Candlelight vigil in Penang

 

(Photo credit: Raffledoocious)

An ISA vigil will be held in front of Dewan Sri Pinang in George Town tonight at 9.30 pm. This peaceful gathering is organised by GMI (Gerakan Mansuh ISA, or Abolish ISA Movement) with the aim of showing Malaysians’ collective concern for and solidarity with ISA detainees Raja Petra Kamarudin and the Hindraf 5 and other existing detainees who have been ‘long-term guests’ of the Kamunting Detention Centre. Equally important, the gathering also serves as a platform to register a collective protest against the unjust ISA.

Do come along and please bring your own candles or torchlights.

Crushing corruption, freeing media

Media have an important role to play in the fight against corruption. However, cautioned Bernama TV advisor Azman Ujang, it is not the media’s ‘business to expose corrupt practices’ on their own accord. 

‘But to do so (for the media to expose corrupt practice on their own accord) would be to tread on dangerous grounds as those who stand accused can fight back, especially if there’s not enough or strong evidence against those alleged to be corrupt,” he added.

True, insufficient evidence would only make journalists vulnerable to legal suits, etc. But this also points to the fact that investigative journalism can be hampered severely by certain quarters in the government who have the penchant for invoking the all-encompassing Official Secrets Act.

Put another way, only a free and responsible media can help facilitate the fight against the scourge of corruption in the country. In this regard, the long-standing proposal for the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act must be considered seriously by the powers-that-be.