Maszlee's call for only good news ‘utter stupidity’, says lawyer

Bede Hong Bede Hong Updated 7 years ago · Published on 26 Nov 2018 9:47PM · 7 Comments

Lawyer and activist Siti Kasim says Maszlee Malik is not providing solutions, but is a 'symptom of the problem with Malaysian education'. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, November 26, 2018.

EDUCATION Minister Maszlee Malik’s call on the media to not sensationalise negative news is “utter stupidity and tone-deaf”, said human rights lawyer Siti Kasim.

“I have no choice but to call out the utter stupidity and tone-deaf response of Ustaz Maszlee Malik, the education minister,” Siti said in a Facebook post today.

“He is basically saying that the media should not be reporting bad things that happen in our society, but highlight only the good things.

“To him, highlighting bad things such as canteens separate from non-Malays for Malay students is ‘sensationalising’.

“I presume the media is to be quiet about all other malfeasances in our society such as 1MDB and Felda’s corruption because that would be sensationalism,” the lawyer wrote.

Maszlee had made the comment in response to a report about separate canteens for Muslims in Malaccan schools.

He said that the media should have highlighted reports that missionary and vernacular schools were not having problems with racial unity.

Maszlee also said media should not “sensationalise the negative just for the sake of it” and especially when it involved only “one case”.

The report by The Malaysian Insight, however, pointed out that other schools in Malacca also had separate canteens for Muslim students and staff, a fact confirmed by Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong.

Siti said that instead of “thanking the media for doing their jobs in finding out the problems with our education system, Ustaz Maszlee demonises them”.

“Instead of providing a solution to rectify the problem, he shoots the messenger.”

Siti called the minister a “mini Donald Trump”, in reference to the United States president who has a testy relationship with the US media.

Urging Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to sack Maszlee, whom she called a “little Napoleon”, Siti said the former academic, who joined Bersatu just before the general election, was not providing solutions but was a “symptom of the problem with Malaysian education”. – November 26, 2018.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • Agreed Siti!!!

    Posted 7 years ago by Bond James · Reply

    • Soon after GE14, I was told that Dr. Mahathir intimated that he wanted the media to assist in creating a New Malaysia?..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • I today only come to know his name is Ustaz maszlee No wonder he is NOT EFFECTIVE AS EDUCATION MINISTER ALL USTAZ IS LIKE LEBAI PAS ATTITUDE Sorry Kids No Education for U the Ustaz Mazlee is another moron

    Posted 7 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • Agree with you Siti. From this episode, Maszlee Malik seems to agree with the separate canteens. Is he going to Islamise the education system further? If that is the case, racial unity can be thrown out of the window.

    Posted 7 years ago by T E · Reply

    • Poor?..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

    • ANGLICISE our education with English, like it was during Merdeka in 1957, for people to think international?..

      Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • Sack this incompetent fool now

    Posted 7 years ago by Yoon Kok · Reply