When the mainstream government-controlled media ignored the largest public rally in the country in recent years, protesters calling for free and fair elections resorted to alternative means, such as the Internet, to inform the public of their call.

Ignored by the mainstream media, Malaysian activists resorted to blogs and websites in covering a protest rally joined by around 40,000 protesters calling for free and fair elections. Amateur videos and pictures of the rally were uploaded on popular online networking site Facebook <www.facebook.com> and video-sharing site YouTube <www.youtube.com>.

Activists’ demand for equal access to the media proved to be timely as coverage of their protest was apparently missing in the mainstream media the day after the rally was held. Mainstream media, which are largely controlled by the government through ownership and legislative restrictions, as per a government order prior to the rally, reported only the side of the police and government officials. The media condemned the rally as “illegal” for not having a police permit.

“The attempt of government media to brush off the largest public rally in recent years is reflective of the government's lack of respect for the public's freedom of expression and the right to know,” said V. Gayathry, executive director of Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia.

“By tying the hands of the media with legal and political tools, the government has only tarnished its reputation as the public sees clearly how information is distorted. The print and broadcast media will lose their relevance because of these controls,” said Gayathry.

A flawed electoral system has resulted in legislative representations that are grossly disproportionate to the popular vote and a one-party state since the country gained independence in 1957. Sixty-seven civil society organisations and opposition political parties thus came together to form the coalition calling for electoral reforms, and went ahead with the rally despite being refused a police permit.

Although the 1967 Police Act stipulates the need to secure a permit for gatherings of more than three people, opposition and civil society groups have consistently held up the Constitution's guarantee for freedom of assembly under Article 10 and insisted on exercising their right to peaceful assembly as a means of free expression, given the lack of democratic space in the mainstream media.

Source:
“Thousands in rare rally call for electoral reforms; with mainstream media bound, Internet tells their stories” from Southeast Asian Press Alliance, posted on November 13, 2007, <http://www.seapabkk.org/>.”