ABSTRACT
Nonetheless, there was virtually saturation coverage of the war in the Malaysian media during this period, providing Malaysians with a sense of immediacy and involving them, albeit indirectly, with the war. The official rhetoric accompanying this tightening of controls, as personified by statements made by Mahathir, has stressed a greater need for the preservation of order and for political stability. In addition, out of a grand total of 214 local reports and features, only 22 were features. And of these, only 3 appeared in the English-language dailies. Religious issues were greatly played up by both Malay-language newspapers right from the start. The Malaysian press failed to provide the public with sufficient knowledge with which to more fully comprehend the conflict and its implications for Malaysia and for a new world order.
