We were doing our job, not protesting – Mkini interns set record straight

Three days have passed since the incident across the road of Restoran Amjal in Kuala Lumpur where the former premier Najib Abdul Razak delivered a talk.

However, there are still those who misunderstand what had happened that afternoon.

We find it bewildering to be accused of being part of the group of students who protested and Malaysiakini accused of spinning its news.

It was clear from the original news report that both of us were at the restaurant to cover Najib's talk after being assigned to do so by the editors. When the fracas erupted, we covered what transpired as well, like other journalists.

Perhaps the misunderstanding arose from the news report that we were physically and verbally abused after the altercation between the students and supporters of the former premier.

We wish to make one thing clear: we were harassed by Umno leaders and Najib's supporters who were upset about Malaysiakini's report on the scuffle with the students, and not because we participated in the protest.

We were just journalists in training doing our job. Nothing more, nothing less.

Flashback

We arrived near the entrance of Universiti Malaya at about 2.15pm last Friday. After parking the car, we made our way towards Restoran Amjal to attend Najib's programme.

The programme started soon after Najib arrived. We listened to his speech and took notes.

Midway during his speech, we heard a commotion from across the road. So, one of us (Ramieza) remained in the restaurant, while the other (Mariam) went to check what was happening.

Mariam managed to snap a photograph and record a video of the student who was being held in a chokehold. We informed the editor in charge, and were instructed to do a news flash on the incident.

We provided the details of what transpired to the editor in order for a news flash to be published.

When Ramieza left the restaurant after the press conference, she spotted Mariam being surrounded by a few people, who were hurling harsh words at her.

One of the men showed Malaysiakini's report regarding the fracas on his mobile phone and demanded that we contact the editor to change the headline. He claimed that they did not scuffle with the protesting students, but rather rescued them from harm.

(Umno supreme council member Lokman Noor Adam later claimed that the students were attacked by angry passers-by, while he and other Umno members saved them from getting beaten).

At this juncture, a big-sized man approached Mariam, who told him to respect her private space. The man, however, retaliated with harsh words, whereas those behind him hurled expletives.

As we hurried from the place, we were followed by a group of men who claimed to be police officers, but dressed in plain clothes. We did not stop until one of them showed us his authority card.

The men took photographs of Mariam's MyKad and media card.

As we continued walking towards the car, there were others who followed and shouted at us. Thankfully, other media personnel at the scene came to our rescue.

When we entered the car, we heard someone knocking on the vehicle. Terrified and in tears, we sped off and returned to the office.

After returning to the office, we briefed the editors on what had happened. They suggested that we lodge a police report, but asked us to consult our supervisor first. We immediately contacted our university supervisor and on getting her approval, we lodged the report.

It is without a doubt that the path we chose – journalism – is littered with challenges and risks. But we refuse to let this incident discourage us. If anything, it has made us stronger and more determined to report the truth.

Read Ramieza and Mariam's full account in Malay here.