STATEMENT OF THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN PRESS ALLIANCE (SEAPA)
ON MALAYSIA’S SECRETARY TO THE INFORMATION MINISTRY’S ATTACK ON THAI AND FILIPINO JOURNALISTS AS “AGENTS OF THE WESTERN MEDIA IMPERIALISTS”

May 8, 2002

Tan Sri Mohd Khalil Yaakob
Minister of Information
8th Floor, Wisma TV,
Angkasapuri,
50610, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603.2282.5333
Fax: 603.2282.3323

CC: Zainuddin Maidin,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Information.

Dear Tan Sri Mohd Khalil Yaakob,

THE Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) is an organization of Thai, Philippine and Indonesian journalists and their organizations. It is committed to the defense, enhancement and achievement of press freedom as well as to the responsible and meaningful exercise of journalism and the other media professions..

The autonomy of journalists from government, advertiser, or political and economic pressure, was the first principle upon which SEAPA was organized in 1998.

SEAPA, however, recognizes the particularities and differences in the historical experience of both its present members as well as of its colleagues in the press and media systems of the other countries in the Southeast Asian region.

Although SEAPA is firmly committed to press freedom and to the exercise of free expression, it does not seek to impose its views upon any individual or group. Neither does it believe that it can do this even if it wanted to. If press freedom has been achieved in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, it is the result of a natural process in those countries. If it will be achieved in others, SEAPA holds that it will similarly not be due to any imposition from outside forces but will as well be the consequence of those political, economic, cultural and other factors particular to every country.

SEAPA therefore finds the statements of the Secretary to the Information Ministry of Malaysia, Zainuddin Maidin, accusing unnamed Filipino and Thai journalists of imposing their views on press freedom on the Malaysian press, and of acting as “agents of western media imperialists” particularly distressing, and takes the strongest exception to those statements.

That Mr. Maidin did not, and seemed unable to name the journalists concerned suggests that he was making a blanket accusation against our colleagues in the Philippines and Thailand, whom he accuses of “missionary” journalism. This is manifestly untrue, and therefore unfair. If in their enthusiasm for press freedom some Thai and Filipino journalists have been eager to communicate their experience, they are not necessarily trying to impose it on colleagues from other countries.

On the other hand, a commitment to press freedom does not make anyone an agent of “the western media imperialists” either. To say otherwise is to insult some of the most competent and principled journalists in the region, many of whom have been critical of the dominance of the western media monopolies over global information. It is also to give these “media imperialists” more credit than they’re entitled to.

SEAPA holds that press freedom is not the monopoly of any country or group of countries, as Mr. Maidin’s statements imply. Neither is its achievement the result of any conspiracy, but of the convergence of many factors as well as the demonstrated need for it, problematic as its exercise may have been in countries of diverse cultures and histories.

Although it takes exception to the substance of Mr. Maidin’s statements and deplores his resort to name-calling, SEAPA does affirm the right of Mr. Maidin to make whatever statements are to his liking, however illogical or contrary to the facts they may be.

That his remarks, however, were made on the eve of World Press Freedom Day is both deplorable as well as ironic. Because they were made by a responsible official of the government of Malaysia, neither do they contribute any to better understanding among the peoples of Southeast Asia, but on the contrary makes the achievement of that goal even more problematic. Mr. Maidin in fact deserves censure from his government for his erroneous, misleading and far from diplomatic statements.

Sincerely,

Chavarong Limpattamapanee

Acting Chairman