Negative Cyber Reactions on Keris Wielding Apology

[by Sagaladoola]

Perhaps, it is time to decipher why the public is not endorsing the apology by Hishammuddin . It all boils down to one word : Sincerity.

1) Apologising only after a massive Barisan Nasional defeat in various seats in PRU 12.

2) Not apologising after the first keris wielding incident but promise to repeat it the following year to de-sensitise the non-Malays despite a massive outcry from the public.

3) Previous statements made to justify the keris wielding. The Star: Keris Tradition to Continue (Tuesday October 30, 2007)

4) Compare points 1, 2 and 3. An important question to ask Hishammuddin : Is the apology made just because the non-Malays feel hurt on a matter that they should not be sensitive about or because Hishammuddin had done something really wrong ?

5) Is the apology done only with party interests in priority? Principle number 2 of Rukunegara : Kesetiaan Kepada Raja dan Negara (Loyalty to the Raja and Country / Nation)

6) Since Hishammuddin has so-called "apologised", is it necessary for Mohamad Rahmat, Azimi Daim, Hasnoor Sidang Hussein and Hashim Suboh to make a similar public apology for their racially slanted statements when the keris was waved by Hisham?

Meanwhile certain (not all) Malay quarters say that Hishammuddin should not apologise for the keris-wielding incident because it is a cultural item and accordingly everyone has a right to do so.

As a Malaysian who loves culture, I see keris as a unique and symbollic utility of art. I have many non-Malay friends who respects Malay culture and regard that keris is a beautiful cultural element with expensive diamonds attached onto it. The Sultans of Malaysia brought keris-es along for official palatial functions. Keris is part of the coronation of Agong. Not astonishingly, the public did not make any noise.

I have no qualms of seeing it (or Panca Warisan) being raised or used in public if it is for peaceful or/and, positive ulterior motives.

Are Malaysians angry because they are suspicious of negative ulterior motives (towards a specific group of people) associated with the keris-wielding incident or purely of the cultural elements it represents?

When one approaches a problem, one should solve it from the root and not its symptom. When one apologises, it should come from the heart. That is where Sincerity lies.

P.S. This blog entry is published in Malaysia Today "From Around the Blogs" section.
Link: http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/6827/84/

No Questions from 29 MPs - Additional Points and Questions

[By Sagaladoola]

The Star reported : Vocal MPs rapped for not sending queries to Parliament. I Am A Malaysian's blog is apparently the first site to publish the list in its post : The height of irresponsibility .

In a related article, The Star published another article ‘Silent’ MPs give excuses . Among those interviewed (mostly first-timers) are PKR Tian Chua, DAP Charles Santiago, DAP Ramasamy and BN Anifah Aman. Accordingly, MPs must submit questions 21 days before Parliament meets .

If "I Am A Malaysian" blog posted the correct information in The height of irresponsibility , there are a few things I feel necessary to highlight these, which may or may not be reflected in The Star for reasons not immediately known to me :

1) Not a single PAS MP is in the list of MPs who did not submit any question. Congratulations to PAS MPs for at least being aware and doing the simplest but important job.

2) BN (NF) is 15 (one MP majority) and PR (PA) is 14. Not that it makes much of a difference.

3) Lim Kit Siang (Uncle Kit) posted 5 DAP MPs did not submit a single question for Parliament - apologies . In Malaysian politics, "sorry" seems to be the hardest word and I appreciate any leaders who has the courage to claim responsibility on the non-performance of their subordinates. Lim Guan Eng recently demanded DAP MPs to explain "why no questions" .

4) Anwar Ibrahim (of PKR) wrote "Terima Kasih Atas Teguran in reply to bloggers on the non-submission of questions. Will other leaders from UMNO or PBB apologise and promise such scenario will not repeat ? Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the public is waiting.....

