Media statement by Teo Nie Ching in Serdang on Friday, 13^th May 2011:

Ministry warning far from sufficient, 1Malaysia should not have 2 standards!

The Home Ministry yesterday issued a reprimand letter to Utusan Malaysia over the daily's front page article on May 7, titled "Kristian Agama Rasmi?" (Christianity the official religion?).

A reprimand letter requires no follow-up action by the newspaper, as compared with a demand to show cause, and is akin to just a slap on the wrist.

Last year, the editor-in-chief of Chinese-language newspaper China Press was slapped with a two-week suspension over the daily's 'inaccurate report' on the resignation of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. The daily also published a four-paragraph apology on its front page.

In 2008, gutsy Sin Chew Daily senior journalist Tan Hoon Cheng was arrested under Internal Security Act for her four-paragraph direct reporting of a speech by UMNO Bukit Bendera division chairman Datuk Ahmad Ismail in the Permatang Pauh by-election ceramah on August 23, where he referred to the Chinese in Malaysia as "penumpang".

The damage, chaos and ill will caused by this irresponsible and inaccurate report by Utusan Malaysia is beyond description, to the extent that Najib was forced to meet with the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) over the issue at Putrajaya yesterday. This was the first time the group had been engaged in this way and such a meeting in itself is evidence of the unhappiness among the Christian community and the reckless danger of playing up such issues.

The error of Utusan Malaysia is far more dangerous and insidious than the mistake made by China Press. Yet, Utusan Malaysia was let off with merely a warning from the Ministry. Why has no stern action been taken against the chief editor and the journalist who wrote the article?

The report, based entirely on unsubstantiated blog postings by two pro-UMNO bloggers, charged that the DAP, in particular MP for Jelutong Jeff Ooi (who is a Buddhist), was trying to form a Christian nation in cohort with several pastors who attended the event. Utusan Malaysia did not even make the effort to verify the details with Jeff Ooi nor did it ever publish the explanation and clarification from DAP. This reckless and irresponsible error made by Utusan Malaysia is clearly beyond the tolerance level of any reasonable-minded and peace-loving Malaysian.

While everyone knows that Utusan Malaysia is the mouthpiece and the 'real son' of UMNO, Najib should not practise double standards with regard to his stand on the rest of the mainstream media in such a blatant manner, and treat the Chinese-language media in particular like 'stepsons'. All media outlets and journalists should be subjected to the same standards of scrutiny, overview as well as defence when the need arises.

The Prime Minister must convince Malaysians that Utusan Malaysia does not enjoy full legal immunity by taking stern action against the editors and reporters involved for their irresponsible behaviour.

* Teo Nie Ching, DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary & MP for Serdang