The Star today likely caused BN to lose many more Chinese votes.
BN candidates slated to contest in borderline mixed seats and who are hoping for at least 20 percent Chinese support, take a deep breath. What would have been a close call will most certainly go down the wire now if the BN candidates were hoping to scrape through on a modicum of Chinese votes.
But before we examine the latest act of possible Star sabotage, a quick recap –
Bad news for the DAP is good news for the MCA is no news in The Star
As we know, The Star sought to bury the story about Lim Guan Eng’s Christmas eve (24 Dec 2012) controversial message on kalimah Allah as well as Patrick Teoh’s Facebook outburst on “Quran-thumping [mf]”.
Aside from ignoring both the stories which all the other media had gone to town with, the MCA-owned paper went so far as to describe Patrick’s rant as “some allegedly offensive remarks”.
The use of the word “allegedly” infers that The Star is not committing itself to the idea of the remarks as being offensive even though Patrick himself has admitted that they were “offending” (screenshot of Patrick’s blog below).
Secondly, when MCA publicity bureau deputy chief Loh Seng Kok rightly criticized Guan Eng for reigniting the kalimah Allah fire, The Star said that Loh “took a snipe at Lim”.
The use of the word “snipe” implies that the MCA spokesman is “a contemptible person” who had made a “malicious and underhanded attack” on the DAP sec-gen.
So what did The Star do now?
In the Guan Eng and Patrick issues, every media had had a field day playing up the stories with the sole exception of The Star which was strangely as quiet as a church mouse (pun intended).
In other words, the paper was the last to come out with the story and four days late (five days after the stories had seen print in the breaking news media).
Bad news for the DAP is good news for the MCA is no news in The Star
However today the situation is reversed. Only The Star has a special story which has not turned up in online searches on other media.
This story is about the DAP cause celebre Teoh Beng Hock and titled ‘Teoh’s family seeks damages from MACC and Government‘.
The Star article, in its second paragraph said “MACC and the Government are contending that Teoh’s death was due to his own negligence”.
To declare that the government is blaming Teoh for his own death due to his own negligence is pure dynamite — a big blast in the BN’s face.
TBH is an immensely emotive issue for the Chinese community. Read my earlier posting ‘Cina lagi benci kerajaan kerana kes Teoh Beng Hock’ (25 Oct 2011).
To get an idea of how painfully TBH is lodged in the Chinese collective consciousness, please read my preceding post which has an archival photo of Lim Soon Seng’s funeral procession on 9 May 1969 — the eve of polling day in the fateful election.
Teoh’s and Lim’s death bear an uncanny resemblance in their effect on galvanizing the Chinese masses.
And here is the MCA-owned Star telling its readership of millions that the Malay-dominated MACC and the Umno-led government is so callous as to blame the unfortunate DAP deceased for his own tragic death.
Earlier a Star associate editor was raving about “racists” and “bigotry” vis-a-vis playing the race card in our heated election campaign. Who did he have in mind as the party populated by racists, you wonder? It sure didn’t sound like he was alluding to the DAP.
When all the other media were abuzz with the Guan Eng and Patrick controversies, The Star shelved those stories.
Today with none of the other media touching on this, The Star has single-handedly cost the BN innumerable Chinese votes by portraying the government as not only refusing to compensate the Teoh family – including his young son who never had the chance to see his father – but rather arguing that the groom-to-be’s own “negligence” led to his death.
There is another dimension to The Star‘s bipolarity and I’m not the only blogger to have noticed.
DAP Insider in an article today wrote:
“There are also enough Christians within MCA’s STAR newspaper publication to skewer and spin news in favour of [Jimmy] Chua or the DAP instead of showing clear support for the MCA.”
Look at the Star newspaper clipping above dated 2 Feb 2013 where the first paragraph indicates that The Star covered a function hosted by a “Christian organisation” where the guest-of-honour was Hannah Yeoh.
Recall how bad news for the DAP is good news for the MCA is no news in The Star?
Well, in addition to the company rule above, another rule is that good publicity for DAP is twice published in The Star. The article ‘Racquets for underprivileged kids’ first appeared almost three weeks ago on Feb 2.
It was however recycled on Feb 19 [Star Online link here] after an interval of 17 days. See screenshot below displaying the result using The Star‘s internal search engine.
This blog has shown before how Hannah Yeoh was mentioned in seven separate and different Star stories over four consecutive days. As if the constant over-exposure is still inadequate, now we know that The Star also chooses to publish Hannah Yeoh stories not only two in a day but the story published again … just in case the reader missed it the first time two-and-a-half weeks ago.
The paper’s Dr Jekyll-and-Mr Hyde Syndrome will assuredly result in the MCA’s death by a thousand cuts (continually inflicted over the last 5 years). And remember too that the Star Media Group claims to have an adult audience of 5.63 million.
However today’s stab with the Teoh Beng Hock borrowed knife is no longer like the little scissors cuts that were previously bleeding the MCA back. This one will send any potential Chinese votes for the BN tottering over the brink.
Helen Ang 
Noticed how The Star played down the Dr Boo-Chua Jui Meng spat and immediately killed off the issue once Dr Boo under the watchful eyes of LKS apologized over his outburst at a Press conference in JB last night.
I thoroughly enjoyed your latest write-up, esp. the parting shot “I’m quite sure now Dr Boo will have his way about at least who will be the candidate for the coveted Gelang Patah seat….probably himself, I guess.” (ROTFL)
Bravo.
Orang melayu perlu sedar, The Star adalah akhbar Cina Kristian berbahasa Inggeris. Seperti Reader Digest ianya mulut orang eropah Kristian untuk menjajah Tanah Melayu.
