In Malaysia, the ruling party has tried fighting anti-government bloggers by encouraging parliamentarians to join the blogosphere themselves.

In China around 50,000 “technicians” are employed in censoring all online content and dissident bloggers are regularly harassed, bullied and even thrown in jail because of their subversive online activities.

In Malaysia, on the other hand, the ruling party has tried fighting anti-government bloggers by encouraging parliamentarians to join the blogosphere themselves.

By engaging bloggers, rather than imprisoning them, Malaysia’s ruling parties have shown that freedom of the internet and the political discourse that takes place online can enhance and strengthen democracy and the public’s respect for its elected officials. The recent arrest of a prominent blogger in Malaysia on sedition charges is a mistake, and represents a reverse in an otherwise progressive and enlightened policy towards political and social liberty in Malaysia.

- Jason Welker

Jason Welker is a teacher at Shanghai American School, where in addition to Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Economics he teaches Asian History.Jason maintains a wiki and a blog for his AP and IB Econ student called Welker’s Wikinomics


Asia Sentinel:"Malaysia Ponders How to Handle its Bloggers"

The actions appear to reflect a growing realization that the Internet is playing a far larger role as an independent news source in spreading dissent than the government originally anticipated. Top officials of the Barisan Nasional once scoffed at the power of the new medium but that changed after the ruling coalition of ethnic political parties lost the two-thirds parliamentary majority it has held since independence in 1957. The government has been leaving its hands off the Internet, largely because of a desire to turn Malaysia into a high-tech investment hub. But surveys have shown that more people are turning to the Internet for news and that online media is perceived as more credible than traditional media; the first of the Malaysian news sites, Malaysiakini.com, has won a worldwide reputation since it was launched on a shoestring nearly a decade ago.....More here

Cops probing 5 cases of slanderous bloggers

Five cases of slanderous contents involving blogs managed by locals are currently being investigated by the police, said Internal Security Deputy Minister, Datuk Fu Ah Kiow.

He said to date only one arrest had been made involving seditious articles in blogs and the investigation in the case is in the final stages.

"The police are looking at whether to proceed with prosecution or not in this case, involving Nathaniel Tan over a posting in his website Jelas.info."

The other cases investigated involved a private company director over a seditious posting in his company website, Dr Ng Seng over a posting on the Prime Minister Department’s website, Wee Meng Chee on his NegaraKuku posting in YouTube and an email containing seditious material involving racial sentiments.

Fu said any action on blogs or bloggers is limited to sites which have extreme seditious contents and which have the potential to affect the country’s peace," he said.

Fu said the limitation was due to the huge number of websites and blogs. "The government also did not want to impede people’s freedom of speech."

"We cannot breach our pledge under the Bill of Guarantee launched for the Multimedia Super Corridor," he said.

Fu added that if any was blogger found to have misused blogs to spread slander and twist facts can be charged under the Sedition Act 1948, Penal Code and the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998.

He said the Cyber and Multimedia Criminal Investigations Unit had been set up under the police Commercial Crime Division to monitor new developments in the internet.

The monitoring focused on blogs and discussion forums, he said, adding that despite the establishment of the unit, there is still difficulty in identifying the wrongdoers.

"There are several reasons … they do not use their own name and the server host is located abroad," Fu said.


From Malaysiakini :

The police are investigating five Malaysians for posting seditious messages on the Internet, the Dewan Rayat was told today. (Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow) said one of them had already been arrested and investigations into the case are in its final stages.

The police are considering whether to charge him for the alleged offence, he added. Met at the Parliament lobby later, Fu said the arrested individual was PKR webmaster Nathaniel Tan, who was hauled up in July over a ‘seditious’ comment posted on his blog.

Read also Nathaniel Tan's "Pak Lah to join me in jail?"

What's With Bloggers?

The interesting question is, would a similar trend be happening in the coming general elections? Would the websites and blogs become a "battle ground", even though the credibility of bloggers have frequently being disputed.

What's With Bloggers?

By Soraya Jamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Recently the public witnessed students' elections being held at local public universities.

An interesting scenario in these elections, despite not being something really new, was the use of websites as the platform for campaigning.

The interesting question is, would a similar trend be happening in the coming general elections? Would the websites and blogs become a "battle ground", even though the credibility of bloggers have frequently being disputed.

When the Umno Supreme Council announced plans to appoint a special writer to deal with issues raised and deflect accusations hurled at the party and as part of the strategies to face the "cyber war", it is a clear sign that the threat posed by blogs is nothing small.

ON-LINE COMMENTARIES

According to Drezner and Farrell, a blog can be defined as a website that needs minimal editing.

A blog provides on-line commentaries which are constantly updated apart from providing hyperlinks to other on-line sources.

Almost all strata of the society are represented in the blogosphere.

That include education, medicine, commerce and public relations. It is estimated that a new blog is created with each second that ticks on the clock.

The three sectors that have used blogs to "add bite to their cutting edge" are business, traditional media and politics.

Public awareness has made the "blogosphere" - a collective term covering blogs and their networks, the latest and a potent challenge to the domination of the mass media and political communications.

What started as a mere social phenomenon, the blog has turned into a sort of "a close confidante" even though out of the millions of individual blogs in existence, only a few merit reading. WHO ARE THE BLOGGERS?

Despite much has been said about blogs, does one ever stops to ponder on who are actually the bloggers?

For veteran writer Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, who called himself a former conventional journalist and who tries to be a blogger, those who are at the crossroad between traditional journalism and blogging are labelled as the "go-blogs".

"The issue is that many of our leaders are mixed up between the bloggers and go-blogs," he said at a recent seminar organised by Universiti Teknologi Mara's Centre of Information and Media warfare.

Kadir said there have been many misconceptions on the profile of bloggers.

"They are not simply small groups talking about each other. A blogger can be anybody, right from a small child to a politician".

INTERACTIVE, CHEAP, EASY AND INDEPENDENT

For Kadir, a blog is attractive as it is interactive, cheap, easy and independent.

During his newspaper days, Kadir received the average of six letters for each of his write-ups.

However for each of his blog entry, Kadir now receives 20-30 responses that debated the issue at hand, where each has its own views.

"My readers are free to express their views as long as there are no slanders and they refrain from using abusive words. I evaluate each comment but I will not edit it, only either accepting or rejecting," he said.

Kadir said a blog is a media tool that is more democratic than any of the existing media.

He said the mainstream media has inadvertently popularise the blog when it reported news on bloggers who were brought to court, detained by the police and others.

"This has indirectly gained publicity for the bloggers as the action initiated the public's interest in the blogs. They would want to know what's in the blog and who is its blogger".

