Hegemonic Discourse in Malaysia: A Study on The News Coverage by Utusan Malaysia on The Issue of Comango

In recent years, Malaysia has been embroiled with religious conflicts that cause fractions among its citizens and most of the conflicts involved Islam, which is the official religion of the country. Islam has always been a sensitive subject among the citizens as it has been used as a hegemonic tool for maintaining the status quo by the previous ruling government, UMNO. Previously in 2014, Comango, which stands for the Coalition of Malaysian NGOs, participated in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process conducted by the United Nations Human Rights Council by sending a report regarding the state of human rights in Malaysia. Comango had allegedly promoted sexual and religious freedom, which is contrary to traditional Islamic teachings. Meanwhile, the mass media, as a medium of power that could influence the society, plays a major role in providing reliable information to the readers through their reporting and their preferential tendency on a particular issue. Thus, this study intends to analyses the messages and discourses being conveyed to the audience by a mainstream Malay newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, especially the Malay community. It will in turn help to shape public opinion and public policy, which could become a national concern. This study found that Utusan Malaysia has been playing the role of a mouthpiece for UMNO, and has constantly played the religious and racial cards in their reporting regarding these issues.