Stop speculation over murder

THE public, politicians and the media, should refrain from sensationalism and speculation in the murder of Datuk Sosilawati and three others.

Enough has been said and the priority should now be to give the police time and peace of mind to conduct thorough investigations to bring to book the culprits.

Let the police complete their investigations professionally so that the case can be successfully prosecuted. Sensationalism and speculation will not bring back the dead but justice must be allowed to take its course devoid of influence.

Let the police gather all the evidence they need to ensure a credible prosecution of the case. Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail is right when he expressed concern over the murder probe blown out of proportion.

It is only common sense that statements made by several parties on the case would jeopardise investigations.

The media should report only the facts and refrain from speculation.

Like Gani, I also think everyone should follow the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar’s advice to cool down and leave the police to do their work.

Last Sunday, Ismail advised the media to stop reporting on speculation but to wait for police confirmation on any evidence.

The media had reported that two graves were found in the farm, the scene of the Banting murders.

Police have recovered bones and other evidence, and had picked up eight people, two of them lawyers, to help investigations.

When making a journalistic killing can be unethical

THE media went to town with the murders of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsudin, bank officer Noorhisham Mohd and lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim.

This tragic incident filled the front pages of most newspapers and prime-time news bulletins since the murders were first revealed. The news continues to dominate the inside pages of dailies.

Such overwhelming coverage is not surprising given that violence and murder are deemed shocking and outrageous by society’s norms. But equally important is that violence and killings are also the very stuff that qualifies the so-called "news value" of tragedy, violence and calamity.

And to be sure, a crime like this one, which involved not only the snuffing out of lives but especially the alleged burning of human bodies, inevitably sparked a media frenzy. Crime news, especially ones that have the elements of sex and violence, also sells newspapers and other media.

And herein lies the problem. In the desire to attract more readers (or viewers), the media not only report the crime but also carry reports with elements of sensationalism, which may contravene journalistic ethics. In an economy where private media exist and whose survival is dependent on profits, sensationalist reporting can come into play even at the expense of ethical and responsible journalism.

Sensationalist journalism is one that exaggerates certain aspects of an incident or issue to attract and shock the audience.

It should be of concern to us all when the police took exception, for instance, to a report that alleged that Sosilawati and friends were "slaughtered", which wasn’t the case. The police rightly warned the parties concerned because of the sensationalist slant given to the murder case. The ghastly, especially when it was not true, may well hurt the feelings of the families of the deceased and enrage readers and friends of the murdered individuals.

It was equally malicious and mischievous of a certain report that alleged that Sosilawati was raped. This may make good copy but it runs counter to the ethics of good journalism.

Reporting of crimes should consider the following questions when pondering over the issue of ethical journalism: was the coverage of the story responsible, balanced, and fair? Did the media respect the rights and interests of the people being reported, and their families and friends, or was it too intrusive? Why did the media devote so much space to it and why did it take this angle when there were other options?

The Sosilawati murder case has also been covered with much enthusiasm because it involves a high-profile individual. In other words, this story meets the requirement of yet another news value, ie news that involves famous and powerful people. However, this inherently elitist approach to reporting has been criticised: if human life is sacred, why shouldn’t the death of an ordinary person be given similar emphasis or treatment as that of a VIP?

But journalistic ethics does not only encounter problems in crime reporting. Issues of ethnicity and religion also pose ethical dilemma and challenges to responsible journalists in Malaysia.

When a rabid and racist politician espouses his or her extremist stand in public, shouldn’t such articulation be dutifully reported? Or, in the name of ethnic harmony, should it be ignored? Such racist expression should be covered, but not necessarily using or quoting the exact inflammatory words. This is because shutting the racist up is tantamount to sweeping the dirt under the carpet. At the same time, a responsible journalist should also conscientiously seek the voice of moderation and reason to counter the racist statement.

Besides, this is to help readers understand better a particular issue from a broad range of perspectives, as opposed to only pandering to the egos of the extremist elements in society.

It is also hoped that balanced coverage of controversial issues of ethnicity and religion would go a long way towards encouraging discussions and debates in a civilised fashion.

In the case of the cow-head protest in Shah Alam, some media organisations had covered it as well as getting responses from government leaders, politicians and other concerned Malaysians. While this may be considered fair and adequate coverage, the media should also provide space for those ordinary people who relentlessly strive to build bridges. This is apart from providing the larger context to this conflict, which is essential to a deeper understanding of the issue.

