让读者决定报馆的报导方式

对于新闻从业员和媒体界的报导工作者，在政治领域，面对那些高谈阔论“新闻自由，言论自由”的高官，“活到老学到老”是非常合适的警惕性金玉良言。一向来，新闻从业员们都以为“如实”的报道和的一字不漏的“如实”的刊登政治高官的文告和新闻，就是附合专业的条件或那些政治人物的口中的“新闻自由“的标准。其实，原来不是这么简单！在现实的政治，政治人物的新闻和文告须刊登于特殊显明的版位！字体的大小，标题的用词甚至颜色也是须要他们点头！

在我国反对党还没强大，两线制还未成形之前，我们老百姓以为“新闻自由，言论自由”会有更大的空间，如不能“随心所欲”，在表达形式和方式也会比以前更自由吧！民主政治最重要的就是言论自由。政治人物不尊重言论自由，就是虚伪，虚有其表。民主政治也包括包容；对政敌，对媒体界有容忍心，容纳异论。媒体界有扮演着舆论监督的角色，如新闻从业员争相邀宠，一面逢迎和配合当权者，这“失真”，“不如实”的报导会导致读者的流失，报份量的下跌。报馆是商业组织，报章，刊物需要市场；顾客是决定产品的主宰人。政治人物干涉新闻从业员和媒体界的报导方式，也意味干涉报馆的产品的作业和运作。

两线制政党轮替是接续提升民主自由制度，要邁入全民性民主的运作，政治人物需要经过人民和报章喉舌的评价，打压言论自由，干涉报馆的运作来提升或漂白自我形像的失真举动不是政治人物尤其是在位高官的典范行为

Create working opportunities for our senior citizens

It is undeniable that Malaysian population is aging and many social problems will definitely crop up if no corrective or cushion-like measures are being taken.

As the minimum retirement age for most private-sector workers in our country is set at age 60 under the Minimum Retirement Age Act 2012 and also life expectancy of our population is expected to increase from 72.6 years (men) and 77.5 years (women) to 74.2 years and 79.1 years, respectively, the degree of increasing dependency of the aging population is inevitable.

It is also a known fact that only about 20% of our Malaysian EPF members can sustain themselves during retirement. So we can now foresee the problems. The survival of other 80% is uncertain. Some of them may have the support of their family but what about the rest or those unfortunate.

At the age 60 and retired, the majority of these are still healthy and physical fit to work. We have millions of foreign labour working in our country and some of these labour can be replaced by our retired people. If you are visiting foreign countries, you can notice that most of the cleaning work at the airports are done by the senior people of the said countries. Additionally, old people are working in shopping malls and business centres as cleaners too. Air-port is an area of security, by recruiting our senior citizens as cleaners are surely an added security. Both shopping malls and business centres are safe places for senior citizen and healthy and old people to work.

没有原则就是原则

以具有争论性手段管治我国长达二十二年之久的前首相敦马哈迪突然出席行动党党员代表会议。敦马哈迪的出席而被受邀坐正台上的确让许许多多活在当年马哈迪不公平不公正的政策下的行动党的支持者惊讶和震惊。事实摆在眼前，这是一个不能接受的残酷的视觉。但行动党秘书长林冠英为了疏松众多支持者的不满，以“政治上没有永远的朋友与敌人，只有永远不变的原则”的陈述来合理化行动党与敦马哈迪的合作。

不管是外语或华语的谚语是没有所谓的“政治上没有永远的朋友与敌人，只有永远不变的原则”。它原本是出于19 世紀的英國首相巴麥尊(Lord Palmerston)的名言。对于当年英国面对西方和苏联的政治环境，已故英國首相巴麥尊说：“[英國沒有永遠的朋友，也沒有永遠的敵人，只有永遠的利益 .” 此谚语经过多次修改以符合某些人的立场和利益后，如今已有数个范本了，而我们的林首长把“永远的利益”改为“永远的原则”来迎合选民和支持者的政治口味。