______________________________________

Additional questions to ask:

1) Are there familiar old-timer names like Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin bin Mohd Jarjis (Rompin - BN), Dato’ Seri Rafidah binti Aziz (Kuala Kangsar - BN), Dato’ Sri Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad Abdullah (Mukah - BN) in the list? If there are, should The Star emphasize on them as priority instead of only focusing on new timers? Old-timers should be more experienced in parliamentary proceedings and rules.

2) If the investigation produced in the list provided is correct, then the numbers would be 5 from DAP, 9 from PKR. Would it be necessary to break down by component parties in the 15 from BN? From an initial inconclusive perception, judging by the names provided, can it be said that all MCA, MIC and Gerakan members submitted questions? If the answer is yes, congratulations to these three parties.

3) Related to point 2, can it be concluded that PKR is the party with the most MPs in the list? If it is, the party leadership has to do something useful about it.

Babi-Buta and Pig Farms

I can't help it but laugh after reading something about Membabi Buta in Aisehman's page. It is related to Pig farm fiasco: S’gor gov’t reveals photos in Malaysiakini . Read the links above for more information.

Perhaps, in all matters which may or may not be related above, we should not oppose something for the sake of opposing as someone once said. We should investigate first, especially whether we have done anything earlier that may be affected by what we are currently opposing. It is not wise for one to be seen by others to be opposing oneself by an initial intention to oppose others. Read the links above for more information.

If I were to say that the construction of pig farms in Selangor will not affect anyone, it would be false. However, the most important element would be to do the best to ensure the surrounding areas unaffected by the faeces or remains of the pigs. Pollution should be kept at a minimum.

Now, should the government and people ensure pollution is avoided only in pig farms? What about duck farms, chicken farms or any other type of farms?

If there is any new project concerning any type of farm, pollution should also be kept at a minimum. That should not be limited only to pig farms. I am sure most religions and races place cleanliness as an important element. Therefore, we should not see the potential pollution issue limited only to Muslims but Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and so on so forth as well. It affects all and sundry.

I personally see the consolidating of various smaller pig farms scattered across Selangor into one location as suggested will potentially minimise pollution provided the consolidated major pig farm is managed properly. Having one major farm would be easier to exert control if there are pig diseases and such. For your information, animal diseases are not only limited to pigs.

Since the State government led by Pakatan Rakyat had made a promise on this, I call for all citizens to give them a chance. Citizens should see whether the promise is delivered in time. If all else fails, I am sure everybody would know the right thing to do come PRU13 or beyond. I think we should view this issue objectively.

Will There Be A New Government Soon?

It seems Anwar had said something important during his maiden speech after being officially back in politics. Black 14 has turned into White 14 on 14-04-2008. Will we witness an important moment in time for Malaysian history? Check out The Malaysian Insider for more information.

1) Video in Youtube: Black 14 2008 di Kelab Sultan Sulaiman Kg Baru KL
2) Pictures by TV Smith: Sightings Update

I place the most important emphasis in seeing the official registered formation of Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance). It is really high time for a two-party system in Malaysia. It has been 50 years, half a century.

DAP, PKR, PAS, please do your job. As a Malaysian, I am looking forward to it. I wish to emphasise again that the official formation must be done immediately.... An opportunity like this is scarce. I do not want to wait for another 50 years (provided I am still alive by then).

Meanwhile, I would like to praise PAS for choosing the tolerant nature in Islam, approaching Catholics in churches and respecting Hindus. DAP Lim Guan Eng should be complimented for his stance in practising transparency in Penang. If there are land scams, corruptions and misuse of public funds, please expose all of them. People in places other than Penang want to know about it as well. Malaysia Today publishes "Findings will be made public, says Guan Eng" .

In the meantime, Malaysiakini reports PKR leaders get early morning police visits on the 20,000 person Black 14 rally held in Kampung Baru last night.

After Fitna , New Movie Schism ?

I was checking out Malaysiakini and chanced upon a shocking blog entry.

