A recent report which was published on internet news portal KLEXPRESS on 4th January 2016 “Hadir Himpunan Solidariti, DAP Beri Dedak RM50” written by Aidil Syukri is baseless and typifies unethical journalism. The article was written based on a Whatsapp message and worst yet, an assumption and the negligence of KLXPRESS to investigate the truth. This one sided reporting is fallacious, deceptive and could create unnecessary social disorder.
The aforementioned Whatsapp message stated:
“Selamat pagi .Datuk Seri Anwar akan berada di Mahkamah Tinggi George Town pada hari Isnin ini 9/1/17, jam pukul 8.30 am. anggota parti dan sukarelawan diminta tunjukkan sokongan dgn menyertai perhimpunan di situ. Adakah saudara boleh turut serta? Perkhidmatan bas dan makanan disediakan. Masa 8.30 am hingga 12 tengah Hari. Sila respon. Thanks”
DAP has never made any promises to pay RM50 to those who show up at Penang high court and to spread lies is this manner is immoral. Anwar Ibrahim, whose trial against New Straits Times is slated to happen from 9th to 11th January 2017, DAP being a member of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, we call upon our members to show solidarity, support and stand up against the atrocities committed that further erode our country’s human rights status.
We believe that people’s support for Pakatan Harapan has never waned, if anything, the support has increased and Malaysians are able to experience, first hand, how desperate Barisan Nasional has become.
To date, there have been numerous reports of slanderous messages being circulated via Whatsapp – 3 weeks ago, a Whatsapp message claimed that YAB Lim Guan Eng had sanction the killing of Rohingyas in Myanmar and just yesterday, another message claimed that YAB Lim Guan Eng and the Penang state government planned to close down several MARA institutions. Closing a federal institution is something beyond the state’s jurisdiction and would warrant approval from the federal government before any sort of action can be taken.
So far, the sources or the senders of these messages have not been successfully traced but the obvious anti-DAP undertones makes us believe that the objectives of these messages are to create fear and unrest amongst Malaysians.
As the general elections draw closer, we will see such attacks intensify and increase. With that being said, we urge Malaysians to exercise due diligence and scrutinize every bit of news – the political battle of the 21st century is one that heavily relies on social media, the authenticity of reports are often disputed but Malaysians can ascertain the truth by simply getting information from all sides.
Unfortunately, KLXPRESS failed to do this. It would be in their best interest to show Malaysians the actual Whatsapp message complete with the sender’s phone number as evidence. KLXPRESS must also retract their statement and apologize to DAP for exhibiting such a repulsive brand of journalism and demonstrating gross negligence on their part.