Tengah - ‘Certain NGOs giving SCORE a bad name’

by Irene C. Posted on October 25, 2010, Monday

Awang Tengah urges media to give balanced reports by portraying positive aspects of govt programmes
KUCHING: Certain non-government organisations (NGOs) are to be blamed for the negative portrayal of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), said Second Planning and Resource Management Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.

WINNERS ALL: Awang Tengah (centre) and Resat posing for a photo with the competition winners.

For example, they highlighted negative links between a hydro dam project to environmental issues and the displacement of the locals.
“This portrayal is not balanced as the positive outcomes of the project are not   projected to the people, thus causing confusion among them,” said Awang Tengah at the 19th Nationalism Essay Writing Competition-cum-Media Appreciation Night on Saturday.

He said SCORE was planned to enable the state to achieve high growth, move forward in tune with the new economic model, and help the state attain income economy status.
Thus, he urged the local media practitioners to help give balanced reports by portraying not only the negative but positive aspects of government programmes and policies.
This responsibility to shape society with correct information should fall on the shoulders of both relevant government agencies and the media, he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also Public Utilities Minister, also pointed to the communication gap between the city and rural areas whereby many policies made did not achieve the intended target because of different perceptions.
This was where the media could play an important role, he stressed.
Awang Tengah said in the borderless world where information could be obtained easily, some of these information may be true while some contained falsehood.
This is the reality the people had to face, he said.
However, the media should use their freedom to spread facts, truths and criticisms to rectify misconceptions or to improve a situation objectively.
“Conversely, if we try to include what we feel emotionally, it will certainly create a society that has negative perceptions,” said Awang Tengah.