He said the threat posed by the blogs has been acknowledged and this can be seen by the setting up of a panel by Umno to deflect issues created by bloggers with the general elections being seen as round the corner.

ANYBODY CAN BE A JOURNALIST

Another veteran writer, who has been in several controversies as well as being the editor and joint founder of the Malaysiakini.com, Steven Gan, said the existence of blogs challenged the notion that only those who are professionally trained can be journalists, as in the virtual world anybody can be a writer.

According to Gan, technology does not alter the news contents but this development does not necessarily provide readers with better choices, only more alternatives.

Gan said there is nothing to be concerned about bloggers as only time will tell only the dedicated and trusted can last.

"Bloggers, in one aspect, check bad journalism, monitor unethical and inaccurate reporting, and can provide alternative views to mainstream media but they still need to adhere to the journalism standard, said Gan.

He said there are bloggers who have better viewpoints as they are experts in the respective fields of write-ups. This adds value to the field of journalism.

Collaboration between the journalists and bloggers can really "shake up" the media world, he said, adding that both move in tandem but at present the two parties are still grappling to understand the meaning of their respective roles.

BLOGGERS ARE NO JOURNALISTS

Controversial blogger, Zaharin Mohamad Yasin, or popularly known as "Sang Kelembai" said bloggers are no journalists and will never replace the task of journalists in writing news reports.

"Bloggers do not report. They only say or provide information that can be turned into news by reporters," he said.

Zaharin what makes people like to read blogs is that the newspapers do not allow "much changes", capitalist in nature and is controlled by a certain class.

He also warned the public not to be confused with the "anonymous snipers" who would usually leave irresponsible remarks and comments in their respective blogs without making their identity known, unlike the genuine ones who made their identity known.

Zaharin agrees that action should be taken against bloggers who threaten national peace and stability apart from creating splits among the country's plural society.

"But bloggers are no threat to the country, they are only a political threat," he said.

Zaharin said any move to scare bloggers would not be effective as these people know the risks they are facing.

He said there is no point in trying to curtail the blogs but among the steps that can be taken by the authorities is to create a blogger site.

"All bloggers can make this site as the principal website, so that the origins of the respective blogs can be traced. At the moment we are based abroad".

A BLOG'S IMPACT

A political blog's impact is actually not due to who the blogger is, but from those who read it.

To influence the news agenda, the bloggers must get the attention of the class A readers. But it should be remembered that most of the readers are the key opinion leaders.

Blogs are not only read by the younger generation, despite their target being those who are aged below 25 years old, -- the generation who did not experience the difficulties in achieving independence.

The blogs enable the people to communicate at two different levels. First, by focusing on a small group of opinion leaders to gain support for an agenda.

Secondly, they can try to get in touch with as many readers as possible in the hope of getting individual opinions.

The politicians are showing their keen interest on blogs as this tool can be a great alternative to the traditional media in disbursing news and information.

In fact there are many instances where bloggers, instead of the traditional media, were given tip-offs on breaking news.

In this era of information technology, it is really impractical to impose restrictions on bloggers.

Furthermore bloggers have close collaboration, networking and camaraderie among their fellow writers.

The crystal clear fact is that bloggers reflect the people's thinking.

The question is, are bloggers really thorns in the flesh or are we scared of our own shadows?

In a survey conducted by the BBC, Blogging is the #2 activity of really sad people, next only to admittedly voting for Bush. (Uncyclopedia)

Doing the Monkey business and get paid !

(This liar/monkey accidentally copied this image from here)

Pengendali blog ditaja organisasi luar

PETALING JAYA: Pengendali dan penulis blog dibiaya organisasi luar negara hingga mencecah RM100,000 sebulan, kata Ketua Penerangan Umno, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib.

Beliau berkata, organisasi berkenaan menaja mereka dan membenarkan laman mereka menyiarkan pelbagai perkara sensitif oleh penulis blog tempatan dan luar negara.

“Kita tidak boleh memandang rendah kerana mereka ini golongan profesional dan kerajaan perlu kaedah khas untuk menangani masalah kemunculan laman blog yang menular seperti wabak penyakit,” katanya.

Muhammad yang juga Ketua Umno Bahagian Kelana Jaya, bimbang penulisan perkara sensitif di laman blog boleh mempengaruhi pemikiran generasi muda termasuk pelajar Malaysia di luar negara.

Ditanya mengenai tindakan pengendali laman blog Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Kamaruddin yang membuat serangan peribadi terhadap dirinya, beliau berkata, isu berkenaan adalah cerita lama.

“Biarlah dia (Raja Petra) nak tulis apa pun, itu cerita 15 tahun lalu dan sebenarnya apa yang dia buat terhadap saya menunjukkan tindakan saya (membuat laporan polis) dan mempersoalkan tindakannya sudah berkesan.

“Saya rela diserang dan dihentam demi mempertahankan agama dan tanah air. Saya sudah buat laporan polis dan saya serahkan kepada mereka untuk ambil tindakan,” katanya.

Isnin lalu, Muhammad membuat laporan polis di Ibu Pejabat Polis Dang Wangi, di sini, berikutan laporan yang disiarkan dalam laman blog Malaysia Today pada 11 Julai lalu, dianggap menyalahi peraturan negara kerana menghina Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan memperlekehkan Islam dengan tujuan merosakkan pemikiran rakyat.

- Berita Harian

UMNO Information Chief, the man with two M, (Not the famous M&M chocalate candy) , has accused bloggers of receiving money from an ‘external organisation‘ to blog. The amount of money received is about RM100,000 a month, he said.

Who's that Monkey blogger ?


Excerpts from Marina Mahathir's Mursing :" Salute to the man in the street"

If anything, they probably deserve the equivalent of the “Razzies”, the annual “non-Oscars” that people give to the worst actors, worst directors and worst films, rather than the best.

In fact, if anyone decided to do a poll for the Worst Malaysians Award, I bet there would be no shortage of nominees.

At the top of the list would be various politicians. For instance, those in Parliament who forgot that they had mothers, sisters, wives and daughters, insulted all women, and were completely unrepentant about it.

Then there are all the ones baying for the blood of bloggers, as if bloggers are the root of all evil in this country, and not their own inadequacies.

I would not only name them the Worst Malaysians in the Past 50 Years but also the most ignorant and imbecilic.

None of them actually know what a blog is or what a blogger does, yet are happy to label them all sorts of names, including unpatriotic, unprofessional and liars.

Funnily enough, they also label bloggers “not read by many” and “goblok” (stupid), which apparently means “political bloggers”. That is a sure sign that some people just have no clue.