Reading the blog, I proceed immediately googled for the movie. I found the 9 minutes plus movie titled Schism in Youtube . Spiegel Online International reports Saudi Blogger Releases Christian Version of 'Fitna' .

Accordingly, Schism is the reply to the movie Fitna. For those seeking more information on Fitna, I have posted an entry before, titled Controversial Fitna and The Boycott on Dutch . Geert Wilders' Fitna sparked a massive outcry worldwide. There were demonstrations and call for boycotts on Dutch products in Islamic nations. It is ironic that I have to thank God because Malaysian Muslims are more civil in voicing their dissatisfaction.

The author of Schism is Raed Al-Saeed. In the same fashion of Fitna, the movie quotes the Bible text instead of Quran. The verses are then related with scenes of violence. Among the things mentioned are the Srebrenica incident , Ku Klux Klan , the Jonestown massive death tragedy in Guyana and boys being beaten by soldiers. The most prominent feature is a female speaking in TV comparing "Islamic terrorists with Nazi war-machines". Immediately, an old clip depicted Nazi troops reciting "I Swear By God this holy oath" is shown.

Towards the end, the screen image describes: "It is easy to take parts of any Holy (sic) book that are out of content (sic) and make it sound like the most inhuman book ever written. That is what Geert Wilders did to gather more supporters to his hateful ideology. To create schism". The images of this movie is as disturbing as Fitna's

There are a few things going on my mind after watching Schism :

1) If this movie is created by a Saudi blogger, would Malaysian officials or/and Malaysian Muslim common citizens call for a boycott on Saudi goods in the fashion of calling for a boycott on Dutch goods after Fitna ?

2) Will Christians respond to this criticism by launching big demonstrations worldwide in the fashion of certain Islamic nations after Fitna ?

3) Will Christians condemn this movie as a misrepresentation of Christianity and the people who promoted violence in it?

I hope there will be no boycotts and demonstrations and I advise those who plan to do so to drop the plans. I shall be posting another entry on my opinion and related observation on both movies.

P.S. Wondering when will others start posting movies on Buddhism, Taoism, the Jewish religion and Hinduism. That would certainly be interesting... Is that an evil thought? Well, that really depends on each individual's perspective. All religious institutions, no matter how supreme one thinks it is, must not be free from criticism.

A Brief History on PRU12 Blogs

A visitor by the name of Frank commented on Rocky's Bru : A blog-friendly daily . According to the post, Sinar Harian will be featuring blogs in a column titled "Dari Blog ke Blog" . I was told by fellow Malay friends that this mainstream paper is more "balanced/fair" in their reporting. Perhaps, something like The Sun. Kudos to Sinar Harian for the effort.

After PRU12, it seems that the politicians from Barisan Nasional starts to realise the strength of public opinion expressed through blogs. These days, the websphere starts to see some of them started blogging as well. It is better late than never. A point to make, please keep the comments section open. Another useful function of a blog is to gather opinions and that is why accepting comments and replying them is necessary.

As for the Pakatan Rakyat politicians, they have already realised it few years back. A number of them are quite prominent in the blogosphere. In fact, some of the newcomer MPs from DAP, PAS and PKR started off as commoners in the blogging world.

PRU12 is the first time that BN lost many states. PRU12 is also BN's worst defeat in Malaysian history. Bear in mind that everyone should not forget that PRU12 also signifies the first time a number of bloggers managed to express their stands on public issues and indirectly promoting themselves translating in huge voter support that brought them all the way into the parliament.

That should not be forgotten this one moment in time.

Never forget this too : Malaysian bloggers' opinion = Malaysian citizens' opinion = Malaysian voters' decision
______________________________________

Frank said...
Hi bro

Sharing my take on the "self-tapping feel-good" community of fellow bloggers and its impact on the march-8 election.

For the record:

True, the malaysian bloggers came out armed to the teeth with their fingers, so to speak, in this election to teach BN, especially UMNO a lesson.