In this particular incident, there was a small group of primarily Muslims who came to a Hindu temple to offer flowers and peace to the affected Hindu community in the vicinity. And yet, very few media organisations covered this socially and politically significant event. If this incident was covered, journalists would have helped in the local communities’ effort to build bridges and at the same time fulfilling their professional commitment to seeking truth and social justice.

DR. MUSTAFA K. Anuar teaches journalism at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Police arrest 7 over death of contractor

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21, 2010): The murder of a millionaire building contractor whose body was found in Kepong last month has been solved with the arrest of seven men over the past two days.

In a case which shared similarities with the death of Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, the body of Borhan Sulong was found on Aug 30 at Taman Ehsan Jaya, Desa Jaya, on the day he was supposed to meet several men to discuss a deal.

The family of 46-year-old victim, who was also the director of several constructions companies and the owner of at least two fish farms, had lodged a missing person report with police just a day before his body was recovered by police

A member of public alerted the police after spotting the body which was neatly wrapped in a large plastic bag and dumped in the area by his killers.

The victim was slashed and his left arm was almost severed after he was believed to have put up a struggle.

Although there were no identification papers on the victim's body, police managed to identify the man as the contractor two days later from his thumbprints.

Gombak police chief ACP Abdul Rahim Abdullah said the case was considered solved with the arrest of the seven men which included two Indonesians aged between 19 and 40 who were picked up from several areas in the Klang Valley over the past two days.

He said one of the suspects led police to an undergrowth located beside a plastic recycling warehouse where the alleged murder had taken place before the victim's body was dumped at the spot where it was found.

He said police also found two parangs at the scene which the suspects had allegedly used to slash the victim.

Abdul Rahim said investigators also learnt that the suspects, who have been remanded for seven days, were also involved in several robbery cases in the Klang Valley.

He said initial investigations showed that the victim was carrying a large amount of cash when he met the suspects to seek a favour.

It is believed that his killers had turned on him on seeing the cash.

The suspects were also said to have used the millionaire's Mercedes Benz to dump his body and sold the car to an unknown individual in another state.

Asked if the case had any links to Sosilawati's murder, Abdul Rahim said: "Our findings show both cases are separate and unrelated in any way."

Bar Council has limited powers

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21, 2010): The enforcement powers of the Malaysian Bar Council are limited to the professional conduct of their members, said its president Ragunath Kesavan.

"The Bar Council does not have the authority to inquire into the private conduct of individuals who are lawyers by profession, including matters relating to their private lives.

"Our powers are very limited. As a statutory body, they are limited to only supervising and overseeing the professional practice of lawyers," he said today.

Ragunath said matters relating to private bank accounts or other assets that might be owned by a lawyer come under the jurisdiction of other bodies.

"Other enforcement agencies such as the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara or the Inland Revenue Board have the mandate to conduct such investigations," he said.

Ragunath went on to say that any individual could search for records of any lawyer on the Bar Council website.

"Any search on the lawyer’s name will produce their records, which will contain whatever information we have," he said.

He said the public could also call up the Bar Council offices during office hours to check the credentials of a lawyer.

Ragunath said information from the public was needed for the council to investigate or exercise its powers, which included the ability to take over a firm or strike a lawyer off the rolls.

"If there are any reports of misconduct, we have the power to take over the lawyer’s practice under Section 88(1) of the Legal Profession Act," he said.

"The Disciplinary Board undertakes a rigorous inquiry into each instance of alleged misconduct by lawyers. On average, 30 lawyers were struck off during each of the past five years," he said.

He said in cases where lawyers were convicted of serious offences such as corruption, fraud or murder, the lawyers were disbarred after a Bar Council inquiry.

Ragunath said that the key suspects in the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya, 47, and three others were disbarred in November last year.

However, their disbarment was postponed due to a stay of execution granted by the High Court.

Sosilawati, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, went missing on Aug 30.

Police have discovered that the four were killed, their bodies burnt and the ashes strewn into rivers near Ladang Gadong, Tanjung Sepat, near Banting.

Ragunath said he was concerned that undue allegations or speculations could affect investigations and court proceedings.

"We urge the media to ensure that the rights of all parties, including the detained, are protected," he said.

"A charged person is innocent until proven guilty," he added.