By the way, Freelunch is waiting to hear from these 'foreign organisations'.

May be you should try out The new American get-rich scheme - Kick in the Pants!


Buy a a pair of pants, wear it, send to a dry cleaner, hope for it to be misplaced/ burned/ etc, then file a suit and earn millions.

This is the news about how a Korean cleaner in Washington is being sued US$65 million over a missing pair of trousers belonging to a judge.

" IS THERE anything more absurd than someone pursuing a US $65 million lawsuit over a lost pair of pants? Well, how about this same person being in a position to adjudicate the cases of other people? Or that there's a chance of his getting a new 10-year term as judge?"

- From Washington Post

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

"There are no laws in the cyberworld, except for the law of the jungle.

As such, action must be taken so that the MONKEYS behave. "
-Khairy Jamaluddin,
UMNO Youth Deputy Chief

The Malaysian bloggers ie 'Monyets/Monkeys' as classified by UMNO Youth Deputy Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, are :

Lim Kit Siang, Jeff Ooi, Ahiruddin Attan, Anwar Ibrahim, Bakri Musa, Azly Rahman,(deleted), Husam Musa, Malik Imtiaz Sawar, Zainol Abideen ("Mahaguru58"), Ronnie Liu, Ruhanie Ahmad, Raja Petra Kamarudin, Marina Mahathir, Nuraina Samad, Hajjah Fuziah Salleh, Rustam Sani, Ahmad Zaki Yamani, Faisal Mustaffa

A.Kadir Jasin, Bernad Khoo (Zorro) , Syed Shahir, Dato Shahrir Abdul Samad, Shieh ("Kickdefella") Haris Ibrahim, Kula Segaran, Imran Idris, Captain Yusuf Ahmad, Dr. Hsu Dar Ren, Husin Lempoyang, Hizami Iskandar, Susan Loone, Syed Imran ("Kuda Ranggi"), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Nizam Bashir, Zaharin Mohd Yasin ("Sang Kelembai"), Annuar Mohd Nor, Ibnu Hakeem, Hishamuddin Rais,

Amir Hafizi, Mohd Adib Nor, Nathaniel Tan, Zaharah Othman ("choc-a-blog"),Patrick Yeoh ("Niamah"), Fathi Aris Omar, Amin Yatim ("Cuit Sikit"), Khalid Jafar, Amin Iskandar, Ahmad A. Talib ("Pahit Manis"), Pak Idrus (In Passing -Malaysian") , Saari Sungib, etc .

(Note: this monkey got the list from Malaysianunplug)

And we have goblok bloggers.
And we have warning from Malaysian leaders
And we have Police report lodged against PM for Sedition posting.
And, Cyberspace is a new political frontier and the fact is the rules of the game have changed.

What a wonderful Blogsphere !

Reporters Without Border slams Malaysia over threat to bloggers

An international media watchdog Thursday accused Malaysian authorities of trying to intimidate bloggers after a minister threatened to use harsh laws to control what they post.

Nazri Aziz, minister in the prime minister’s department, had warned that bloggers who offend could be charged under a harsh law which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

“It is outrageous to see a minister threatening to jail bloggers who have managed to create an unprecedented space for free expression in Malaysia,” Paris-based Reporters Without Border (Reporters Sans Frontieres, RSF) said in a statement.

“Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government is the target of mounting criticism and its response seems to be repression,” the press freedom organization said.

Nazri’s threat came after a senior politician from the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) lodged a police report earlier this week against a political website, Malaysia Today.

UMNO information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib alleged that postings on the blog insulted Malaysia’s king and Islam, and contained elements that could cause racial tension.

Website editor Raja Petra Kamarudin said he was questioned by police for eight hours on Wednesday.

In a brief article written after his release, he said “the police are not looking at any of my articles but are focusing on the comments in the blogs.”

“The bottom line is, what you post in the comments section may get me sent to jail under the Sedition Act,” Raja Petra said.

The minister had said bloggers who insult the king and incite racism could be charged under three laws, including the Sedition Act and the draconian Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

“Citing the need to combat attempts to incite racial hatred or insult the king, the internal security ministry is trying to intimidate dissidents, especially dissident blog­gers,” RSF said.

The organization also highlighted other prominent cases against bloggers and called on authorities to drop charges against them.

Nathaniel Tan, an aide to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, was detained by police for four days over an anonymous posting on his blog referring to corruption allegations against a minister.

Malaysia was placed 92 out of 168 countries according to respect for press freedom in the latest RSF ranking of nations.
--AFP


Reporters without Border - Government goes to war against bloggers using arrests and interrogation

Reporters Without Borders today condemned a recent wave of online censorship and harassment of outspoken bloggers as Malaysia approaches its national holiday on 31 August and gears up for early elections at the start of next year.

“Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government is the target of mounting criticism and its response seems to be repression,” the press freedom organisation said. “Citing the need to combat attempts to incite racial hatred or insult the king, the internal security ministry is trying to intimidate dissidents, especially dissident bloggers.”

Reporters Without Borders added: “It is outrageous to see a minister threatening to jail bloggers who have managed to create an unprecedented space for free expression in Malaysia. We call for charges to be dropped against bloggers Raja Petra Kamarudin, Nathaniel Tan, Ahiruddin Attan and Jeff Ooi. At the same time, the national press must be allowed real editorial independence.”

Malaysia was placed 92nd out of 168 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders ranking of nations according to respect for press freedom.

Nazri Abdul Aziz, who holds the position of minister in the Prime Minister’s Department with responsibility for justice, said yesterday that the government would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act against bloggers who tackle sensitive issues. Under the ISA, someone who is deemed to have threatened state security can be held without trial for two years. Aziz added that the government had until now been “very patient.”

Science and technology minister Kong Cho Ha warned last December that the government planned to introduce regulations designed to prevent “ill-intentioned” use of the Internet and the posting of information by bloggers that harmed Malaysia’s “social harmony.”

Political commentator and blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (also known as RPK) was interrogated for eight hours today by police about articles he recently posted online, including one entitled “See you in hell Muhamad son of Muhamad.” He was also asked about the identity of people who had posted comments about his articles. The summons for questioning was the result of a complaint brought against him on 23 July by the ruling United Malays National Organisation.

Kamarudin, who edits the independent website Malaysia Today, posted an article on 11 July that is deemed to be an insult to the king and incitement to racial hatred. He claims to be read by more than 300,000 people a day and is known for criticising Prime Minister Badawi and other politicians. He faces a possible three-year prison sentence.