To my mind, the rallying point of bloggers was Malaysia-kini, the news portal that sought to counter-balance the MSM and which did a wonderful job. Malaysiakini's reporters able to give its readers a different contest and frame of mind on the local social and political issues. And Malaysiakini has a good standing among the internet-savvy malaysians and especially among the bloggers.

In early part of the 2004 election, the Blog-of-the-Moment was your very good friend,Jeff Ooi's Screenshot after Jeff joined up with Malaysiakini when Steven Gan gave Screenshot a spot on Malaysiakini called "Malaysia's the Most Influential Blogger."

On hindsight, it is correct to say that Jeff/Screenshot was a trail-blazer with the sprouting of social-political blogs, against those diary-chit-chat blogs popular in those times.

In many ways, Screenshot opened up the door and sensitise many of the diary-chit-chat blogs to repost Screenshot comments and Malaysiakini's news and became more and more upfront and courageous in their commentary on local issues and politics. This as you know widen significantly the awareness of local issues amongst the mostly uninterested malaysian readers, especially the younger readers of the 18-35 group.

Towards the later partof 2005 and onward, Raja Petra's Malaysia-Today took the center stage with Malaysiakini.

In my view, Malaysia-Today evolved into a hybrid Malaysia-kini-cum-Screenshot with plenty of upfront bravo of Raja Petra. Malaysia-Today attracted a huge following amongst the young, both local and overseas. Many came to see Raja Petra as the voice which could not be heard for all the decades, Raja Petra spoke for them.

By which time socio-political blogs sprouted like tau-geh in the country.

Most prominent and they should be in the roll call, ie blogs such as yours, Rocky's Bru, Haris's Peoples' Parliament, Marina Mahathir's , Nuraina's, Disquiet Blog, Ancient Mariner, Sagaladoola, Zorro,Shieh's Kickdefella, Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin, Lim Kit Siang's blog, Anwar's blog, Susan Loone's, Elizabeth Wong's, Husam Musa's, KTemoc Konsider, Bakri Musa,Azy Rahman, Farish Noor, Din Merican, The Aisehman, Sean-the-man, Saidul Shaari, Mob's Crib, OBE-shar101,What a Lulu Mahaguru58 etc.

The Malay blogs played a big part towards the later part of 2007 when Ministers in the the BN Govt acted silly and ridiculous. These include the Kuda Ranggi, Sang Kelembai, Tumpang Sekole, Antics of Husin Lempoyang, Penarik Beca, Amin Iskandar, No2UMNO, DuniaTiger, Waejo, Mushroom Ali, Khalid Jaffar, Roslan SMS, Fathi ASris Omar etc etc.

... to name a few.

The ingredients that resulted in the role of the internet on the general election were the counterbalancing role of the Malaysiakini as a deliverer of local politics, the principled-stand of blogs such as Screenshots, Rocky's Bru, MarinaMahathir's blog, Nuraina's blogs etc etc and the activism of Haris Ibrahim and Bernard Khoo's Zorro Unmasked etc etc.

Such a recipe became very portent... and led to the humiliation of the UMNO-led Government to the most embarrassing election result in UMNO's history. It led to the disappearance of the Presidents of MIC, MCA and Gerakan in Govt (the Cabinet) and the loss of the stretch of the northwest coastal states the crown-jewels of Malaysia's economy.

Who should we thanked for:
1) the chap who invented blogging
2) Mark Zuckerberg together with Andrew McCollum and Eduardo Savaerin who invented FaceBook
3) Chad Hurley, Steve Chan and Jawed Karim for inventing YOUTUBE
4) Bill Gates for the computer softwards
5) Of course to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who voluntarily made sure that World Wide Web (WWW) remained free for all of us to use.

UMNO and its equally dumb coalition partners were too sucked up in their own importance and stirred in their own juice, failed to realise what hit them until was too late.

Easter Europe has its Orange Revolution, Phillipines has its People Power Revolution on the streets.

Malaysia...we have our KEYBOARD REVOLUTION.