Oleh itu adalah haram untuk membeli The STAR.
I managed to catch Denzel Washington’s Flight last night at the cinema.
In one scene, when Denzel’s character, Whip visits the co-pilot Ken in the hospital caused me to break out into a giggle which I really had trouble keeping down. Everyone (I think) was looking at me, at least the few in the row in front did anyway.
The reason? Ken’s wife had 2 or 3 lines. The first line left me smiling. The 2nd line had me break out in giggles because I visualized Hannah on screen muttering those lines.
Stay tuned. A post coming up ,)
Interesting that you should compare to that 1969 death, there’s also dead Malay at that time and it’s quiet with him.
Just like that other guy who died in MACC’s custody.
Interesting point there Anon.
Why are there Chinatowns in Malaysia and why are there no Malaytowns?
Should there be Malaytowns in Malaysia?
A Malaytown in China would be like a Chinatown in any of the West Coast states like Kelantan and T’ganu. B’cos the majority becomes the default.
e.g. the way we ask a question on height:
How tall is he? (it’s common to ask this)
How short is he? (uncommon)
How high is the building? (common)
How low is the building? (uncommon)
What are you implying there?
If Malays die in Malaysia, it’s common and there’s no need for Malays to seek justice for it?
The establishment is on the defensive regarding the deaths of TBH and Ahmad Sarbani. The anti-establishment forces are on the offensive in raising a hue and cry.
The establishment (police, customs, MACC, etc) is manned predominantly by Malays. The anti-establishment are predominantly Chinese (those generating the publicity on the TBH case are DAP, LKS, Chinese media, NGIs/NGOs). Note that Tricia Yeoh – former assistant to S’gor MB Khalid Ibrahim – has made a documentary about TBH.
The pro-establishment is the mainstream media. The anti-establishment is the alternative media who are pro-opposition.
It’s been estimated that Chinese are 80 percent pro-opposition whereas the Malays are returning in droves to Umno (which is the establishment). Readers of alternative media are pro-opposition and those strongly pro-opposition are Chinese.
So why should it be strange at all that TBH remains under the spotlight and Ahmad Sarbani does not? Unless you believe that DAP is truly colour blind and that Malaysia does not practice race politics.
If that is the case (i.e. DAP is not racial), then Ahmad Sarbani’s death would get as much attention as TBH’s although not even necessarily so as TBH’s story has very heart-wrenching elements such as congenial the popular young guy liked by all, wedding eve, bride widowed, son born without ever having seen his father.
(I say this about TBH without meaning to take away the tragedy inflicted on A. Sarbani’s family.)
Talking about majorities as the default mode, the Chinese majority who are anti-govt are very attuned to the development of the TBH case.
The default mode of the Malay member of the public at large is pro-govt which explains why – say Utusan or NST – have not made such a sustained issue of Ahmad Sarbani as have Chinese media on TBH.
If you’re a Malay, then ask yourself why the Malay segment of the population has not involved itself in civil society initiatives on Ahmad’s death? I can tell you that the Chinese public was highly involved, e.g. Facebook, candlelight vigils, TBH T-shirts, commemorative events.
Oh, it’s not strange at all.
I think it’s a matter of different viewpoints.
Malays can be very accepting and accommodating, this not only applies for the ordinary Malay but also for the Malay dominated government for a long time. IMO I think the Chinese view this not as goodwill or anything positive but merely a weakness to despise, spit at and take advantage of.
On the other hand a Malay would probably view the Chinese outcry for TBH as just tools for DAP political purposes and it just cheapens the whole thing. In other words the high Chinese involvement turns to be exploitative and offensive in their view.
Now flash back to 1969, a Malay died at the hands of Chinese even before the Mei 13 thing. What did the Malay government do? Not much because they don’t want people to be incited. Then one Chinese died challenging the police just like that retard in Penang did recently only with way more violence and what did the Chinese dominated opposition party do that time? Organize a procession like he was some martyred hero.
Seriously, this would make some Malays rage inside, both at the Chinese and at the government for being so tolerant of the Chinese.
DAP tries so hard to keep Mei 13 under wraps, making up their own version of history, even to the extent of trying to stop a biographical film being shown.
There’s that saying about ignorance of history and repeating it, though it seems to me like DAP’s trying to make people ignorant in order to repeat it.
Kassim Omar was killed 24 April 1969. Lim Soon Seng was killed 4 May 1969. Kassim’s death was a greater chronological distance from polling day (May 10) than Lim’s.
It’s possible the same climate was in the air in 1969. Like today, the hyper-charged Pakatan supporters “despise and spit” at any Chinese still willing to vote BN whereas the BN supporters are more low-key and do not spit at nor appear quite willing to kill (figure of speech) or smear (dengan fitnah yang sedashyat-dashyatnya) anyone appearing to support Pakatan.
These attitudes explain the differing reactions to the 1969 deaths of the two election volunteers.
It’s not just the problem of Pakatan’s supporters.
This hyper charged climate affects a lot of people.
I’m voicing my opinions in the fear that Malays seeing the developments being the Chinese to take more and more (especially after Lim Guan End ‘wisely’ started touching religious matters) and their leaders not only giving in but appeasing the Chinese.
This pent up boiling resentment could be harnessed by some unscrupulous people who only seeks their own gain, political or whatever. It could be people in UMNO, PKR, PAS or even foreign elements.
If violence does occur you can’t expect racially motivated rioters to stop and ask you if you support BN or DAP or PAS. It’s very important to stop anything from happening in the first place.
MCA adalah pemegang saham terbesar the star, agak pelik ia seolah-olah bias pada dap. Adakah the star mempunyai agenda tersembunyi untuk menjatuhkan BN?