PAS Leaders Deny Wrongdoing In Disrespectful Exchange With FMT Reporter
In a video clip of the exchange, Datuk Awang Hashim said to the reporter: "Ask the question in Bahasa Melayu lah. Are you a Malaysian or not?"
By May Vin Ang — 16 Nov 2021, 12:41 PM
Two Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) leaders have been accused of bullying and being disrespectful towards a reporter who was asking them questions at an event
Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad and Human Resources Deputy Minister Datuk Awang Hashim turned confrontational when one of their journalists, Minderjeet Kaur, asked them about the ban on gambling outlets in Kedah.
The reporter had approached Idris, also the vice-president for PAS, to comment on the issue at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) manifesto launch in Shah Alam on Sunday evening, 14 November.
However, she was met with personal remarks directed at her
"I want to ask about the Kedah Menteri Besar, he said all the 4D outlets will be closed. There are a lot of people who are saying that you are infringing on the rights of non-Muslims," Minderjeet began, intending to ask Idris for a comment before she was cut off by Awang.
"Ask the question in Bahasa Melayu lah. Are you a Malaysian or not?" Awang interjected.
When Minderjeet answered that she is, Awang continued to reprimand her and insist that she speak in Bahasa Melayu for them to answer and respect her.
"You must also ask proper questions, you know. You want me to respect you, you must respect us first. [So now], can you speak in Malay?" he asked.
Complying to the request, Minderjeet then asked them in Bahasa Melayu about public concern over the gambling ban possibly being extended to other states.
However, Idris answered, "Would you agree if your husband was a gambler? I would like to ask you first."
The reporter immediately retorted that her family should not be brought up in an interview about state policy, but the duo then said they had enough and left without answering.
The exchange sparked online outcry, with several media advocacy groups saying that the PAS leaders were being hostile towards the veteran reporter who was just doing her job
According to FMT, National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Farah Marshita Abdul Patah defended the role of the journalist in asking questions and expressed regret with the behaviour of the politicians.
"Don't blame the person asking the questions if you do not have an answer for them. Don't divert from answering the questions by attacking the shortcomings of others," she said.
She also warned against using one's power to bully others, especially women.
Meanwhile, Gerakan Media Merdeka (GERAMM) also expressed disappointment over the reactions of the two PAS leaders making personal jibes about the reporter's family and nationality, instead of answering her queries.
"The responses given clearly show disrespect for the careers of journalists, as well as women who may be seen as easily bullied," they said in a statement.
The group added that even though the event was not a press conference, it was no excuse for any politician to personally attack a reporter because they were not ready to provide answers — they have the right to not give any comments.
Meanwhile, PAS has denied that there was anything wrong with their exchange with the reporter
According to Malay Mail, Idris himself denied any wrongdoing and said his responses were not provocative in nature after Batu Gajah MP Varatharaju Sivakumar asked the PAS minister to apologise for his conduct in Parliament on Monday, 15 November.
Malaysiakini also reported that PAS Youth information chief Nadzir Helmi has defended the duo's behaviour and claimed that Minderjeet was only intending to ruin the image of their party.