7:59 PM

A Comparison of Blogs : Pakatan Rakyat and MCA

A reader sent a mail to me upon reading my New Blogs of BN Politicians entry. I was introduced to another site by another BN politician.


The person is no other than the Leader of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) - Barisan Nasional (BN), Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting. The address to his site is http://www.ongkating.net/ .

The banner on his site displayed "Copyright 2006 Ong Ka Ting". With that, I will presume albeit inconclusively that the page was launched as far back as year 2006.

There are a few things I would like to comment.

1) Language : The blog is written only in Chinese. Why can't it be written in Bahasa Melayu, English or a combination of 2 to 3 languages? DAP's Teresa Kok does that beautifully in her blog http://www.teresakok.com/ . From what I gather, Bahasa Melayu is our national language. Not all Malaysians are Chinese educated. Not all Chinese are Chinese-educated as well. In fact, mostly aren't. How are they supposed to navigate the page and decipher its content ?

2) Layout : Is there any layout which mirrors blogging functions of http://www.wordpress.com/ or http://www.blogger.com/ ? There is no strict definition on what kind of sites are considered blogs but in my opinion the item that makes it entirely different than Malaysiakini is the layout which scrolls all latest post on top of the page. There should also be a function that allows users/visitors comments. Does it actually exist on that page? Otherwise, in my own standards, I shall regard that as a normal homepage.

3) Content : Does it highlight issues according to blog posts/entries ? DAP's Lim Kit Siang , PAS' Husam Musa have continual posts on what is happening in Parliament, main public concerns, his opinions or suggestions and solutions or publications of letters from common citizens. DAP's Lim Kit Siang is so succesful and influential that netizens sometimes call him by his internet nickname Uncle Kit. PAS' Husam Musa even feature other interesting blogs. Most west coast citizens did not really know him until his efforts in his own blog.

4) Interaction : Did Ong Ka Ting use his page to clarify issues ? Did he write to Malaysiakini like his colleague Lee Hwa Beng a.k.a. seasoned MCA blogger http://hwabeng.org.my/ ? Did he response to visitors like Tony Pua in his "Philosophy Politics Economy" http://tonypua.blogspot.com/ . Does Ong Ka Ting link up with his supporters like Anwar Ibrahim in his http://www.anwaribrahimblog.com/ ? Anwar can be linked up using Friendster, myspace and facebook.





I am sorry but I really can't see these items being prominently featured in Ong Ka Ting's site. Perhaps, it has something to do with my limited language skills


Meanwhile, Dr. Chua Soi Lek had set up his own in http://drchua9.blogspot.com/ . Now, this is what I consider a "real" blog.

However, the Best Malaysian Politician Blog for me still goes to DAP Uncle Kit's "Lim Kit Siang for Malaysia" - http://blog.limkitsiang.com/ .



Such is my expectation for an important leader of a political party. Uncle Kit's blog is the benchmark.

A question to the reader who mailed me : If Ong Ka Ting's page was established prior to 2008, can you tell me why hasn't his page made any significance on the net?

PRU12 Is Not Over Yet ?

I am in a serious state of confusion today. Reading Malaysiakini , Malaysia Today, The Malaysian Insider and ironically mainstream papers like The Star and NST makes me feel as if there will be a gigantic national election coming soon. Probably, these are the campaigning days "prior to the election".

Wait a minute. The national election (Pilihanraya Umum 12) or synonymously named in its abbreviated form PRU12 was held exactly one month ago. Today is 8th April and it was on 8th March 2008.

It is not exactly the fault or any form of mis-reporting on the part of presses and publications that caused such confusion. Generally, the local news segments are full with articles emanating vibes of election. Finger-pointing , dissing out personalities , amassing supporters to organise gatherings , little street demonstrations , alleged saboteurs and megaphone diplomacy made it. The media is merely reporting what is happening in reality.

