CIJ is optimistic that the general elections will be motivate not only the Barisan Nasional but also the DAP, PAS, PKR and PSM to take the voters' mandate and institute reforms in the way information is disseminated and expressed in Malaysia.

Interpreting the results of the 12^th General Elections

The resounding defeat of the Barisan Nasional, which has been denied a two-third majority at the Federal level, is also an indication of how the people have rejected the propaganda spun by the mainstream media, in particular the newspapers and television and radio stations. While the propaganda worked in the previous general elections, especially in 1999 following the financial and political crisis that hit the country, this time, the public rejected the messages and saw through the lies and misleading information. It also serves to remind us that the expiry date for non-transparent practices has long passed and its time for all pillars of the state to take responsibility for their decisions.

Road map for the next five years

The reclaiming of the citizens' rights in the electoral process should not be taken lightly. While the political parties will spend the next few weeks reviewing their performance, it is important to

1. Parliament should review media and information laws

The rejection of the messages from the media and the Barisan Nasional advertisements is a signal that the ruling coalition has to relax its controls over the media and get rid of the outdated, arbitrary and even draconian control mechanisms.

Among others, we hope Parliament will provide the room to review laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Official Secrets Act, Sedition Act, and the Internal Security Act. The BN front and backbenchers should take the lead in conducting a frank and honest assessment of their traditional hawkish approaches towards dissent, the role of the media, expression and people's right to assemble. The Opposition in Parliament now has significant strength to hold the government accountable for decisions made that affect freedom of information and freedom of expression and demand that Parliament debates these issues.

2. Open decisions and greater accountability

We have seen numerous decisions made behind closed doors and with no public consultation or expert advice, a practice that clearly benefits few at the expense of the common interest. CIJ has monitored trends in political control over the media, the arbitrary decisions by the Internal Security Ministry in “threatening” editorial independence and other decisions to ban books and publications that are unreasonable. We look forward to a more open

3. Media bosses need to rethink their role

It is also high time that the media bosses did their own review and rethinking because of the dismal record in discharging their duties. In other words, the mainstream media must go back to their fundamental rationale – journalism - and not as the mouthpiece of the ruling coalition. Editors must strive to improve the integrity of the institution and restore public confidence in the media, which has been severely affected by bad editorial decisions. The public deserves better journalism and their votes against the propaganda should serve as a wake up call to media bosses that they need to change so that they too are not irrelevant like some of the political parties.

4. New spaces for media and expression

The political developments should see the opening up of spaces for local media, pressures to reform laws that govern media and information. We urge the new state governments to prove their worth by encouraging community media to flourish and to be proactive in engaging state radio and TV stations to broadcast state meetings and public discussions as well as other public interest issues. State governments can allocate grants and other financial support for communities to have their own media, paving the way for more diverse and dynamic expression of people's views and exchange of information.