Keeping lines of communication open is vital in geopolitics

IT is refreshing that local news organisations are free to play the important role of keeping the public informed about matters affecting the nation. Commentaries, especially, by media practitioners often offer different perspectives on issues than those offered by government officials or subject matter experts. However, the fact of democratic life is that when you air an opinion, you will more often than not invite opposing views.Here is where I come in. The Beyond Boundaries column in Sunday Star on April 16 with the heading “Putrajaya, we have a problem” (online at bit.ly/star_putrajaya) is a problem to me.

Referring to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim saying that he raised the PETRONAS oil and gas exploration issue in the South China Sea during his “four-eyed” meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently, the columnist writes that she has issues with Anwar’s use of words such as “negotiation” and “overlapping claims”.