(Petaling Jaya, Friday): The DAP has received widespread complaints throughout the country about the RTM decision to slot Mandarin and Tamil RTM news telecasts at an even worse time beginning from last Monday.
The RTM Mandarin news had been brought forward by half an hour from 7 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. while the RTM Tamil news had been brought forward by half an hour from 5.30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The previous 7 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. slot for RTM Mandarin and Tamil news telecasts respectively were already very unsatisfactory, as they could not cater to the needs of overwhelming numbers of viewers who want to follow these news programmes, as many of them had not returned from work or completed their daily chores.
However, instead of acting on long-standing complaints that the timing of the RTM Mandarin and Tamil news telecasts be slotted to a later time, RTM has done the reverse - slotting both half an hour earlier to allow even fewer viewers to follow these news telecasts.
This is most unsatisfactory as the RTM programmers seem to show utter contempt for the sensitivities of the viewers in the country.
The Information Minister, Datuk Mohamad Rahmat should intervene in the matter and re-slot RTM Mandarin and Tamil news to a suitable time, i.e. during prime time between 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
I am giving the Information Minister five days up to May 20 to resolve this issue, failing which the DAP would launch a public campaign to let the Minister know how strong is the public demand for a change of times of the RTM Mandarin and Tamil news.
If this issue is not resolved by the July meeting of Parliament, DAP MPs will place it on the top of the parliamentary agenda.
(16/5/97)