If the holy scriptures go by different names - Holy Bible, Quran, Torah or the Sutras - then robbers, thieves and liars speak only through the SIN Chew group of newspapers. Why? The giant Chinese media publishing house in Malaysia and Papua New Guinea work on the tried and tested business concept modelled after the world's oldest profession.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

By I Love Malaysia

Yes, SIN Chew daily, Guang Ming, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press - all controlled by Sarawak tycoon Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King's Rimbunan Hijau - are the antithesis of what good journalism is all about. While others stand for objectivity and accuracy, for the SIN Chew group, spreading lies and character assasination is a corporate culture.

Of late, it has been interfering in the internal affairs of MCA - the first time in history a vernacular newspaper is involved in trying to shape the landscape of a political party. One example was when SIN Chew Daily ran a scathing attack on Ong Tee Keat, calling him "the worst president in MCA's history". Published in its Nov 2 issue, the timing was clearly to influence the outcome of the MCA Central Committee meeting to endorse the Greater Unity Plan on the same day.

But why is the SIN Chew group so adamant in departing from the basic tenets of the Fourth Estate? To understand, one needs to go back a little bit in history, more specifically to 2001. At that time, MCA, under Ling Liong Sik, acquired a stake in Nanyang Publishing group. The deal, besides to enrich the pockets of Tun Dr Ling, was a backdoor, well-planned move by Tan Sri Tiong to allow his SIN Chew group to take over its rival, hence forming an effective monopoly of Malaysia's Chinese newspaper industry in the Peninsula.

But one man was out to stop the takeover. His name is Ong Tee Keat, then a political pariah and head of the MCA Youth. He called an EGM in his wing then which resoundingly rejected Tun Ling's decision to acquire Nanyang group and then sell it off to Tan Sri Tiong with a handsome commission to boot.

Following the ruckus created by the MCA Youth wing, the plan to form a monopoly of Chinese newspapers in Peninsula faltered, much to the dismay of Tan Sri Tiong and CC Liew, SIN Chew's MD. In fact, the newspaper on May 29, 2001, even issued a media statement which denied it had planned to take over Nanyang. All this, of course, was just a show when eventually, Liong Sik's protege and successor, Ong Ka Ting sold off MCA's stake to SIN Chew (http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/7/business/20080407102514&sec=business).

But the damage had been done on Ong Tee Keat. Since then, he's become top of CC Liew and Tan Sri Tiong's hate-list. The problem is compounded because CC Liew and Ong Ka Ting have been close buddies since the latter was a Parliamentary Secretary in the Home Ministry, who often called up editors on what stories to run or not to. In fact, Ka Ting was already known as Super Editor then.

(In fact, Ka Ting was the one who influenced Dr Mahathir to instruct Hong Leong boss Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan to sell off Nanyang's stake to MCA. Ka Ting did so by selectively translating the news item and brought it to Dr M's attention. And then Ka Ting blamed Tan Sri Quek's newspapers for BN's by-election defeat in Lunas due to the Vision School issue as well as portraying Tan Sri Quek as a crony of Anwar Ibrahim.)

When Ka Ting became the MCA president, he further cultivated Tan Sri Tiong, CC Liew and Kuik Cheng Kang, the white-haired senior editor from SIN Chew by giving them exclusive stories, including Cabinet decisions that made the government look bad. This was done largely through a junior reporter, Ms Kuok, who had an office to file her stories in the Housing and Local Government Ministry, where Ka Ting was boss.

During MCA's Team A-Team B crisis, Kuik would assign Ms Kuok for Team A and give prominence to the faction in the paper. Those who returned from press conferences by Team B, especially those held by Ong Tee Keat, were often grilled on whether they had gotten their facts right, so much so that they did not want to cover such events anymore. For his effort, Kuik was given two houses - a banglo and a semi-D - in Puchong by Ka Ting, courtesy of IOI Bhd's Tan Sri Lee Chin Seng, Ka Ting's good friend.

With SIN Chew now firmly in control of the Chinese newspapers, instructions went out that Tee Keat must be nailed at all costs. CC Liew did this through his lover of three decades, NC Siew, the Deputy MD of SIN Chew. Day in, day out, the stable of newspapers churn out lies that portray Tee Keat as the worst president the MCA ever had. It even picked up poison-pen letters attacking the MCA president, which CC Liew and Leong Tang Chong (former MCA legal bureau head) themselves wrote, and treated them as the gospel truth.

Guang Ming Daily, a member of the SIN Chew group not only ran a false story on page 1, it even carried the picture of The Star's headquarters in Section 13 - a building which has no direct link whatsoever with the controversy. It spun lies that UTAR students would be evicted, but the truth was The Star was going to build a larger campus for the students to accommodate the university's growing needs (http://www.theedgemalaysia.com/political-news/153750-star-to-house-utar-3-radio-stations-in-section-13.html).

