Congrats to Harakahdaily for quality contents
by Jalil Abdul Chamad, Penang
Like many other Malaysians, I have been an avid reader of online news websites. When Harakahdaily launched its English Edition, I had drawn the conclusion that this would be just another website, and being owned by a political party, one could not expect any thing else other than highly charged political news and angry letters.
I am not a Barisan supporter, but neither am I a fan of Pakatan Rakyat. Having said that, I welcomed the huge change in 2008. As a Malaysian, I find that such a delicate balance of power will be the only way to make sure politicians perform. (Though I have been proven wrong, what with the politicking still taking place a good two years after the elections!).
As such, I find it refreshing, even surprised, to read the issues brought by Harakahdaily's English Edition. It is a far cry from other websites where articles are written for the sake of writing, and letters are published for the sake of only telling one side of the story. Whereas I find Harakahdaily has no qualms of publishing letters that are seemingly opposed to the party or Pakatan stand. Furthermore, their articles and features are carefully selected and their columnists have displayed maturity and clarity of thought.
Congratulations! This is how any media, especially the online media, should behave. Even as a PAS organ, Harakahdaily is more open compared to other party organs. It can do a lot more, and I am confident it can, knowing that the team in Harakahdaily has proven itself thus far.
Let Harakahdaily become a mirror of Pakatan Rakyat, and not a pedestal for its leaders to stand on and indulge in self-fulfilling propaganda. I pray and hope Harakahdaily will not fall the way our mainstream media have, especially newspapers like Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times, and not to mention TV3. They have failed in serving their audience, and reduced to only becoming daily diaries for their bosses.
Like many other Malaysians, I have been an avid reader of online news websites. When Harakahdaily launched its English Edition, I had drawn the conclusion that this would be just another website, and being owned by a political party, one could not expect any thing else other than highly charged political news and angry letters.
I am not a Barisan supporter, but neither am I a fan of Pakatan Rakyat. Having said that, I welcomed the huge change in 2008. As a Malaysian, I find that such a delicate balance of power will be the only way to make sure politicians perform. (Though I have been proven wrong, what with the politicking still taking place a good two years after the elections!).
As such, I find it refreshing, even surprised, to read the issues brought by Harakahdaily's English Edition. It is a far cry from other websites where articles are written for the sake of writing, and letters are published for the sake of only telling one side of the story. Whereas I find Harakahdaily has no qualms of publishing letters that are seemingly opposed to the party or Pakatan stand. Furthermore, their articles and features are carefully selected and their columnists have displayed maturity and clarity of thought.
Congratulations! This is how any media, especially the online media, should behave. Even as a PAS organ, Harakahdaily is more open compared to other party organs. It can do a lot more, and I am confident it can, knowing that the team in Harakahdaily has proven itself thus far.
Let Harakahdaily become a mirror of Pakatan Rakyat, and not a pedestal for its leaders to stand on and indulge in self-fulfilling propaganda. I pray and hope Harakahdaily will not fall the way our mainstream media have, especially newspapers like Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times, and not to mention TV3. They have failed in serving their audience, and reduced to only becoming daily diaries for their bosses.
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