Habermas and defeudalisation of Malaysian media

Abstract

This paper is analysing Malaysian media from the Jurgen Habermas¢ perspectives of the public sphere and refeudalisation. This article explores Harbermas argument that the public sphere existed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when meeting in the coffee houses, salons and voluntary societies brought about the public debate and deliberation. However, the success of public sphere was also its downfall. The public sphere had turned the press into mass press through the commercialisation of the media and generated the refeudalisation process. Refeudalisation was also the implication of the media manipulation when the media bestow aura and prestige upon authorities similar to that bestowed on royal figures under feudalism. Malaysia is also facing the same situation when nationalist movement utilised the newspaper to generate an active public sphere. But the British colonial and then Malaysian government under Perikatan (or Barisan Nasional) Party controlled the media, and dominated and manipulated tne public sphere. There were sign of mass press or commercialisation of the media especially during Mahathir¢s leadership, but again Malaysian media are still being controlled by the government. Through refeudalisation process, Malaysia Barisan Nasional government instils neo-feudal psychology to attract loyalty among Malaysian and sets up the media approaches in defining the national interests. However, the 2008 General Election has shown that a new public sphere of cyberspace or the Internet is opened significantly for the public. It, dominated by the opposition, is strong enough in influence the public and becomes one of the major factors in determining the result of the election which is for the first time the opposition denying the ruling government a two third majority in the parliament and taking control of five states. This new and influential public sphere in Malaysia has reversed the Habermas's argument of refeudalisation to a process what I call as 'Defeudalisation'.