Media attacked by former DAP Wanita Secretary Ipoh Barat and Branch Chairman

editor3 | Jul 11, 2012 | Comments 0

  

 

Held for almost 2 hours in the car is not a joke.The incident that happened on the 26th June 2012 at Taman Kaya, Ipoh Garden East really gave me a  shock to see the real attitude of the former DAP Wanita Secretary of Ipoh Barat, the Branch Chairman of Ipoh Garden East and the residents of Taman Kaya. But what really disappointed me so much was the former DAP leaders of Taman Kaya, Ipoh Garden East behaving in a mob kind of a attitude or to put it in simple words they were acting more like “samsengs.” I thought that they were really educated and civilized people, but no they were not! When this incident happened they were still holding the position as DAP leaders.

First and foremost let me relate how I got myself into that situation. I am not sure if many of you know about the Taman Kaya issue that was going on for the past 6 months. If you are not aware of it go to this blog, weehingthong.wordpress.com and read the issue on Taman Kaya. It is all about the gated community and some problems there. So as a blogger and a 3rd editor from MediaPerak, I thought that I would like to go to Taman Kaya and see for myself exactly what was happening. Anything wrong with that? That is the work of the media, press or reporters to go and see for themselves with their own eyes and not trusting on what people have said. Seeing is believing right? And most of all if you are seeing it with your own eyes and you have it on your video cam!

So to get into Taman Kaya, I will definitely not be able to go in because I am not a resident there. I asked a resident who was staying there to take me and my other colleague in. I told him that I had read and heard so much about Taman Kaya and that I wanted to have a look with my own eyes. I do not want to believe everything that I have read on the blog and also in the newspapers. So the resident drove us and we got down from the car and took some photos of the surrounding area in Taman Kaya. So after taking the photos we wanted to head back to the car. There was this lady who saw us taking the photos and she started to take out her hand phone and started calling all the residents to come.

We headed back to the car but I stopped to get down to take a shot of something that caught my eye. Being a former English teacher, I taught that something was wrong with the sentence that was on the banner. So I took a picture of it. I was about to leave when I saw a group of people heading angrily towards us. One man was even carrying an umbrella. Another was carrying a camera and shouting so angrily.

Then this woman came running like a woman who was out of her mind. She was shouting with all kinds of words in Chinese. Very, very abusive words. The branch chairman too uttered terrible vulgar words.They came towards our car and started shouting angrily at me and my colleague.Were trying to open our car doors. Imagine that!

They asked us where we were from and we said that we were from MediaPerak. And asked us what are we doing here? What a stupid and foolish question to ask us? Definitely media people are there to do a coverage. We could not have a conversation with them because they were so wild, rude and angry towards us. What are they doing so illegal in Taman Kaya that they wanted to confiscate my video cam?

By that time the residents have all come out from their houses and they said that we cannot leave that Taman until they call the reporters from other press to come. The wild lady instigated everyone and everybody was merely shouting at us in abusive Chinese and English language. They surrounded our car and some fat women sat on the bonnet of the car refusing to move their butt off the car. Even this wild woman who is the former  DAP Wanita Secretary of Ipoh Barat did the same thing.Putting her butt on other people’s car and refusing to let us go. With all her body language and the style of a “samseng” attitude, I wonder how DAP had such leaders as DAP Wanita Secretary of Ipoh Barat. It is a real shame to have such leaders in DAP.

On what grounds and on what power did she held us in the car for almost two hours.Has she forgotten that she had held back to mediaperak editors and on top of that calling us names such as “Indian Pariah” reporter and “Malay Kui!”  Imagine leaders treating the media like this!They even threatened to confiscate our video camera and also my hand phone. They were trying to open the car door to snatch away our things. It was a day where I saw mobs or “samsengs” ruling the street of Taman Kaya. I was really taken aback with such abusive and vulgar comments coming from both the former DAP leaders. What kind of a culture is this? Intimidating others with a racist comment.

Me and my colleague and the resident who drove us in his car was held in the car for almost two hours. The resident had to call the police. The police came but they overpowered the police. The police could not do anything. The policeman were saying that it was wrong for them and against the law to stop us like that. She said it is not wrong and she wanted the police to hear what she got to say.We wanted to go and make a police report but they would not let us go out.

We could only come out of the car after 5 patrol cars arrived. Imagine that! She was behaving more like a man than a woman. Being a woman myself I was so embarrassed to see how a woman with such a powerful standing behaving like a “samseng” and a mentally let loosed person on the street of Taman Kaya. We have the videos to prove it. All captured on action.

The residents there were all “Yes” man to her. The Star reported that the “residents said that we the media people were there to give a negative statement of the Taman Kaya project. Till today we have not written anything negative of Taman Kaya. We had nothing to write. I had nothing to write. All about Taman Kaya gated community issue and their problems had already been written in the weehingthong.wordpress.com blog.

But what I got to write is the intimidation as a media person that I went through the ordeal of being humiliated, embarrassed, threatened, falsely accused, saying that we were bought to write false news, abusive words and a racist statement made against me as a media person. How can this woman stop the media from doing the coverage and even  wanted to take away my video camera and my hand phone? There was even this resident taking his camera and snapping a lot of my photos from the front view of the  car and also by the side view of the car. You know how I felt?

We called for the DAP leaders to come and help us out of being stranded here, but you know what was the reply of one YB? He said he cannot come because those people were his voters! What about me and my colleague?  I am really very disappointed over this issue. This YB should have shown his leadership by trying to come and settle things. If this issue also cannot be handled how to trust and cast my vote!

Do not tell me not to associate this incident with DAP! They are leaders holding powerful position in the party and they were behaving like “samsengs” on the street. I did put this incident on my Facebook hoping that some concern leaders from DAP will come up to me and asked me what actually happened? Till today it has already been two weeks already and not one DAP leader came forward to ask me what happened because they were afraid to get themselves involved into this matter and also because of their seats in the coming 13 GE. Hell with you leaders and really disappointed that  you leaders did not take the issue of the people seriously and did not show your true leadership.

If this incident was done by UMNO/BN against we the media people, I bet so many the leaders would have come forward to get themselves involved to show how much they care for the media people.  All for their own selfish political agenda. They would have gone all out to tarnish UMNO/BN. Just because it involved their own party leaders and their own kind they just mum about the incident. Rules applies to everyone. Do not bend the rules to suit yourselves. A true leader with integrity would have come forward and settle the matter professionally. Till today there is none. Lost my confidence.

jasmine.c