Warga Amerika Pun Ramai Yang Tonton Al-Jazeera

Nama stesyen television Aljazerra kembali disebut-sebut seiring dengan krisis politik di Mesir. Bahkan masyarakat di Amerika Syarikat lebih memilih Aljazeera sebagai stesyen television dunia untuk mengetahui perkembangan terkini dari bumi Mesir itu.

Pengarah Urusan stesyen television yang beribu-pejabat di Qatar itu, Al Anstey, menyatakan pihak White House (Rumah Putih) banyak yang menonton Aljazeera edisi bahasa Inggeris.

“Banyak orang di Amerika Syarikat memilih kami untuk kali pertama. Sehingga meningkatkan tekanan kepada operator dan kami menjadi pilihan masyarakat untuk ditonton,” jelas Anstey seperti dikutip Reuters, Sabtu (5/2/2011).

Keadaan ini seperti amat bertentangan jika dibanding keadaan sebelumnya, padahal Aljazeera sempat dituding sebagai steyen television anti-Amerika, terutama dalam pemberitaan mengenai Timur Tengah. Namun Aljazeera tetap mendapat tempat terutama di kalangan warga Arab sejak pertama kali muncul pada 1996 lepas.

Pemerintah Mesir sendiri sudah menghentikan operasi Aljazeera sejak bersemaraknya demonstrasi anti-Pemerintahan Husni Mubarak. Beberapa wartawannya ditangkap.

Keadaan yang sama juga pernah terjadi ketika liputan serangan Israel ke Gaza, Palestin, pada 2008 lalu. -okezone

Ulasan GB

Sewaktu perhimpunan Bersih 1.0 dahulu di Kuala Lumpur, GB masih teringat bagaimana seorang menteri kabinet Malaysia yang ditemuramah oleh stesyen TV AlJazeera...

l Jazeera: Why are protesters being sprayed with Chemical filled water?

Zainuddin Maidin: I am watching, I hear. It is not as what you have been trying to do this, to do it everywhere but in Malaysia people are laugh you. We know our Police at last have allowed this procession to go to Istana Negara you know. Do Police, First Police might be have handled them with tear gas. Police don’t, don’t fire anybody.

Al Jazeera: Our correspondent came back to our office with chemicals in his eyes...

Zainuddin Maidin: This is the way, your idea is that what you are trying to project what is your mind, you think we are Pakistan, we are Burma, we are Myanmar. Your thinking.

Al Jazeera: Well unfortunately when you refused to let people to protest, it does appear so.

Zainuddin Maidin: That is why we are not like you. That is why you have early perception. You come here and you want to project us as like undemocratic country. This is a democratic country.

Al Jazeera: So why can’t people protest then if it is a democratic country?

Zainuddin Maidin: First people protest. We are allowing protest and they have demonstrated. But when we try to disperse them, and then later when they don’t want to disperse. But later our Police compromise. They have compromised and allowed then to proceed to Istana Negara. Police, our Police have succeeded in handling them gently, right? Why don’t you report that and you take the opposition, someone from the opposition party, you asked him to speak and you don’t take from the Government, right?

Al Jazeera: Why did you not break up these protesters more peacefully?

Zainuddin Maidin: Pardon, pardon.

Al Jazeera: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Zainuddin Maidin: I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.

Al Jazeera: Why did you not break up these protests more peacefully?

Zainuddin Maidin: No, we are, first this is illegal. We don’t want, normally this demonstration..

Al Jazeera: OK, let me return to my former question: why is the protest illegal?

Zainuddin Maidin: Yeah it is illegal. First is because we have the election in Malaysia. No point of having a protest. We are allowing, we have an election every five years, never fail. We are not like Myanmar, not like other country. And you are helping these. You at Al Jazerra is also helping these, these forces. You know these forces who are not impatient, who don’t believe in democracy.

Al Jazeera: Many thanks for joining us.

:) tak dapek den nak nolong camtu bahasa inggerisnya orang yang menjadi Menteri Penerangan Malaysia waktu itu. Macam orang yang dah terencat akal. Patut pun kalah dalam pilihanraya. Spesies ini masih ada di dalam kabinet Najib. Anda pasti kenal mereka!