冠英说：“政治上没有永远的朋友与敌人，只有永远不变的原则。”那么，很多的人民尤其是行动党的支持者要知道行动党的原则是什么？是否是没有原则就是原则？“政治上没有永远的朋友与敌人”是否意味着行动党在不久的将来也会与首相纳吉和巫统合作？那么，现在给于和认同行动党与敦马哈迪的合作不是逢场在作戏？

在“没有原则就是原则”的前提，为了党和个人的利益，忘了人民在敦马时代的苦和难，没要求敦马的所作所为向人民道歉，行动党贸然与敦马和其领导的土著团结党结盟来对抗巫统为首的国阵，这很明显的行动党已接受敦马时代的苛政。合作需有原则，原则必有底线；没有“坦诚相对，忏悔过失，誓不重犯”的底线，我们只看双方的到政治利益的挂钩，彼此相互的漂泊，“救国救民”始终还是理念，选民市场的最爱产品。我们还是被销费了。 我国已独立近六十年，国家需有经济成长性，政治稳定性。但我国目前的政治还是处在小孩玩泥沙不成熟的阶段；今天我跟你好不跟他好，明天不跟你和他好，后天又跟你不好跟着他好！老师烦，父母煩，周围的人更烦。我国的政治就是被这些“没有原则就是原则”的玩泥沙式的政客弄烦弄乱而拖累了经济。

Let the readers be the judges.

Since the unexpected win by the then Pakatan Rakyat in Penang in 2008 that enabled DAP to form the state government, the erosion of the confidence on freedom of expression and speech has been noticeable and prominent . Journalists were barred for admission of the coverage of news, condemnations and attacks were hurled against journalists and legal actions taken against the press by the state authorities. These incidents are not uncommon nowadays, and the number of the cases has alarmingly surpassed the figures of the previous BN government. Ironically, the scenario is contradictory to what had been preached by the Pakatan Rakyat for freedom of press and speech. The suppression of freedom of press has become perennial and also uncomfortable to those working in journalism.

One would ponder the actions of the state government. Are the journalists going to tailor the news coverage for fear of condemnations or legal actions? Are the journalists only to write the favor to those in power? Are reporting half a truth is an act of professionalism ? Or are the journalists going to tailor the news coverage for fear of condemnations or legal action?

Of course, the motive of legal action to seek an ultimate truth but the reciprocal action would be easily and directly interpreted as all the readers are stupid fools who are not mature and do not have an analytical mind to differentiate between the truth and fallacy. The truth would not become false and the falseness would not last if the basic ingredients of transparency and honesty are intact. The journalists should be allowed to report freely without any undue interference and intimidations. The readers are the judges and the sales volume of the circulation are the best barometer of the trustworthiness of the reporting.

让人民为判官

以行动党为首的槟州政府又采取诉告行动对付报章。 “又”的直接的意思是自从民联政府执政槟州后，摈州政府对新闻从业员的打压行动如诉告，对骂欺凌，抵制等从不手软，而是司空见惯了。对新闻从业员的诉告行动的次数与我国其他的部长相比，槟州首长林冠英可说是独占鳌头，告人次数是个记录。

以行动党为首的槟州政府能够执政至今，因为人民相信行动党会捍卫言论自由，给媒体界在没有恐惧下，如实报道。当时的人民也给以回报，对行动党有很大的信心，给与行动党的候选人很大的支持。但坐正今天的行动党，事与愿违，与当年的承诺有很大的出入。言论自由，新闻自由，报导自由对新闻从业员的似乎是遥不可及的理想了，刊登行动党或州政府的新闻不再是轻松的任务而是个梦魇了。一不小心，分分钟可能会被告！以打压行动来制拑新闻自由，难道新闻从业员只可对政府的政策行政报喜不报忧？

众多的读者有着雪亮的眼睛和一个分析力强的脑袋，不会读了报章刊登的，杂志所登载的，媒体递传的就相信它。假如报章持续的刊登“失实”，“不正确”，与实事矛盾的报导，读者会选择改买其他的报刊而影响报份的销售量。销售量的下降会影响广告。少了读者又少了广告，这就是刊登失实或拧曲报导的后果。有鉴于此，槟州政府有何必劳师动众采取法律行动对付报社报导者呢？让广大的民众担任判官！这也是落实还政于民呀！