But of course SIN Chew, which was closed down during Operasi Lallang in 1987, was not interested in the truth. It only wanted to promote the agenda of the MCA Ong Brothers to topple Tee Keat. And helping them is SIN Chew executive director Rita Sim. The former Wanita MCA deputy sec-gen is a lackey of Ka Ting who appointed her to the SIN Chew post. Because she is the ED, she has a say on how SIN Chew is run.

During his tenure, Ka Ting also appointed Rita as deputy chairman of MCA's think-tank, INSAP and gave her a litany of directorships in public listed companies. And unlike others who are more subtle in the attacks against Tee Keat, Rita made no bones about her dislike for the MCA president, penning articles in The Edge Weekly and the NST attacking the political party which made her what she is today. In her recent piece in the NST, she even made criminally false representation that she was from INSAP when she had already quit the post months earlier. Her falsehood was revealed by bloggers, including Ti Lian Ker (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/18/nation/5131236&sec=nation).

Clearly, the SIN Chew group had an evil agenda to topple Ong Tee Keat. It practices Journalism of Prostitution. It doesn't care about what is right or wrong anymore. For the sake of the Ong Brothers, it is prepared to bring journalism to a whore new low.

Comments (26)

...
written by ROSSONERI, November 28, 2009 15:41:25

same all story from UMNO, just can't wait for the 13th GE to teach them a very good lesson about the people's power!!! did what they thought were right for their own's sake but the PR will enact the LAW which will be retrospective in effect so that the UMNO's falsehood will be witness by their own siblings...

• 
• +4
• 
• 

...
written by KELVIN308, November 26, 2009 20:29:23

This is good piece for The Corridors of Power!
The truth is Rita SIm consistently BASHING mca under OTK leadership.

• 
• +7
• 
• 

...
written by Fart Fart Wah, November 26, 2009 16:37:11

It reflects a chinese mentality towards everything...money..mistresses and power.....

Well....you recieve the Karma...as they say....

• 
• +7
• 
• 

...
written by SocratesI, November 25, 2009 22:45:30

Rita Sim is a perfect example of an UMNOputra, and a Barisan Najis crony ! She has a company called "Polychem" and she uses this to get contracts from Petronas. Basically, she is no more than a minion of her political masters, the Ong brothers.
.

• 
• +19
• 
• 

...
written by anon, November 25, 2009 17:23:20

But the damage had been done on Ong Tee Keat. Since then, he's become top of CC Liew and Tan Sri Tiong's hate-list.
------------------------
Typo error: it should read .... hit- list.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by mob1900, November 25, 2009 15:25:26

The more we stay AWAY from talking about MCA the faster they will disappear! Just like Freddy Krueger in from Elm street.

• 
• +13
• 
• 

...
written by capricorn, November 25, 2009 13:04:22

Well you have Utusan for UMNO and Sin Chew for the crooks of MCA...........So both the papers should be used to wrap rubbish and thrown away

• 
• +15
• 
• 

...
written by non conformist, November 25, 2009 09:29:03

Is this article translated into Chinese yet?
Could someone please do it...

Thanks.

• 
• +21
• 
• 

...
written by asguard, November 25, 2009 09:27:18

MCA now ....is vampire (UMNO) latest victims... after having .... gone into the graveyard....

• 
• +13
• 
• 

...
written by Kamikaze, November 25, 2009 09:03:18

Ditch Sin Chew, read Oriental

• 
• +26
• 
• 

...
written by peace, November 25, 2009 08:59:52

Do you people notice THE STAR NEWSPAPER published the word "MALAY-SIAN" instead of "MALAYSIAN" nowaday? One MALAY-SIA or One MALAYSIA? For Malay only or for all Malaysian?

• 
• +9
• 
• 

...
written by Taikohtai, November 25, 2009 08:49:21

MCA is now operating as nothing but a Chinese opera house these days.....cheng-cheng-cheng tok cheng!!
Mind you, they do have actors of the highest calibre such as CSL, porn star and now, cry babies in the Youth wings.
Yes, MCA is always a show to distract the Malaysian chinese so that the bosses can plunder away. So lets all treat MCA is just a show, full of costumes and make-up and make belief stories and of course, loud drums, cymbals, flutes and here we go again:
Cheng, Cheng, Cheng! Tok Cheng! Tok, Tok, Tok Cheng!!!

• 
• +20
• 
• 

...
written by Bigjoe99, November 25, 2009 07:12:10

Best way to kill papers like these is to roll out the internet. Its why I think BN not serious in rolling out the internet. They really afraid of it. Die if no one buys MSM anymore...

