Marina Mahathir engaged young writers with her talk
The audience hung on every word of Marina Mahathir as she shared how she survives and flourishes writing boldly in the mainstream newspapers about sensitive issues for over 20 years.
Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, inspired students at the Lakeside campus on May 4 as she told of the attitude she has towards writing in a democracy and challenged the audience to consider how they could write about sensitive issues too.
“There is a need today for people to boldly express their differing opinions through writing.
“Believing in the freedom of expression also means accepting and respecting the views of others that differ from ours,” Marina said.
She explained that being the daughter of Tun Mahathir did not exclude her from being liable when writing about sensitive issues.
“There were times when I was held accountable on most well-known cases, [like] when I was subpoenaed to go to court for Lim Guan Eng’s case in Malacca because of what I wrote about this young girl [and a politician],” she explained.
However, she did remind students to be respectful when writing, especially online, stating that she would not read writings that had “no substance” or those which emphasised on making “personal attacks”.
When asked how she knew which articles had substance and vice versa, she said she would recognise credible authors through experience.
Through her sarcastic and witty demeanour, Marina captivated audience with her stories. Most seemed to be inspired to write afterwards. “It was very motivating,” Journalism student Marie Pereira said.
An audience member who was caught sleeping provided comic relief during the talk. “I must be incredibly boring,” joked Marina as everyone burst out laughing.
The Star columnist shared with the audience about her writing experiences in this democratic era during the Expert Forum organised by Taylor’s Book Club and the School of Communication.
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