Oleh 		: 	Y.A.B. DATO SERI DR. 
			MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat		: 	HOTEL GRAND BLUE WAVE, SHAH ALAM
Tarikh		: 	21-09-2000 
Tajuk 		: 	THE LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL 
			CONVENTION ON ROLE OF THE MEDIA
			IN NON-ALIGNED COUNTRIES 
Penyampai	: 	PM	

Firstly,   let  me  thank  the  Association   of   Malay
  Journalists  Malaysia  for  inviting  me  to  open  this
  International  Conference on the Role of  the  Media  in
  Non-Aligned  Countries  here  today.  It  is  indeed   a
  pleasure   and   privilege  for  me  to   address   this
  international convention, especially when  the  role  of
  the  media  in  countries of the South in  this  age  of
  information technology is becoming even more important.
  
  2.    The  press  or  the media is  undoubtedly  a  very
  powerful  institution.  In most  instances  it  is  more
  powerful  than  Governments and politicians.  It  is  no
  wonder  even  today we find Governments and  politicians
   are  wary  and  terrified of the media because  you  can
  make  or  break  anyone and anything. As you  are  aware
  there  have  been many cases where politicians  have  to
  step  down  from  office following  disclosures  by  the
  media, some of which are fabricated.
  
  3.    The  adage  that  `The pen is  mightier  than  the
  sword'  is still true today. In fact it is also  because
  the   Internet   has  made  worldwide  distribution   of
  information,  whether factual or invented, available  to
  everyone,  that the power of the pen has been  enhanced.
  Even  TV broadcast through the Internet is now available
  for anyone to use or misuse.
  
  4.    Governments  of  course  should  not  control  the
  media.   It  is morally wrong.  But is it morally  right
  for  certain people with their own agenda to control the
  press   and  use  it  to  spread  misinformation   even?
  Governments in a democratic country are elected  by  the
  people, but the people who really control the press  are
   elected  by  no one.  Yet it is considered  right  in  a
  democracy  for  the  media to  be  controlled  by  these
  people who actually represent no one but themselves.
  
  5.    Perhaps  it is pertinent at this point  to  define
  what  really  is  a  free press.  It  is  one  which  is
  available  to  everyone  who  may  wish  to  express  an
  opinion.  Just about anyone should have this right.   As
  long as the opinion is sensitive to the interest of  the
  particular  society, as long as it is free of incitement
  it should be published.
  
  6.    Of course the demand for space may be too much for
  a  particular media to handle but at least a summary  of
  similar  views could be made and published or  broadcast
  and the individuals expressing these views made known.
  
  7.    Reporting of events should be factual  first.   If
  an  opinion  is to be expressed by anyone it  should  be
  made  known  that  it  is an opinion  of  what  in  fact
  happens.   There  should  be no bias  in  reporting  the
   facts.   It  is  not right for example to  describe  the
  terrorists  as  "Muslim terrorist" unless the  religions
  of  all terrorists are always stated in all reports.  It
  is  not right for reports about Malaysia to be qualified
  with  "where the media is censored" but it is  right  to
  make a factual report on the censorship of the press  in
  Malaysia giving real evidence of this.
  
  8.    Reports should always be balanced.  What  is  done
  right  should  also be reported alongside what  is  done
  wrong.
  
  9.    I  will  be  the first to admit  that  what  I  am
  suggesting is difficult for the press to achieve.  These
  news  and reports and opinions would not sell.   But  if
  the  press  finds it difficult to do what is  right  and
  fair,  why  should  it  expect  others,  including   the
  Government  to always do the right thing?   If  all  the
  media  adopt the same stance there will be none to  take
  advantage.   If any try to take advantage by  trying  to
  be  popular  then  the  media  should  act  against  the
   recalcitrant members.
  
  10.   The press is powerful.  There is no doubt that  it
  can  help do a lot of good for society.  It can motivate
  society.   It can inspire society.  It can help  develop
  the  kind  of values and attitudes which will contribute
  to  the  development and progress of  society.   It  can
  promote truth and banish lies.  It can of course  expose
  wrong  doings when in fact wrongs are being  done.   But
  it  must not have an agenda of its own.  This is because
  when  it has one, its reporting will be biased and truth
  will go out of the window.
  
  11.   Responsibility is something that  the  press  must
  impose  on  itself.  The good of the  community  or  the
  nation  or  international relations must be  taken  into
  consideration.  It may at times be necessary  to  expose
  state  secrets  in order to prevent conflicts.   It  may
  also  be  necessary  not to expose things  in  order  to
  prevent  conflicts.   A  high  sense  of  responsibility
  should help to determine the choice between the need  to
   expose and the need to maintain secrecy.
  
  12.   During the recent currency crisis the press played
  a  prominent role in aggravating the destructive  effect
  of  currency trading.  The press sides totally with  the
  currency  traders.  They could do no wrong.  Anyone  who
  condemns  them were not only not reported but they  were
  blasted by the press.  These people were said to be  "in
  denial".    These  people  were  said  to  be  ignorant,
  incapable   of   understanding  international   finance.
  These  people  were  said to be  trying  to  hide  their
  corruption, their mismanagement of their economy etc.
  
  13.   What the press refuses to point out is that  these
  same   administrations  were  responsible  for   turning
  moribund  post colonial economies into tiger and  dragon
  economies.   Their countries were peaceful, people  were
  employed  and  there  was no food shortages.   If  these
  Governments  were the cause of the currency depreciation
  and  the financial turmoil which followed, why were they
   able  to develop and prosper their countries and  create
  millions  of  jobs for their people in  the  past.   Why
  didn't  their currencies depreciate earlier, indeed  why
  did  they have viable currencies at all.  They could not
  have  become corrupt etc only in 1997.  They  must  have
  been  corrupt  long before, yet they  had  fast  growing
  economies.
  
