KUALA LUMPUR -- Despite stringent mass media laws, Chinese newspapers in Malaysia have built a reputation for objective, balanced and accurate political reporting and analyses. This widely-held perception among all ethnic groups in multiracial Malaysia -- Malays, Chinese and Indians -- often stands in contrast with how English and Malay media have been traditionally regarded: as having a proestablishment slant.
The Chinese press appears to be free of any political control, while its English and Malay counterparts are considered to be beholden to the ruling National Front (NF) coalition government, whose main components are the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).
But late last month, the MCA moved to upset the apple cart. It dealt a heavy blow to the independence of the Chinese press by taking majority control of a company that publishes two major Chinese newspapers, Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, which have a combined daily circulation of about 400,000. The other major Chinese newspaper, Sin Chew Jit Poh, a rival of both newspapers with a circulation of about 290,000, continues to be "independent" despite being owned by business people sympathetic to the NF.