1.

Discuss the 1987 Operasi Lalang incident What is it, why did it happen and what was the impact on the media? What is it? Late October 1987, the headed head by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of the Barisan Nasional has directed police to detain 107 individuals around the Malaysia on the apparent that they were a threat to national security by rising up the ethnic tensions (Lee, 2008) . Operasi Lalang saw the arrest of 107 opposition leaders, UMNO politicians and Chinese educationists under the Internal Security Act (ISA) (Chieh, 2012). Apart from that, according to (Lee, 2008) the individuals were detained primarily members of opposition political parties and non partisan activists and included a converters from Islam to Christianity, the issue was largely criticise by others that Operasi Lalang as a naked demonstration of the self-serving use of the state infrastructure by the Barisan Nasional and UMNO. Internal Security Act (ISA) was first amended by the British in order to face the communist threat in 1950 and controversy raises that Mahathir abusing the act especially during the Operasi Lalang 1987 (Ilham, 2011). According to Dr Nasir, the President of Malaysian Socialist Party said the issue has grabbed as much attention from inside or outside level. Thus, it is impossible for Mahathir involvement was not verified in the operation. (Fadli, Ops Lalang Mustahil Mahathir ikut Telunjuk Polis, 2011) (Yi, 2005) reported that news was circulating informally about a number of politicians and social activists, who had been mysteriously whisked away by police personnel at intervals throughout the day. MCA Youth chief Yap Pian Hon, he was one of politicians, social activists, unionists, Chinese educationists and religious missionaries eventually rounded up under a massive police sweep code-named Operasi Lalang. Apart from Dr Nasir Hashim, others that being detained were Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh, Suhaimi Said, Kua Kia Soong, Chandra Muzaffar, Ibrahim Ali and Mohamed Fahmi Ibrahim (Fadli, Ops Lalang Mustahil Mahathir ikut Telunjuk Polis, 2011). Another debated controversial regarding the issue at hand, Mohamad Sabu the Vice President of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) questioning about the detention was actually the consent of the police themselves, and why several Barisan Nasional individuals were not being detained. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak was the former UMNO

Youth Leader, exclaim at the Stadium TPCA, Kampung Baru that the Malays should use the Keris against the Chinese for their bloods. Former Chief Minister of Perlis, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim was asked the Malays went to the Kuala Lumpur and brought the weapons at least the matches. all of them did not being detained during the Operasi Lalang 1987. Said Mohamad Sabu. (Fadli, Mahathir Bohong Mengenai Operasi Lalang - Mohamad Sabu, 2011) Why did it happen? The official and apparent purpose of Operasi Lalang was the repression of ethnic tensions between the Chinese and Malay segments of the Malaysian population. These tensions had arisen when the government tried to appoint senior officials who were unqualified in Mandarin into Chinese-language primary schools (Lee, 2008). Therefore this issue incensed the Chinese community, which saw the move as an attempt to change the character of Chinese schools through administrative changes (Keng, 2005). Below is the timeline of the Operasi Lalang 1987:

Addition to (Keng, 2005) articles, in a memorandum to the ministry, education group Dong Jiao Zong stressed that the issue was not based on race but on the inappropriateness of the teachers appointed. It added that "we are willing to accept any teacher of any race as long as he or she is qualified in Mandarin". The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had refused to budge on the governments appointment of non-Mandarin educated principals and senior assistants to vernacular schools in 1987, despite strident protests from Chinese educationists when he was Education Minister (Chieh, 2012). The sensitive issues were widespread in the Malay and Chinese newspaper, the issues that ignited the 13th May Tragedy would happen again (PASPB : Himpunan Berita Politik Pakatan Rakyat, 2011): 1. Lee Kim Sai claimed that Melayu pun pendatang, in simpler words, the Malays also the outsider of the Malaysia. Thus, the Bumiputeras Special Right being questioned. 2. The action made by the Education Ministry that appointed 100 principles of non Mandarin education at the Chinese School has triggered unsatisfactory among Chinese Education Association like Dong Jiau Zong, Kua Kia Soong and others. 3. Dong Jiau Zong, Democratic Action Party (DAP) Movement and leader of MCA were agreed to maintain the style of Chinese education system. 4. On October 11, 1987, a total of 2000 members of Dong Zong Jiau gathered at Wisma Hainan Association next to Thian Hou Temple Kuala Lumpur. They were proposed a boycott toward the school for 3 days. 5. Based on the timeline above, on the October 13, MCA and Gerakan waver about the event, the cabinet committee was set up and the boycott called off. 14th October, 30 000 students boycott classes regardless, they did not care about the called off. 6. Then the racial provocative UMNO Youth rally mobilises 20 000 in Kuala Lumpur on October 17. However, on October 18 armed Malay soldier runs amok in Chow Kit, kills or injuries the civilians, raises the tension until capture (Operasi Lalang in 1987 Part 1, 2011). 7. Next day, on October 19 Anwar Ibrahim reiterates Chinese school policy threaten action against protestors, the protest escalate. The day of Operasi Lalang being carried out, on October 27. 107 individuals being detained and four newspaper closed within a week.