• 
• +17
• 
• 

...
written by anakwatanKL, November 25, 2009 07:08:24

Ahhhh.... the way I see it, It's only an insult in this 21st century, an educated true blood Malaysian is going to be dogged to ensure the survival of his father's race and ideologies.

Malaysia is unique and general well-being of every Malaysian should be looked into and not the survival of one's own race. Even an aethist knows this common sense. But as I see it, MONEY does blind people of this common sense. Sounds idealistic, I bet. It's the highway if one is true to themselves and to their religious teachings. The Malays may excuse, "Ahhhh..... people are weak.." True.... but you cannot stay in your cushy seat and not do anything. When the Almighty asks, you are going to falter in yr answer........

• 
• +7
• 
• 

...
written by flexus, November 25, 2009 02:35:28

MCA died when they caught that man 'whats his name' with his pants down

• 
• +7
• 
• 

...
written by Oscar Winner, November 25, 2009 01:53:25

Fcuk MCA and supporters for causing misery,
To the ignorant chinese all and sundry.
Everything they say is a cock and bull story,
Always hoodwink and never feel sorry.
Very soon MCA will become history,
Next polls definitely not a single victory,
.....just you wait and see

• 
• +32
• 
• 

...
written by Beng, November 25, 2009 01:04:42

There may be some good and sincere people still in MCA. But as a whole. MCA is dead. Who cares what becomes of this party. It is not relevant to the Malaysian Chinese anymore. It exist only to be AMNO's dog.

• 
• +29
• 
• 

...
written by Fuminari, November 25, 2009 00:06:34

who cares??none of the dogs is relevant.
the water can definitely goes without fish,but these mother fcuking mca fishes can't go without water.
let them become dried fish.

• 
• +27
• 
• 

...
written by Msian Idol3, November 24, 2009 23:52:15

Never buy that brand of toilet paper. As a matter of fact I don't read all MSM papers anymore. More fun & truth in MT, Msiakini, Msia Insider.

• 
• +25
• 
• 

...
written by sydput, November 24, 2009 23:05:31

I'd better start eating the same diet as these sarawkians. Even UMNO dare not go into sarawak. As for chinese matters, those guys from Miri and sibu have their peninsular brethrens licked.
By the way, this bozo who controls all chinese newspaper in Malaysia also own the SUN in Malaysia, the EDGE in Malaysia and singapore and the south china morning post in hong kong.
What did they put in the sarawak laksa anyway? Anyone knows? Or is it ikan terubok. yummy.

• 
• +19
• 
• 

...
written by Spear Bing, November 24, 2009 23:04:14

Told you so, the MCA Chinese-educated politicians and goons are selfish lot, breathing with egoistic self-interest and habitually parochial, trifling, and idiotic.

MCA HAS TO BE TRANSFORMED AND OVERHAULED. Better still bury under the ground or ship it to Jurassic Park.

• 
• +29
• 
• 

...
written by Zym Zym, November 24, 2009 22:59:16

Wow, this is MCA's version of "Raising the Red Lantern"! So, OKT is the "Oh Kui Thau (pimp) after all huh.

• 
• +20
• 
• 

...
written by a guest, November 24, 2009 22:46:22

who even bothers with the traditional local media (print, TV, etc.) anymore?? They are just BN or political-affiliated propaganda machineries -- some of the professional journalists there need to brush up and re-learn about "Journalism Ethics and Standards 101".

Until then, Go Green... Save a Tree!
Refuse -- don't buy local papers; Recycle -- put them in the recycling bin!

• 
• +28
• 
• 

...
written by Ocassey, November 24, 2009 22:38:08

MCA ONLY REPRESENTS THOSE THAT YOU SEE PRESENT DURING THEIR CONVENTIONS AND AGMs.
THOSE ARE THE ONLY CHINESE THAT MCA REPRESENTS.

ALL THOSE THAT YOU DO NOT SEE IN THOSE CONVENTIONS AND AGMs ARE NEVER SUPPORTING THE MCA PARTY.

ALL THE REST WHO ARE OF CHINESE DESCENDS HAVE NOT BEEN VOTING FOR THAT PARTY SINCE 51369.

• 
• +18
• 
• 

...
written by loosecannon, November 24, 2009 22:19:09

I didn't realise that there are so many political prostitutes in MCA. The whole opera show in MCA is all about greed for money and power. Umno sure taught them a lot or it is the other way round? Thank you I love Malaysia for your article. Chinese will now know who to vote for in the next GE without feeling guilty on abandoning the MCA.

• 
• +43
• 
• 

...
written by eloofk, November 24, 2009 21:53:41

Political parties within a Political Party! What an excitement. Let them destroy one another for all we care.

• 
• +48
• 
•