Blogger Nathaniel Tan, a member of the opposition Justice Party (PKR), was released on 17 July after being held for four days. Local sources said he was detained because his blog contained a link to a website with information about a corruption case involving internal security minister Johari Bharum. The information was deemed to be a violation of the Official Secrets Act.

Last January, the management and former editors of the New Straits Times daily sued two outspoken bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Attan, over articles they had posted which argued, with the help of detailed examples, that some of its reports and editorials lacked objectivity.

Read also : Gov’t striking fear among bloggers

Charter 2000-Aliran is deeply disturbed by recent developments that could restrict the space for freedom of expression over the Internet and curb the democratic right of bloggers to air their opinions. It is especially worrying because the Internet is one of the few avenues left for concerned Malaysians to freely express views and gain access to information that is normally not carried in the mainstream media.

The arrest of blogger Nathaniel Tan a few weeks ago and, more recently, the police interrogation of ‘Malaysia Today’ webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin reinforce the suspicion that the government is intent on striking fear among Internet users, especially bloggers. It appears to be resorting to overt means of political intimidation to create a culture of self-censorship within the blogging community.

Some of these bloggers have provided incisive political analyses and practised a degree of investigative journalism. Their critical commentaries have obviously irked the powers-that-be, who may have found them too revealing for their comfort – especially with a general election drawing closer.

The authorities’ actions are not only a step backwards for media freedom but also a climbdown from the official guarantee not to censor the Internet. This pledge was firmly expressed by the Barisan Nasional government when it was trying to draw foreign investors into the Multimedia Super Corridor.

De facto law minister Mohd Nazri Aziz has now issued a chilling threat that the government will not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act and the Sedition Act on bloggers for postings that are supposedly ‘sensitive’ and ‘insulting to Islam and the King’. This sort of intimidation reflects an inability or unwillingness to appreciate the democratic spirit that is inbuilt in civilised debates and discussions.

Strong-arm tactics and warnings such as these will shut the door to meaningful interaction and dialogue and deprive the government of a golden opportunity to gauge public response to official policies and their implementation.

To say that only the country’s top leaders are allowed to articulate their views on certain issues – as was the case with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak’s unilateral pronouncement that Malaysia is an Islamic state - and that no one else should comment on them reflects a poor understanding of what constitutes a democracy.

Not only is such a stance undemocratic, it also indirectly spawns grievances and dissatisfaction among citizens, who will find themselves unable to articulate their views in public. And we are all too aware of – and concerned about - the possible consequences of suppressing and bottling up collective grievances.

Dr Mustafa K Anuar and Anil Netto (via Malaysiakini)

(The writers are coordinators, Charter 2000-Aliran.)

Malaysians Bloggers invited to join Contest !

AllMalaysian Bloggers Project (AMBP) is a project initiated by AllMalaysia.info (powered by The Star) and they are inviting all Malaysian Bloggers to join under one roof. Here’s a quote of the project purpose from its origin:

The objective of this little project is to gather ALL Malaysian blogs under one umbrella site from which (potential) readers can find the various blogs by theme.

Now with Genting as their sponsor, they are throwing a contest at bloggers as well as internet surfers. All you need to do is sign up, submit your blog, place a badge in your blog and continue blogging. Details here.


50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know

Tell us about a local hero, and we’ll publish the story in a BOOK and reward you with cash! This is our second writing competition.

Theme
50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know.

About
theCICAK, a Malaysian political and pop culture magazine, is on a global search for 50 young Malaysian heroes in conjunction with the country’s 50th Independence Day.

Participants will write about and photograph an unsung Malaysian hero who has persevered against all odds to succeed, or has helped his or her friends, family, society or country in unique ways. Be sure to include the challenges your hero faces, and how he or she will overcome them. Make your hero REAL to readers by including his or her goals, passion, ambition and life-experiences. And be creative!

The top 50 stories will be published in a book. Prizes worth RM1,000 will also be awarded to the winne Details here.


Then, we have BUM, we have AllBlogs, now an alternative blogger group set up called
PABS ? Read here and here .

First we have Bloggers United, then we have All-Blogs, now PABS ? Apparently it's a joke, nevertheless, a great idea, now we can form a Barisan Bloggers Nasional !

Malaysia’s Special Freedom Zone

An Excerpt from M Sakri Musa reply to Din Merican.in Blogging: Malaysia’s Special Freedom Zone (Exchanges With Din Merican)

In 1978 Deng Xiaoping, in thinking of ways to rebuild his country after the disastrous Mao decades, came upon the idea of Special Economic Zones to nudge his stagnant communist country into the modern economy. From that early seed grew today’s modern China, with capitalism now embracing the whole nation and with that, a quantum leap in the well being of its citizens. China is today only nominally communist, or as Deng would wickedly put it with a wink in his eye, communism with Chinese characteristics!

I look upon blogging specifically and the Information Technology (IT) generally as Malaysia’s Special Freedom Zones. From this seed would sprout greater freedom in other, and ultimately all, spheres of Malaysian life. At least that is my hope. Unlike China’s Special Economic Zones that took decades to have their impact on the rest of the country, Malaysia’s Special Freedom Zone will exert its influence much more rapidly.

Unlike China’s Special Economic Zone which was a deliberate official policy, Malaysia’s Special Freedom Zone was an unintended (at least by the authorities) consequence of the country’s eagerness to embrace IT. Prime Minister Mahathir, who spearheaded this, grudgingly accepted this trade off. Even today, despite the obvious personal benefits to him after being shut off by the mainstream media once he was out of power, Mahathir still has second thoughts about granting this freedom. It matters not as the genie is now out of the bottle.

Mahathir may not realize it, but his granting freedom to the IT sector may well be his greatest and most enduring legacy. There is no stopping this movement towards greater freedom; the metaphorical Berlin Wall that blocks access to information in Malaysia is now broken. It cannot be put together again. On the contrary, the momentum of the wreckage will break down other barriers.



Bernama bragged about getting half a million hits a day on its website because of its coverage of the Perak royal wedding. Bernama editors obviously had not looked at Malaysia-Today’s figures. The Star and New Straits would drool at figures a tiny fraction of MT’s! No wonder Michael Backman named Raja Petra among the Top 20 Asian Progressives!

The blogs’ influence will expand and be even more powerful. This is reflected in the declining circulation, readership and influence of the mainstream papers; they are fast being reduced to irrelevance. NST is today nothing more than an UMNO newsletter. It is noteworthy that Ahiruddin Atan is now more widely read and influential than when he was with the mainstream media. Raja Petra’s aggressive investigative journalism reduces the mainstream journalists to sophomore reporters.

