UMNO and its Rational Leader-2

The truth about journalists and NST.

Journalists have always prided themselves as the self-appointed spokesperson as what should be 'news' to the public. They basically have a high opinion of and about themselves believing, they are the only people, with the right to write about anything.

This was only true before the age of the internet and the rise of the citizen journalists. Now anyone with access to the internet can rival the self-appointed spokesperson to offer analyses, news and information. Most important, the public acquires the right of reply. This has been the single most important tool of empowerment which at once renders traditional journalists quacking in their boots.

Why is that so? Well, LKY puts it again:

Once you have the right of reply. Then the journalists no longer appear so clever. If they write something and the other side cannot reply, they sound very clever. But when the write and they get rebutted in a succinct and acerbic manners, then they look very small.

And we have been wondering why circulation of mainstream newspapers minus those that hawk sensational news about sex, scandals, murder and those kind of things, diminish. It's because now, suddenly journalists can appear stupid when the public has the right of reply. Nobody wants to appear stupid most of all journalists who grew up with this notion; they and they alone can pontificate about things.

It's like, suddenly their positions as the sole purveyor of what's newsworthy to the public is shattered. Their gut reaction is to flail out against anyone who can challenge their once impenetrable monopoly. Once their shallowness is exposed, everyone can realize, after all, they are just paper tigers.

There's more. I think those important people in NST in particular should comment on what LKY said about them. On page 88 of Hard Truths:-

You look at what happened to NST and at the ST. one has lost credibility, one has not. Whatever they say about the ST, why are people from all over the world looking at it? Because it's credible… we are not propagating untruths.

The gravest mistake is to assume the reading public is composed of dullards. They think they can slash and burn, carry out selective misinformation.

So I come back to this widely headlined- LKY says Najib is a rational leader. How so? You see any Malaysian patriotic enough will realize that this statement is both a compliment (maybe) and an imperative ( LKY telling Najib) about becoming rational.

You see, in order for Najib to qualify as a rational leader- Najib, must in LKY's understanding, reorganize the basis on which  Malaysia operates.

Number 1: Malaysia has to get rid of its Malay ultra-Malaysia. If he does that , Najib is a rational leader.

Number two: Malaysia must follow the Singapore way- get rid of its envy and pangs of separation.

Najib is rational if he can abandon this notion of a social balance that insists that Malays be on top.

How is Singapore organized according to Lee Kuan Yew? It's a multiracial, meritocracy with a balance between the races, social and economic classes. Of course the Chinese dominate but this LKY justifies by imputing the Chinese are superior in so many ways.

Najib is rational because he wants to work with Singapore, wants to cooperate with Singapore. The two countries do not have to live one another, but work together on convergent interests. That's how, according to LKY, rational and pragmatic countries work.

These things, the journalist never tell us. So when the blared about Najib being rational, they didn't elaborate.

Because in order for Najib to become rational, that would pit him against the prejudices that UMNO people have and

DS Najib will of course square off against the most recent Dr Mahathir's insistence that Malaysia is Tanah Melayu and UMNO is nothing but a party of contracts.