I remember.

I remember. When i was younger, my father would buy 5 newspapers daily - The Star, NST, Utusan, Malay Mail and Harian Metro. I did question (to myself) why he needed to read 5 papers? Being a teenager, I thought one is more than enough, let alone 5! What a waste of money. So initially, i would only read any one of them. Then after awhile, i added more to my reading, and more. until one fine day, i would read all 5. Then i started to realise something. Different newspapers - with different editors, different writers, different journalists, have different 'souls and minds'. More often than not, they could be poles apart on the same issue. Right or wrong is irrelevant. By reading these papers, one would have better understanding on issues for one to make sense of things. At that point, i got my answer.

I gained alot. Sowed my reading habit. Brushed up my language and writing skills. and above all, this simple daily 'exercise' opened my eyes to the world. Issues. Tragedies. Happenings. Opinions. Stories. Etc. Etc. Reading the papers, with different viewpoints and angles, developed my critical thinking. A trait (some may say a skill), useful in our daily lives - both at home and at work. So when i started buying papers on my own, i continued with this tradition. Till i stopped doing so a couple of years back. It hit me. The reporting of some of these papers became too one-sided and unobjective. It's a pity. I used to enjoy reading NST, especially when TS Abdullah Ahmad (aka Dollah Kok Lanas aka DKL) was in charge. His writings/editorials were interesting read. and who could forget Princess Pushy. (guess we would never know who she is. actually i did ask him before. he would not tell.)

Nowadays, i only buy The Star. The rest i read from the internet. I find The Star to offer the best 'value for money'. For one, it is thick. More importantly, The Star is open and objective (at least for Malaysia's standard). and progressive. I applaud The Star for continually educating us and increasing our political awareness. If you have not noticed, The Star features interviews with elected wakil rakyats, so that we know them better. Make them less mysterious and more human-like. their education background. their fav idols. even their fav food. Well and good.

Just a thought. Every election, papers publish the list of candidates and the results of the previous election - who won, majority etc. Why not go a little extra and publish details of the candidates as well - age, educational background, work experience etc. So that voters can make better decisions - voting not only for the party, but also for the candidate. Otherwise, voters who do not have the time to attend ceramahs, would definitely not know the candidates involved. Come voting day, they would vote solely based on party manifesto or sentiment. That may give rise to a situation where the manifesto is good, but the candidate lousy. Maybe EC should prepare a template for candidates to fill on nominations day and publish them for the public.

Thanks to The Star, I now know i have something in common with many of the YBs - afraid of heights. If that is a criteria to be a YB, i certainly qualify.