The authorities are forced to respond however ineptly to issues raised by bloggers, from Abdullah absconding to Perth during the devastating Johore floods to his ordering a luxury corporate jet. The threat to register bloggers reflects this increasing reach; likewise with mega libel lawsuits. These lawsuits will be futile. As can be seen, with skillful lawyers these lawsuits can backfire on the plaintiffs. Thanks to court filings, we now know of other instances of plagiarisms.

Even if the suits were successful, they would be meaningless. All they would do is to make people use pseudonyms, Internet cafés, work on-line, and use overseas servers.

Even China is not successful with reining in the Internet. Whatever success it has is through the unwilling help of IT companies. Those companies are now being sued in California by Chinese nationals who had been detained by the Chinese, allegedly based on information provided by those companies.

However, as Raja Petra rightly noted, we need to go further. The Abdullah Administration must be humbled, and the only way is through the ballot box. I am with Raja Petra on this: vote any opposition party. You do not need to defeat the government in order to teach it a useful lesson. Look at Bush with the recent midterm elections; Abdullah too is teachable.

We must bring out the jantans in our voters to impart the lesson to Abdullah. To get rid of him however, we must encourage if not instigate the jantans in UMNO, if there are any left.



May they, and Malaysia, have continued success.

Be More Responsible,bloggers !

Deputy Information Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye today urged bloggers to be more responsible and not to misuse the medium by churning out inaccurate information or slanderous allegations.

He also reminded the public to be more critical and not to act based on emotions stirred by information obtained from websites and blogs.

The Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 contained policies that must be complied with but it was difficult to curb irresponsible blogs.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin has ticked off certain media organisations for abusing the transparency of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by rekindling racial political issues.

He said the move could harm the social contract that has been well received by the Malays, Chinese and Indians.

"To me, press freedom cannot go beyond the time-tested social contract," he told reporters after a get-together with Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties in his Merbok parliamentary constituency here Saturday night.

Zainuddin said matters agreed to in the social contract should not be questioned by the media as the move would create adverse effects.

He expressed disappointment over attempts by certain media to highlight incidents such as the May 13 racial riots, Maybank's move to impose 50 per cent stake ownership by Bumiputeras in legal firms and the Parliament leaking roof issue.

Abusing the transparency allowed by the prime minister as the head of government could ruin the pillar of strength of Malaysians who have been living in peace and harmony, he said.

On the publication of a book on May 13 by former Petaling Jaya MP Dr Kua Kia Soong, Zainuddin said the book would only serve to arouse anxiety among multiracial Malaysians.

He said although the Government had not ban the book authored by the former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee, certain media have reported that the book has been banned and has been sold off.

He advised the people not to be carried away by the negative views of certain individuals about the government through postings in their blog sites.

"They try to incite the people's ill-feelings (through their blogs)," he said.


The Internal Security Ministry denied that it had seized 10 copies of the book on May 13, clarifying that it had only taken the books to check the contents.

The books would be returned if they contained nothing that violated the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984.

Its Deputy Minister, Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, said news reports stating that the books were seized were incorrect and believed that the matter was being deliberately blown out of proportion to gain publicity.

“It is just a very ordinary procedure, something that the officers will do if they receive reports about any publication that may be unfavourable for the public.

Fu said his officers were still reading the contents.

“The book is not a regular publication but a one-off publication. It does not need a permit.

“However, the ministry still has the responsibility of checking the contents of any publication to see to it that it did not go against the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984,” Fu said.

According to Malaysiakini, two major bookstore chains have reversed an earlier decision not to sell a new book on the May 13 communal riots, and Veteran social scientist Rustam A Sani said rational discussion on the controversial ‘May 13' book would make Malaysian society 'more mature' in its understanding of inter-ethnic relations.


Torn Between Two Lovers Bloggers ?

Siapa kata Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad pengsan? Bukan saya tapi Rocky dari http://rockybru.blogspot.com. Dulu saya rasa saya kenal siapa Rocky. Tapi hari ini, saya syak Rocky ni bukan lagi Rocky yang saya kenal. Memang patut kita saman si Rocky ni. Saman! Jangan tunggu lama-lama....(more):)


Remember Michael Backman's While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry ?

He is back with "Top 20 Asian progressives"

Who are the modernisers and reformers steering the region towards good business practice, transparency and management excellence?

Malaysia has Four :

2. RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN, MALAYSIA
7. MAHATHIR MOHAMAD, MALAYSIA
10. SYED MOKHTAR AL-BUKHARY, MALAYSIA
17. ZETI AKHTAR AZIZ, MALAYSIA

The only representative from Singapore is No 16. LEE KIN MUN (ALIAS MR BROWN).

As Singapore's only representative in this list of Asians, I am proud to announce that I beat governor of Malaysia's central bank, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, who is Number 17. Because, as all Singaporeans know, it is always important to one-up Malaysians in a Top Whatever List of any kind. Take that, Zeti!

In case anyone is reading the above literally, I am only kidding. This is a surprise and a huge honour to be hanging out with Asians of this calibre.


Indonesian President SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO (11) is also among Asia’s top 20 most progressive.

Bloggers United Malaysia Gathering 2007

Bloggers United Malaysia Gathering 2007, today is the day ! To all fellow bloggers,
ENJOY !!


Malaysia's Bloggers Fight for Freedom Against Government Push for Regulation

Bloggers United Malaysia 2007, Malaysia's first national meeting on blogging, will be aimed at promoting blogging with a series of talks and workshops. However, when Malaysia's tech-savvy meet at Petaling Jaya's Lake View Club May 19, there is little doubt that the most pressing topic at hand will be how to stave off a government push to crack down on online expression.

Blogging has taken Malaysia by storm, rapidly becoming an alternative voice to the state-controlled media. Washington-based Freedom House ranked Malaysia at 150 out of 195 nations surveyed in its latest global survey of press freedom.

Bloggers' success has been the source of their problems, with an increasingly anxious government looking for ways to assert control over the "blogosphere." Malaysia is estimated to have about 10 million Internet users.

Although the Internet is technically under the authority of the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, leading the government attack is Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin.

Zainuddin studied at the Institute of Journalism in Berlin as a young man, had a distinguished career at the government-linked Utusan Media Group and was president of Malaysia's National Union of Journalists between 1968 and 1970. The 68-year old Zainuddin accuses political blogs of writing lies and using wild language, and seems to symbolize his generation's struggle to grapple with the new medium.

Among those marshalling the bloggers' resistance is Ahirudin Attan, whose blog Rocky's Bru is among the most visited in the country....(more from Malaysiakini here )

Best wishes to all bloggers, and All-Blogs

Dr Mahathir In ICU At Langkawi Hospital !

