malaysiakini logo
story-image
mk-logo
News
Ex-top editor’s honesty, principles a breath of fresh air
ADS

YOURSAY | ‘Hats off to Mustapha Kamil for having the guts to quit his job.’

'From good copy to lying' - NST's ex-top editor on Dr M and Najib

Mushiro: Former New Straits Times (NST) group editor Mustapha Kamil shared his experience covering former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the latter's successors in a Facebook post on Monday morning.

He said that Mahathir had been known for giving “good copies”, whereas covering current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had prompted him to quit the profession.

Hats off to Mustapha for having the guts to quit his position rather than go against his conscience.

A person should quit if he or she knowingly has to apple-polish, for fear of telling the truth, and worry overtly about his rice bowl. Mustapha stood by his strong principles against the powers-that-be.

Anonymous_1400076912: So finally Mustapha’s conscience pricked him so badly, he decided to quit. Are there any more good men and women out there who will heed their conscience and have the guts to stand up for this country?

Vijay47: The usual process these days is to suddenly recollect things that were wrong 20 or 30 years ago, how Mahathir destroyed social liberties, how he shackled the press, insulted royalty, and generally drew Malaysia close to damnation.

The jolted memory then goes on to recite how a new knight on a pink horse arrived on the scene to save the day and the country. Celebrate, all ye men of faith, the age of relief and salvation is at hand, Najib is in town!

Of course, nobody remembers if Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was ever awake to do anything.

So, it is with some surprise and admiration to learn that Mustapha actually resigned from NST, since the lies had become too overwhelming.

But the empire can now be expected to strike back, with the likes of federal ministers Salleh Said Keruak and Abdul Rahman Dahlan hastening to Najib's defence, to state how, like George Washington, he cannot tell a lie.

Anonymous_1419577444: Mustapha was quoted as saying, “But when an American newspaper, headquartered somewhere in Lower Manhattan in New York, wrote a story that got nominated for the coveted Pulitzer Prize about an issue that happened right under my nose, I began to seriously search my conscience and asked myself why was I in journalism in the first place."

Yes, for a top journalist, there is no graver insult to his or her professionalism and competency than this. It’s good to note that Mustapha has got maruah (dignity).

Behsaikong: A rare, honest, and frank view. A breath of fresh air!

Drnsgc: Mustapha, if you mean what you say, and that you believe the truth should be told, help us to save Malaysia. Use your mass media skills to start an effective blog to target the rural Malay heartland and let them know the truth.

Help us to save Malaysia from kleptocracy. Please love Malaysia enough to do it for the country.

Headhunter: At least there is one conscientious editor from the mainstream newspapers. Unfortunately for him, a principled man is not what a corrupt regime wants.

Malaysia4All: Malaysians need to be re-taught to become more aware of, and follow, their own conscience.

When we are young, we are all taught what is right and what is wrong. If something does not seem right, it likely is not right, whether or not it has been decreed so.

Just follow your conscience and you will be on the path to a good life that is worth living, which shows respect for your fellow citizens.

Oscar Kilo: Hiding the truth is like trying to keep a basketball underwater with your bare hands. Sooner or later, it will pop out of the water.

Najib: Subra says I've done more than 'ex-PM with Indian heritage'

Slumdog: Nobody is fooled, everyone can see right through Najib for his self-praise. It shows him up as clutching at straws and like a dying man struggling in the quicksand.

No doubt it has done wonders for those gullible Indian Malaysians, to know that he is so benevolent towards them once in five years, just before an election. And who believes MIC chief S Subramaniam anyway?

Trueglitter: At the approach of GE14, it is not unexpected the much-embattled-cum-desperate Najib will never give up an opportunity to praise his self-worth-cum- political capability in performance as PM via strategising theatrical displays alongside component parties, especially the vulnerable MIC.

Astute observers are inevitably astounded and deeply disappointed at the grovelling manner the opportunistic MIC president is cosying up to the apparently delighted and emboldened Najib.

Contrary to the upbeat view expressed by the insensitive Najib, the Indian community has been dealt a slap in the face when the utterly infamous "hand-kissing" Subra was apparently singing songs of praise of Najib's generosity for allocating RM900 million to Tamil vernacular schools, when in fact the Indian community (under also the antagonistic-cum-unpopular S Samy Vellu) in rural areas is left to wallow in abject poverty and often at the mercy of law-enforcement agencies for their alleged crimes.

Mushiro: Subra has perfected the art of apple-polishing in spite of what he failed to do for the Indians. The Indians have been neglected in education, scholarships, government jobs and promotions.

Many Indians have been stateless for years. Indians are poor and many are involved in crimes. Though they are about only 8% of the population, they form the highest percentage of people who die in police custody. And many of these were not investigated.

Clever Voter: We first witnessed noises rebutting the complaints of US Department of Justice (DOJ). Even the religious chiefs accused the US government of conspiracy. All these didn't work.

Now the softer approach. It's the turn of apple-polishers to say nice sweet things. We can expect the propaganda machine to move to higher gear. Already comparison with the previous prime minister has started.

Our teachers used to tell us self-praise is no praise. Why Najib supporters are doing this is obvious. They are the beneficiary of the worst syndicate to have robbed the country of the future.

Odin Tajué: Once, when a fellow in Kowloon polished my shoes, he said I was a very handsome man.

I said, "Yes, I know. All these years I've been having a hard time because the talent scouts from Hong Kong and Hollywood have been pestering me to sign up to act in films."

Moral of the story - never believe what a boot polisher says.


The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.

View Comments