  14.   When  it was pointed out that it was the  currency
  traders  who caused the currencies to be depreciated  in
  order  to  make huge profits for themselves,  the  press
  backed  the  currency traders in denying this.   It  was
  not  the  Government which was in denial.   It  was  the
  press which was frozen in a state of denial.
  
  15.   Today  the IMF, the World Bank and even  prominent
  currency  traders  have admitted that  currency  trading
  was  responsible,  that the market is  not  perfect  and
  cannot  be  relied upon to determine rates of  exchange.
  The  press is not yet ready to get out of the  state  of
   being  "in  denial".  Yet the press could  do  research,
  could listen to other views, could examine the views  of
  those people whom they had dismissed before in order  to
  enlighten the public as to what really happened,  as  to
  who  was  responsible for the great East Asian  economic
  turmoil.   They could do the world a great favour,  even
  help   with  economic  recovery  all  round  by   simply
  revealing the truth.
  
  16.   When  Malaysia implemented its own  plan  to  turn
  around  the economy, it was thoroughly condemned by  the
  press  for  imposing capital control.  It was told  that
  its  economy  would  collapse  totally.   Even  when  it
  didn't,  even when the economy made a fast  recovery  it
  was  reported  that the recovery was  not  real  or  was
  inferior in some mysterious ways to the recovery of IMF-
  aided countries.
  
  17.   The  fact is that the press didn't even know  what
  was done by Malaysia, didn't even know what is meant  by
  selective capital control.  And the press did  not  want
   to  find  out for fear of having to admit its  mistakes.
  And  so  it  continues  to  talk  of  Malaysian  capital
  control  and  demand to know when it  would  be  lifted.
  They  keep  on saying that capital control is  bad.   In
  the  short  term it may work, but it would  not  in  the
  long  term.  They hint darkly that if Malaysia fails  to
  lift  the controls it will get into grave trouble.   But
  they  do  not explain why this should happen.   This  is
  their  new wisdom and all their members repeat it  every
  time they mention capital controls and Malaysia.
  
  18.   Of  course they cannot explain their  premonitions
  as  they  don't even know what Malaysia  had  done.   We
  have  not  imposed  capital control.   We  have  imposed
  selective  capital  control, affecting  only  short-term
  capital   investments  over  a  period  of  12   months.
  Capital investments in production capacities (i.e.  FDI)
  are not affected at all.  And so they are still coming.
  
  19.   Far  from  adversely  affecting  Malaysia's  share
   trading,   the   12   month  control   over   short-term
  speculative  capital has resulted in the  highest  share
  market recovering in East Asia.  The Index went up  from
  262  to nearly 1000 at one time.  Those who invested  in
  the  shares,  including  the  foreigners  who  were  not
  allowed  to liquidate their investments made almost  300
  per  cent capital gains.  The listed companies  are  now
  healthy  again  and  are contributing  to  the  economic
  recovery.
  
  20.   The most important thing done by Malaysia  was  to
  restore  currency sovereignty.  Now only the  Government
  can  determine  the exchange rate of the  Ringgit.   The
  currency  traders cannot gain access to the Ringgit  and
  are  therefore  unable  to short sell  and  devalue  the
  Ringgit.  The Ringgit is still under valued compared  to
  its  original value of RM2.50 to USD1.00.  But  what  is
  important  is not the value as much as the stability  of
  the  exchange rate.  This facilitates business and trade
   and therefore helps with the economic recovery.
  
  21.   None  of  the foreign papers bother to  understand
  the  measures taken by Malaysia.  Every time they report
  on  Malaysia  they  talk  of capital  control  and  they
  repeat  ad  nauseum that this will mysteriously  destroy
  Malaysia's  economy.  First it would destroy  Malaysia's
  economy  immediately.   Now  they  are  saying  it  will
  destroy in the long term.  Why it would do this and  how
  it  would do this, they do not care to explain.   It  is
  quite  likely  that they don't understand  this  either.
  They   are   merely  parroting  something   they   heard
  somewhere.  But then they have always been like this.
  
  22.   It  is  regrettable that the  international  media
  should  be  so  negative.  They  have  missed  a  golden
  opportunity to contribute to humankind's well-being  and
  development.   They can, with their vast  influence  and
  power,  spread  knowledge,  help  bring  nations  closer
  together,  reduce conflicts between and within  nations,
   promote   the   best   in  human   values,   shape   the
  civilisation  of  the  modern  world  through  promoting
  technology  and  science and generally  help  people  of
  differing  ethnicity  and  culture  to  understand   and
  cooperate  for  mutual benefit.  The media  can  do  all
  these  if  they choose to do so, if they  choose  to  be
  ethical and responsible.
  
  23.   Let  us  hope  that  they can  reform  themselves.
  There  are  still  a  few good men  among  them.   These
  people must assert themselves, must re-examine the  role
  of the media, the International media in particular, re-
  examine  their  quality and attempt to  upgrade  it  and
  look  beyond  its  immediate need to sell  and  to  make
  money.   For  the  European  journalists,  learn  to  be
  humble,  stop  assuming that you know better  than  non-
  whites   about  how  to  run  countries  and  administer
  justice.   Stop  being arrogant and  assuming  that  you
  know  everything  because that is far  from  the  truth.
   Stop  being racists.  Be human and humane and the  world
  will  thank you for contributing to the new civilisation
  that should be the mark of the 21st Century.