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to Langkawi Hospital this afternoon after complaining of breathing difficulties.
- Malaysiakini

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Langkawi Hospital at 3.50pm today after complaining of breathing difficulty while resting in his room at the Langkasuka Hotel.

His press officer, Sufi Yusni Yusof, told Bernama that the former prime minister was in stable condition and was being monitored by doctors.

Dr Mahathir, who was accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali, arrived at the resort island at 11am today for a two-day private visit. They were scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow afternoon.

They were in Bukit Merah, Perak, since Thursday to attend a get-together of the "Class of 47" of the King Edward College of Medicine, Singapore.

Sufi said Dr Mahathir was conscious when he complained of exhaustion. He was taken to the hospital by car by his personal physician, Dr Nasir Muda.
(Bernama)


Meanwhile, The blogsite operator who reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi fainted at a function in Lumut, Perak, Sunday could face action including being charged under the Sedition Act if the article contained elements of slander.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said the ministry was studying the report before deciding on the type of action to be taken against the blogger.

"I have not read the report in the blogsite but if there are elements of slander, action can be taken under the Penal Code. This comes under the Internal Security Ministry," he told reporters at the parliament lobby here today.

He was commenting on a report in a blogsite that Abdullah fainted at the function in Lumut. The Prime Minister has since denied the report and regretted its inaccuracy.

Shaziman said his ministry would cooperate with the Internal Security Ministry in identifying the blogger.

In addition, the blogger could also be charged under the Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998, and if found guilty could be fined RM50,000 or one years' jail or both.

Asked whether the government would control blogsites to prevent a recurrence, Shaziman said the government was holding on to the "bill of guarantee" under the Act which did not allow censorship of the Internet.

However, action could be taken against bloggers under other Acts.

Meanwhile, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Mohd Taib described the report in the blogsite as inaccurate and "naughty" and made by certain people out to destabilise Umno and the government.

"Bloggers always want to confuse the people by reporting untruths, and their postings are usually inclined towards the Opposition. They hope to create panic and adverse effects on certain sectors," he added.

Muhammad hoped the government would take stern action against bloggers who pose a threat to peace and national security.

Read also update from Rocky here.

Never Too Old

Those with a passion for writing and who have time on their hands can always blog.

WEB logging – or blogging – may soon join line dancing, tai chi, bingo and gardening as some of the popular “old people” hobbies.

Blogs are generally considered the realm of the young and the restless, and of precocious or frustrated middle-aged citizens, who want to vent and be heard.

Recently, ABC Western Queensland featured a story about Olive Riley who, at 107, may be the world’s oldest blogger. Riley writes about her life experiences in her blog (allaboutolive.com.au), which includes her memories of witnessing the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and her experiences as a cook on a sheep station in western Queensland in 1937.

While there may not be many bloggers as old as Riley, wired seniors are slowly moving from the fringes and claiming their place in cyber space, negating the perception that web space is solely the domain of the young.

Blogs are online journals or bulletins where people post entries on topics that interest them. They offer links to other websites and blogs, photos and opportunities for readers to comment on issues or communicate with others.

A research exercise conducted by Microsoft’s MSN and Windows’ Live Online late last year showed that most Asians blog to express themselves as well as share their lives with their family and friends.

The research findings, published in Blogging Asia: A Windows Live Report, were based on an online survey of more than 25,000 MSN portal visitors across seven markets.

The report also showed that the Asian blogspace is fuelled by youth under 25 (56%), while those aged between 25 and 35 make up 35% of the total. Only 9% of Asian bloggers are over 35 – it is anyone’s guess what percentage of this comprises senior citizens.

The president of the fledgling National Alliance of Bloggers and prominent socio-political blogger, Ahirudin Attan, says, “Quite a chunk of the bloggers in Malaysia are not that young, I think. I am 46 and, in football, I would be considered a veteran.

“Other bloggers – like Nuraina, Shanghai Fish, Marina Mahathir, AKJ, Ahmad Talib, Zorro, Pak Idrus and Bustaman – are all above 50,” he adds, quoting other active local bloggers. Ahirudin’s blog can be found at www.rockybru.blogspot.com.

This, he thinks, is especially true of political bloggers.

Other senior bloggers who have socio-political blogs include theatre personality and radio deejay Patrick Teoh and Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

Indeed, according to the Blogging Asia report, at 20%, political blogs are among the more popular ones visited by Malaysians.

It isn’t surprising that socio-political blogs are a favourite with many seniors – they not only have the benefit of experience, but also, most of them had grown up in a very different setting, both socially and politically.

Senior bloggers, opines Ahirudin, are relevant in the blogosphere (regardless of what type of blog) as they have the benefit of maturity and experience.

“Seniors can show the way. They have the experience and the maturity. Usually they mind their language, and are concerned about profanities and sensitive issues, like religion and race. They speak their minds, are not fearful but constructive. They are fine examples of what responsible blogging should and could be,” he says.

Fun outlet

For retired civil servant Pak Idrus, blogging provides the opportunity to write, something he has always been passionate about. Being a retiree with plenty of time on his hands is another push factor.

“My dream is to write a book or at least, for a start, write a web log. I began surfing the Internet some years ago and discovered that starting an online journal was not easy. You needed some knowledge of computer language to get going and I was, at the time, computer illiterate.

“I kept on searching and eventually found several sites for blogging but they were all paying sites. Most of these sites offered free trials, which is how I got started.

“Then I chanced upon blogger.com which gave users free use of its basic site and charged US$5 (RM18) for its upgraded site where users can upload files and images,” recalls Pak Idrus.

Determined to get started on his blog, he was willing to pay the fee. For some reason, though, he was given free access to the upgraded site.

“Maybe it was my age ... they saw how old I was and decided to let me use it for free,” muses the 67-year-old retiree.

From then on, there was no stopping him. Now, four years on, he has his own very established blog (http://idrus.blogspot.com) where he shares his thoughts on a wide range of subjects.

“On days when I can’t think of what to write, I post pictures and photographs that tell stories of their own. After all, a picture paints a thousand words, right?”

Blogs, he says, provide otherwise voiceless Malaysians an opportunity to have their say.

“Can you tell me a better place to share your thoughts with others? Or can you find any better way of doing some creative writing?

“Other than writing a book or writing to the newspapers, there are no other avenues.”

Occasional blogger Alex Cheong concurs with Pak Idrus.

“I was frustrated because, on many occasions, my ‘letters to the editor’ to the mainstream media failed to get published.

“Blogging helps create another ‘institution’ in the public sphere, which was previously the exclusive domain of newspapers, radio and television.

“I saw blogging as a remedy. I became my own publisher.”