As a concerned citizen, I was really looking forward to reading development plans for Malaysia 4 to 5 years down to road. With the onset of a serious economic crisis in the United States, I think it is really time for the chosen government to actually formulate strategies to safeguard the local interests. Any form of inflation will affect the citizens by-and-large. These should be the priority instead. Regretably, "election-style" politicking seems to overtake these issues.

I hope there are people from Barisan Nasional component parties that will read this page and do something useful to the nation. Yes, BN lost its two-third majority and five states in PRU12 for the very first time in the 50 years of Malaysia. Yes, it is BN's worst defeat to date. Yes, it is alarming but it should be known that BN still has the simple majority. BN is still the federal government.

The internal bickering is not doing any good to the image and structure of the ruling coalition. Being denied two-third is not the end of the world. However, it will be the end of the world for everyone in Malaysia, be it commoners like me, opposing parties and BN if the economy crumbles in the midst of all these continual sensational drama. Believe me, PRU12 is nothing compared to the economic problems potentially reaching our shores as a side effect of the globalised economy centering on USA.

If one thinks PRU12 shook BN hard, imagine the damage an economic crisis may do to the foundations of a coalition. Think long and hard from the "confidence" perspective of a common Malaysian towards a political party. Would one choose to bicker first, cushion the effects later or the opposite?

As for me, I would choose the latter. If the economy is sustained, at least it will generate a certain amount of positive vibes in "confidence".

On the other hand, internal dispute is not only the problem of Barisan Nasional. Pakatan Rakyat has its share of megaphone diplomacy. Did anyone read about the latest DAP-PAS fiasco on an old issue of Islamic state versus Secular state? It is not really wise to hang dirty linens in public. It is high time to sit down , iron out the issue once and for all, prepare a detailed blueprint on "How to govern Malaysia : Muslims and Non-Muslims".

The PR political parties should not avoid this issue any longer. Even as I speak, the supporters of both parties have started less than pleasant comments that may put the collaboration at risk. As a Malaysian, it is my dream to see them work together as one. It should be tighter and more synchronised than the cooperation that was witnessed in PRU12. PKR must be in the picture as well.

Pakatan Rakyat has to know that it came into being with the support of Malaysians particularly through the Barisan Rakyat civil movement iniative. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should be appreciated. time to ride on the wind rather than let it pass through without capitalising properly on the given chance.

BN is still essential for a Two-Party Country

Malaysiakini published : Author: Help, not crush, Umno
by Soon Li Tsin Apr 4, 08 1:49pm
Author and academician Dr Ooi Kee Beng said Umno should be assisted and not crushed in its attempt to reform itself yesterday.

Launching his book entitled ‘Lost in Transition: Malaysia under Abdullah’ in Kuala Lumpur, Ooi expressed concern over the future of Umno which may resort to fascism.
-> Umno like Taiwan's KMT
-> Abdullah's main challenges
_________________________________

It cannot be dismissed that there are indeed people out there who speaks against Umno. I think it is a reality of politics that people on one side often try to do something like that to the people of another side. Applies to both sides of the fence.

It is indeed true that in order to preserve a two-party system, it is still necessary that Umno and BN be retained as well. However, judging by the current situation, only the combination of Umno leadership, its seniors, members and grassroots can solve their internal problems so that they can stand on their own feet again.

There is not much outsiders can do in terms of assistance on that matter.

New Blogs of BN Politicians

In my previous article, I clarified that ICT Is Not The Main Cause of BN's Failure . The main source is actually "dissatisfaction with mainstream papers and administration". When one approach a solution to a problem, it should be through the evaluation of its source and not its symptom.

Nevertheless, despite the great amount of dislike I have over the performance of both these people, it should not be a reason to deter me from welcoming them to the blogging world.

