From Ahirudin Attan
Some politicians are putting on different hats and hiding behind NGOs to attack those who do not agree with them, including the media.
Ridzuan Abdullah, the president of a deregistered NGO called Ikhlas, has just taken the blame-the-media game to the next level. He isn’t just blaming the media for his predicament, he’s accusing them of sleeping with his enemy.
Ridzuan called a press conference recently to air grievances, his own and that of Ikhlas, with a local construction and infrastructure company.
At the press conference, Ridzuan was asked by reporters about his ongoing court case on a corruption charge.
In January 2023, he was charged with filing fraudulent claims with the Social Security Organisation to obtain incentives totalling RM378,000 from the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme. He was alleged to have submitted documents with inaccurate salary information.
The media had also subsequently reported on the deregistration of Ikhlas on Nov 24, 2022, by the Registrar of Societies.
Ridzuan took umbrage with all these revelations and called those reporters (or the media they represent) “tali barut” (lackey) of the company that he and his NGO were targeting.
For someone who unabashedly bragged that “I’ve been involved in NGOs for more than 20 years”, Ridzuan has demonstrated a shocking lack of understanding of – and regards for – what we reporters and media do.
It is the reporter’s job to ask questions and check and double-check to make sure that they are reporting facts.
When you call a press conference, you had better have the answers to their questions. Facts, not mere allegations. We don’t want to be sued for defamation or to report fake news.
Reporters are not assigned to attend your press conference so that they can admire your 20 years of NGO work. They have a job to do. They ask questions. Sometimes, tough questions.
So the press conference meant to “expose” a company instead backfired as the media turned their focus on Ridzuan and Ikhlas, as it appeared that the accuser had more questions to answer.
In his anger and desperation, Ridzuan took to social media on June 21 to attack the reporter who had asked him those tough questions.
After more than 40 years in the media, I’ve had great regards for NGOs and the people who lead them.
But over the years, we have read about and witnessed some kind of decline: more than a couple of them and their office bearers have been dragged to court for indiscretions and misdemeanours.
Legitimate NGOs are keeping their distance. Among them, the influential Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM), whose president Nadzim Johan said PPIM was unaware of Ikhlas’s deregistration.
The media will continue to ask difficult questions and probe, especially if we feel we are not getting the right answers.
People like Ridzuan best remember that.
Ahirudin Attan, also known as Rocky Bru, is president of the National Press Club of Malaysia.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