Cheong, 65, who also started blogging in 2003, learnt about blogging at a conference he had attended in Malacca.

“Among the subjects discussed were ‘youth expression tools’, including blogging. I chanced upon a report of the workshop proceedings that contained the names of some bloggers like Najah Nasseri, Dinesh Nair, Jeff Ooi , Aizudin and Jikon Lai as participants.

“I visited their blogs and was attracted to the idea of blogging,” he says.

In his blog (weekendblog.blogspot.com), Cheong pens his “thoughts and comments on things Malaysian mostly, and on the English Premier League and the world occasionally”.

Though he used to update his blog about twice a week, Cheong admits that he has neglected his blog for quite a while now. “To be honest, my last posting was in January 2006.”

Senior bloggers like Pak Idrus and Cheong use their web logs to discuss activities, reminisce or ruminate about issues or, simply, to write.

Time on their side

“I am retired. I have plenty of time, so I surf the Net and write and read blogs, all kinds of blogs. Reading blogs brightens my day,” says Pak Idrus, who resides in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

If he had his way, Pak Idrus would want blogging to be an activity for everyone, as “there is no generation gap in the blogosphere”.

“Everyone – from primary schoolchildren to grandparents – should blog, as it develops creative writing skills.

“The Education Ministry should create a programme to encourage young children to blog. It is a way to help them be more creative.

“Presently, creative writing is so lacking in this country. Who knows, maybe a young Malaysian could be an internationally acclaimed author in the not too distant future?” says Pak Idrus.

An interesting remedy for the young. But how do you get more seniors wired?

Cheong reckons the problem is that many of his contemporaries have little or no exposure to Information Technology.

“The digital age just passed them by. They may know how to use the Internet and e-mail but they still find the idea of working on a computer daunting,” Cheong notes.

Pak Idrus agrees. “They (seniors) are afraid of technology. I have tried to get some of my friends to blog, and I have succeeded with some.”

Bernard Khoo, whose blog name is Zorro-unmasked, however, says that even those who have no computer knowledge can blog.

“You can start your blog in three steps and in less than 15 minutes. That’s how easy it is ? of course, there are other frills (modifications) which you can pick up later.”

Khoo, 67, has a challenge for his contemporaries.

“I would like to throw a challenge to those who have the ability to start a blog but are vacillating. Start your blog, share with us and with Malaysians, young and old, your wealth of experience in your respective fields. There is so much our younger generation has missed. We, elders, owe it to our young,” he adds.

Batteries charged

If Pak Idrus comes across as being overly enthusiastic about blogging, it is simply because it has benefited him in more ways than one.

“Blogging keeps my mind active and is good for my health. Reading others’ blogs keeps me informed of new developments in society and the world. I often get visits from other bloggers from all over the world and these help me network,” he says.

For Khoo, it is the networking opportunities that strike him most about blogging.

“I have met other bloggers of different races, ages and religions. It has been enriching. Recently, on Easter Sunday, I received 16 text messages wishing me Happy Easter ... two from Christian friends and 14 from my Malay blogger friends. This is integration ... After all, we are all Malaysians finding our place in the sun,” says Khoo, a retired teacher.

By S. INDRAMALAR, The Star.

Growing Number of Asian Blogs Offers Alternatives to Mainstream Media

Asia's blogging community is growing rapidly, as more people get access to the Internet. In countries with a controlled media environment, blogs promote free speech and offer alternative sources of news and information. But some governments in the region try to limit access to the new media. Claudia Blume reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

Millions of people in Asia have taken to blogging in recent years, creating personal Web sites that often take the form of an online diary. The word blog derives from Web log. China alone is estimated to have up to 30 million bloggers.

As elsewhere in the world, the region's collection of blogs on the Internet is diverse and amorphous. But in Asia, a survey by the U.S. software company Microsoft estimates that nearly half of those who are online have a blog, compared to just eight percent of U.S. Internet users.

Most people create blogs to share their lives and interests with friends, family and a few strangers. Many use text and photos, but also sound and video. Others blog to exchange information, create networks or express opinions about a wide range of issues.

In this music video, posted on the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube, two young Malaysians say an ironic 'thank you' to Indonesia for being responsible for last year's haze, the pollution that spread from Indonesian forest fires. The bloggers' criticism is an opinion that their governments would not express.

For some people, blogging has become a powerful tool for freedom of expression. Rebecca MacKinnon, an expert on online media at the University of Hong Kong, says a small percentage of people in the region create blogs to tell a wider audience what the mainstream media are not reporting.

"Some of these people who are creating media such as Jeff Ooi in Malaysia, a number of bloggers in China, basically there are people one could cite in any given country around the region, who are developing rather large audiences because they are saying something fresh or more direct than [what] people are getting from their traditional media sources," said MacKinnon.

News of the famous nail house in the Chinese city of Chongqing, where a couple tried to block the destruction of their home earlier this year, was first spread on blogs. When mainstream media were told to remain silent on the case, a Chinese blogger who calls himself Zola traveled to Chongqing and continued to report about it.

Isaac Mao, a well-known Shanghai-based blogger and software architect, says Zola's action was a milestone for Chinese bloggers.

"So it means once the traditional mainstream media, if they fail to work, grassroots media can take over the niche or they can take another role - to report some social events from different angles," said Mao.

In countries with a highly restricted and regulated media environment, such as China, Vietnam, Burma and Singapore, blogs can provide different, independent information and viewpoints. While the quality and trustworthiness of blogs varies greatly, they are becoming popular sources of information in places where the mainstream media lacks credibility.

"People may now welcome this diversity of news but that's precisely because I think one thing to remember is a lot of people are already very skeptical of mainstream media in their own countries, precisely because they are aware that most mainstream media in their countries are [one] either owned by the state or they are highly restricted and therefore are not really free to provide independent and diverse news," said Roby Alampay, the executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance.

Alampay says some blogs are created by professional journalists who post online what they are not allowed to publish in their day-jobs. Last year, for example, a Singaporean journalist whose column in a government-controlled newspaper was suspended after he criticized high living costs in the city-state was able to post the controversial story on his blog.

A number of Asian governments view bloggers as a threat. The Malaysian government has announced plans to set up a unit to monitor and counter what it calls lies and slander being spread on the Internet. Roby Alampay says governments across the region try to block, filter and monitor cyberspace.

"Censorship is becoming an issue all over Southeast Asia and I think it's safe to assume that most countries exercise some form of blocking and censorship or harassment of websites," Alampay added.

In Thailand, the military government recently blocked access to YouTube when an offending video clip of the Thai king appeared on the video-sharing Web site. It also suspended a popular political online chat room in April. In Malaysia, the government-linked New Straits Times newspaper recently filed defamation suits against two well-known bloggers.

