pursuit of academic facts and intellectual truth is the furthest away from being a concern or priority of the NST.
Mat Sabu is feared by UMNO and its mouthpieces, the NST and Utusan for good reason. He is PAS’s thinking, progressive and committed face – not simply a face but someone who possesses not only the intellectual honesty to raise uncomfortable questions about how our history is being written but also is prepared to take a contrary position to defend his take on historical truth.
In doing so, Mat Sabu puts to shame the academic hangers-on who are quick to bray when called upon by the government.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
trully a balanced analyses of substance to the crap put out by UMNO controlled media for cari makan scums.
Dr Khoo can improve his thinking skills by explaining why 1 + 3 = 4, or simply 1 + 1 = 2, or similar operations like we were taught in primary school by telling us just one important assumption for the arithmetic operation to work.
Our teachers often did not tell us about the one most important assumption.
PhDs are often challenged when the assumptions they have taken for granted are challenged and other alternatives assumptions appear to be derailing their theories.
Given our history it is politically incorrect for him to make that statement. Communism may be acceptable today but in those days their brutal means was a real threat.
With hindsight though, how many freedom fighters would have wished the label or symbol NLF ( National Liberation Front ), rather than the dreaded MCP, because it was linked to International Liberation movements for world domination, in the ideology of Communism..
Hence the British together with local aristrocracy wond the day for Independendence, & MCP psychologically became equated with terrorism.., that made them loose credibility in the psychological warfare that ensued…..
Too late in the day to rewrite on this, i feel..
There is no right or wrong answer to social science like politics, economics and management, etc. Good or bad answers depend on results and outcome.
Many champion the so called democracy, freedom and human rights they practice but disallow the freedom of choice like communism who are also human beings.
Sanity and justice must prevail among human races if they want progress and advance. Those who are corrupt, twist the facts will have no future in this planet.
Remember, the British awarded its prestigious OBE (Orders of Great British Empire) to Communist Chin Peng as HERO freedom fighter against the Japanese invaders in WW2.
Media Lynching… perhaps. But the author is flogging a dead horse… Which is worse I wonder?
For God’s sake let’s move on.
Where is the writer going with this article? He seems to have an axe to grind with this Khoo. I suggest he grinds his axe in his backyard and not out on the public walkway.
In Malaysia, all glory is to UMNO/BN. Anybody against that will be lynched. Cynical, no. That’s the reality. Until the political awareness of the Malaysian public reaches a certain level the government of the day will always call the shots.
Up to now intellectual honesty is a foreign concept here. Its too uncomfortable. Too many things are taboo. Rigorous debate is out of the question. The mainstream media has taken spin into another level, making it an art. Readers are supposed to lap it out without thinking.
Do we need to wonder why our graduates are now like retards?
Nobody wants comunism…but Chin Peng and his believe in freedom fighters does put a little impact to the British for putting a serious thought of giving independance back to Malaysia. But history disregard the fact that the communis are also heros in the sense that alot rakyat been left homeless due to brutality assault from jungle rats. Moreover UMNO surely politise this issue so to exel communis completely to with-hold their victory..But this Mat Sabu dares to speak out the truth…without realising utusan can manipulate the fact and use this sentiments issue to amok rakyat for prosiding BN and use rakyat support to demoralise the PAS….dirty politcs from umno are manipulating and hitting hard towards this mat sabu ‘s speeches that PAS/PR are backing MCP and really getting hard since PRU 13 is around soon…
What is noticeable about the NST media coverage is not only the way the paper has ignored the real scholars who have undertaken the studies of the MCP but also its reliance on the preferred modus operandi to trot out what appear to be court academicians in the guise of Malaysian academic firepower to provide intellectual justification for their public lynching exercise….!
someone accused this writer of…Media Lynching… perhaps. But the author is flogging a dead horse… Which is worse I wonder?
For God’s sake let’s move on….yes..let’s move on..but do yu think this gomen will move on? they did not move..only the rakyat monies move to their pocket…
For me, the above statement by the writer should be applied when dealing with so called academician or in this case so called historian…mind you he has emeritus prof..in front of his name..what this so called emeritus refer to?
when you got a phd..or title dr. in front of your name..you think you are the most brillant of all…ala in this world, they are all prof. kang kong!
different specialization talked about field beyond their specialization. that’s what their writer try to mentioned here in his article.
As an academician myself, I would not touch or dare to speak about history because it is not my field, as I only throw an idea of trying to look and debate this so called incident from different perspectives as would science do. There are so many procedures but then again, why just stick to use only one procedure when there are many procedures that can give you better result?
Chin Peng suddenly became dispensable because the KMT lost mainland China to CCP. It changed the entire situation, making Chin Peng from hero to zero, in the eyes of Malayans.
Has anybody ever wondered why Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak came in later and formed Malaysia?
Whose massacre?
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4316661308467486103
Batang Kali massacre [In Cold Blood – BBC]
First of all, some want to know our history of Malaysia, go to your secondary children ‘Sejarah Malaysia’ and go through it. And you understand our history fully…… you must compare with the history you learn before and other facts.
Secondly, to Prof. Khoo, you just want UM to extend your yearly contract. Shame on you Khoo.
Thirdly, read latest Mat Sabu say, and it make me think. On 31/8, National Day, are we celebrating National Day or Glory of UMNO?
Fourthly, Utusan (UMNO Bible) Malaysia always fire the first shot. Which always ‘blind shoot’. Than it give all UMNO leader attacking. And Utusan start print daily and send all over Malaysia, especially to kampung forks to read the UMNO strong and PR is doing some sinful thing…… I am pretty ex-serviceman (may be tukang jaga gate askar) who are still blind. You look at it, you will expect what Utusan or their leader going to say in the paper… no need journalist lah…send them to Somalia.