What was the impact on the media? Malaysia is a multiracial, multi religion and diverse of cultural lifestyles that being exposed towards various threat before Independence. For instance, during the Japans Occupations, the government had to declare Darurat on 1948 (Operasi Lalang in 1987 - Part 1, 2011). This includes the rigid social and political conditions under which Malaysia has been governed since its independence in 1957. Reporters without Borders placed Malaysia 131st on its 2009 ranking of press freedom, just ahead of Singapore and directly behind Thailand. A total of 175 countries make up the list. Opportunities to conduct political communication through new media are of particular relevance in view of these relationships (Knirsch & Kratzenstein, 2010). The 1987 Operation Lalang, which was designed to contain and marginalize the opposition, can be mentioned in illustration. In the course of this police operation, 106 opposition leaders, activists and academics were jailed under the much-discussed Internal Security Act (ISA) of 1960 around forty of them for approximately two years. Along with these mass arrests, four newspapers also had their licenses revoked (Knirsch & Kratzenstein, 2010). The two licensed daily newspapers are The Star and Sin Chew Jit Poh where as two weekly newspapers are The Sunday Star and Watan (PASPB : Himpunan Berita Politik Pakatan Rakyat, 2011). To regain their publishing license, the resignation of certain journalists had to be submitted to the newspapers (Knirsch & Kratzenstein, 2010). When asked to decide the guilt or innocence of the ISA, the audience was agreed in finding the ISA guilty of grave injustices. Consequently, a list of demands of the government was drawn up (Lee, 2008). Abolish the ISA Free all current ISA detainees or try them in court Compensate ISA detainees Close the Kamunting Detention Camp Issue an apology to detainees Free the media Establish a truth and reconciliation commission

These, it is worth noting, were demands, not calls for government action or requests. What was evident at the commemoration was an abandonment of faith in the structures of the Malaysian state which ought to have been responsible for the administration of justice and the protection of the citizenry from abuses of power. Instead, these structures were seen to facilitate the opposite (Lee, 2008).

Bibliography

Chieh, Y. H. (2012, April 3). Anuar Refused to Resolve Chinese School Issue 1987. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from The Malaysian Insider Web Site: http://themalaysianinsider.com/anuarrefused-to-resolve-chinese-school-issue-1987/ Fadli, A. (2011, February 9). Mahathir Bohong Mengenai Operasi Lalang - Mohamad Sabu. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Keadilan Daily Web Site: http://www.keadilandaily.com/mahathir-bohong-mengenai-operasi-lalang/ Fadli, A. (2011, February 10). Ops Lalang Mustahil Mahathir ikut Telunjuk Polis. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from Keadilan Daily Web Site: http://www.keadilandaily.com/ops-lalangmustahil-mahathir-ikut-telunjuk-polis/ Ilham, N. (2011, February 17). ISA Dr M Dihantui Dosa Silam. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Keadilan Daily Web Site: http://www.keadilandaily.com/isa-dr-m-dihantui-dosa-silam/ Keng, K. S. (2005, October 27). Racial Tension a Fabrication. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from Malaysia Kini Web Site: http://azure.mkini.net/news/42348/ Knirsch, T. S., & Kratzenstein, P. (2010). Press Freedom, New Media, and Political Communication in Malaysia - A Society in Flux. Press Freedom, New Media, and Political Communication in Malaysia , 96-106. Lee, J. C. (2008, January 1). Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Operasi Lalang. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from Aliran Web Site: http://aliran.com/383.html Operasi Lalang in 1987 - Part 1. (2011, July 8). Retrieved April 20, 2012, from Jebat Must Die: http://jebatmustdie.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/whitepaper4.jpg. PASPB : Himpunan Berita Politik Pakatan Rakyat. (2011, February 12). Retrieved April 19, 2012, from PASPB Web Site: http://paspb2.blogspot.com/2011/02/imbasan-operasi-lalang1987.html. Yi, B. L. (2005, October 27). Black Days of Operasi Lalang. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from Malaysia Kini Web Site: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/42346