Vietnam and China are particularly notorious for censoring the Internet. MacKinnon says that's why it would be impossible for anyone to create an opposition press through blogs there.

"You are not going to see a pro-democracy, anti-communist party-press emerging through the Chinese blogosphere. The Chinese government is able to prevent that from happening," said MacKinnon.

She said it would be over-simplistic to assume that the existence of blogs will suddenly bring about a democratic revolution in countries such as China.

Isaac Mao, for example, describes the cat-and-mouse game involved when bloggers want to outwit technical blocks imposed by government censors.

But MacKinnon says blogs offer the potential to open up the media in ways not possible before the spread of Internet access.

By Claudia Blume
Hong Kong

Bolehland is on TECHDIRT

How A Bungled Attempt At Promoting Tourism Leads To Malaysian Bloggers Needing To Register With The Gov't.

Mark & Tiara write in with a bunch of links outlining the bizarre story of how Malaysia may end up requiring bloggers to register with the government.

It apparently started earlier this year when Malaysia tried to increase tourism with a campaign called "Visit Malaysia Year 07," which included inviting a bunch of foreign journalists to come check out Malaysia.

An Indonesian TV crew that was invited as part of this found that the trip was not at all what they expected, and one of the women on the trip blogged about her poor experience, basically highlighting how difficult the tourism board made it for the journalists to actually do anything (including film parts of the trip).

Malaysia's Tourism Minister wasn't particular pleased and made disparaging remarks about bloggers in general and women bloggers specifically (saying they were liars).

That made some bloggers angry (surprise, that) and he was forced to clarify his remarks, and he didn't think all women bloggers were liars -- he was just referring to the particular Indonesian journalist woman blogger -- which again set off a bunch of bloggers.

Next step? Go to the press and tell them not to quote blogs or use them as sources of information

He claimed that anyone who quoted a blogger would be disgracing themselves. This certainly seems like someone not knowing when to stop digging his own grave.

Honestly, the only person disgracing himself has been this particular minister... but the end result loops all the way back around and the Malaysian government wants bloggers to register themselves.

It's not clear how this stops foreign journalists (and bloggers) from mocking bad tourism attempts and dumb statements.

Luckily, it sounds like other politicians in Malaysia recognize how idiotic this whole series of events is, and don't seem willing to support the attempts to force bloggers to register.

In the meantime, a bunch of bloggers have now formed their own group to help protect bloggers in Malaysia.

from the following-the-bouncing-ridiculousness dept :
Techdirt

MALAYSIA: Internet, bloggers beyond govt control

In Malaysia, the internet is proving beyond the control of the government - unlike the mainstream media. In recent months a number of ministers, including prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, have lashed out at bloggers, accusing them of lying and nurturing chaos within the community.

Presenter/Interviewer: Katie Hamann in Jakarta

Speakers: Nila Tanzil, travel show host on Indonesian channel SCTV; Marina Mahathir, daughter of former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad; Wimar Witoelar, Indonesian blogger and media personality; Susan Loone, Indonesian(?) blogger.

HAMANN: With a catchy jingle and glossy advertisements, Malaysia is this year promoting itself as a beacon of Asian hospitality. But as Nila Tanzil, the host of a popular travel show on Indonesian channel SCTV, discovered, visitors to Malaysia must be careful with what they write home about, particularly if they post it on the internet.

TANZIL: We were invited by the Malaysian Tourism Board to promote Malaysia for the Visit Malaysia 2007. And we were there for five days and when we got there they gave us an itinerary. But then in some of the places couldn't shoot anything. I asked them to give me a simple letter stating that they invited us, but then they said that they needed two weeks time to write such a letter. We just felt a bit frustrated, so I expressed my opinion and my observation in my blog.

HAMANN: Nila Tanzil says her comments were intended as constructive criticism but responding last month Malaysia's tourism minister and the political face of the Visit Malaysia campaign Datuk Seri Tengki Adnan Mansor lashed out at bloggers, labelling them liars and accusing them of stirring racial tension. Quoted by a local newspaper, he added that "from my understanding, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women." Unfortunately for the minister the comments were made on International Women's Day, sparking outrage from women's rights activists and bloggers such as Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.

MARINA MAHATHIR: So he's just reacting to criticism in the manner of a person not used to criticism, particularly from a woman, so I think there's some sexist element to that.

HAMANN: Minister Adnan has since claimed he was misquoted by the paper, saying he loves women and was only referring to a certain Indonesian blogger. His comments reflect the Malaysian governments growing unease with the blogosphere. Increasingly emboldened, Malaysia's blogging community have been filling their pages with criticism of the government and revelations of corruption. Marina Mahathir says bloggers are delving into areas left untouched by mainstream outlets.

MARINA MAHATHIR: Oh I think they're very sensitive right now because of the stuff that's coming out of the blogs. I mean if you read the blogs and you read the mainstream media there is a clear difference or clear gap between what's reported on the blogs and what's reported in the mainstream papers. Some things are simply not appearing in the mainstream papers which leads people to question why.

HAMANN: The limits to this freedom are presently being tested in Malaysia's courts. In January the government affiliated New Straits Times newspaper group filed defamation suits against two Malaysian bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Ahirudin Attan for posting criticisms of several of the papers executives. The action has inspired bloggers from around the world to launch an online campaign under the banner 'Bloggers United', which is calling for a boycott of the New Straits Times newspaper. Susan Loone is a Malaysian blogger and a co-ordinator of Bloggers United. She says Malaysia's 11 million internet users are relying increasingly on blogs for their news.

LOONE: Those who read blogs very days and those who are on the internet and read online news - I think they do believe blogs because more and more blogs are actually exposing stories which are later picked up by the newspapers, sort of confirming what happens on the blog. Because that has happened I think people do believe blogs.

HAMANN: In Indonesia Wimar Witoelar former spokesman for President Abdurrahman Wahid, now working as a public relations consultant says blogs are the new frontier for advancing democracy and that Malaysia's government should be more sophisticated in its response to bloggers.

WIMAR WITOELAR: So I think they should learn a lesson from this and not exacerbate the problem by conducting unpopular action against these bloggers. Nila Tanzil was unknown until she invited reaction from the public officials and she should be happy to get such a publicity. I'm just astounded at how unwise these public officials were. I mean, there was a problem, maybe a small problem in one area of this journalist's activities and Nila reported the problem. They should fix the problem and see whether the accusation is true of not. Instead of just shooting the person who brought the bad news.(Source)

-ABC Radio Australia