Mohamad Khir Toyo - Ex-Menteri Besar of Selangor (UMNO-BN)


Mohd. Ali Rustam - Menteri Besar of Melaka (UMNO-BN)

I would recommend for people to read the explanation of these guys over several issues. Mohd. Ali Rustam wrote about Pakatan Rakyat while Mohd. Khir Toyo on the issues in Selangor. I am not convinced with Mohd. Ali Rustam's opinions on Pakatan Rakyat. I am considering whether I should provide a counter-explanation to Mohd. Ali Rustam's writing titled Pakatan Rakyat... Untuk apa? . Yes, do not forget to read the hot and spicy visitors' comments and be prepared to leave your own there... hehehe....

Anyway, I congratulate both the Mohamads for having the courage to pick up the new media. Now, where are all the MCA , Gerakan and MIC people and the rest of the UMNO MPs

MPs' blogs that I am looking forward to :
1) Hishammuddin Hussein
2) Samy Vellu
3) Rafidah Aziz
4) Ong Ka Ting / Ong Ka Chuan
5) Khairy Jamaluddin (Weird, he is rather silent these days. Not really his character)

If there is any of their friends or followers reading this, please remind them should they have an intention to setup a blog, please keep the comments section open. I am sure the Malaysians would have so many things to question and that includes me. For example, Samy Vellu, why are you still here after 30 years? Isn't that more than enough already? Hishammuddin, can we call you Kerishamuddin? Things like that.

ICT Is Not The Main Cause of BN's Failure

UMNO still does not get it? Read this piece of story from Sun2Surf titled Don't blame Pak Lah alone: Muhammad .

These statements are made:
“The young voters read less from the mainstream newspapers and more from the bloggers and portals. We (BN) are not so much into this field, thinking that the newspaper is enough. That is our mistake,” Muhammad said.

“They are monopolising a field which appeals to the youngsters. We should give a chance to the prime minister to rehabilitate ourselves in the field of bloggers, portals and SMSes.

“They won because they had used the ICT more effectively than BN. That is the fact. It is not about our failure to influence people or develop the country or state governments,” he said.

If those are the views of UMNO, I am deeply concerned. The party should actually decipher why is it that the young voters read less from the mainstream newspapers but more from from the net. In fact, these so-called young voters selectively chose which blogs to approach and read.

To assume that the mainstream newspapers do not have their presence in the cyberworld is definitely wrong. There is of course The Star Online, Sun 2 Surf, NST online, Berita Harian online, Utusan online et cetera, et cetera, et cetera . There are even pro-Barisan Nasional websites online, namly MyKmu.net which hold a recent live "physical" forum, KPMU.net and several more, so on and so forth.

The Star even launched the All-Malaysian Bloggers Project (AMBP) years back. The latest activity is to provide AMBP registered bloggers with a special movie screening on the condition that "ideas for improvements, changes and features that could enhance the site" are being suggested by commenting on the Editor's blog. Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini did not even need to provide free passes as a persuasiaon effort to gather ideas.

Malaysiakini was the first on the net to run the idea of online Malaysian news. Despite the fact that Malaysia Today is now the most visited site for news, most of the top 10 news sites comprises the other mainstream newspaper-based sites.

This statement here :
“They won because they had used the ICT more effectively than BN. That is the fact. It is not about our failure to influence people or develop the country or state governments,” he said.

should be change to :
"They won not because they had used the ICT more effectively than BN. That is the fact. It is about BN's failure to influence people or develop the country or state governments,"

I cannot say it for a fact that the mainstream newspapers are pro-government. However, that is the general perception after readers flip through their pages. There are just so many issues not reported in a way that the readers feel justified. The people are dissatisfied with how national issues are being dealt with. Mismanagement, efficiency, corruption - it is sometimes too glaring for many citizens that they do not even have to read papers to feel how terrible the current situation is.

Myths to dispel from the statements I picked above :
1) Not only young voters read blogs. Older voters read blogs too.

2) Blogging cannot be logically monopolised by any party. It is a free world out there and not subjected to Printing, Presses and Publications Act annual license renewal. Anyone can register and say what they like anytime. It is the voice of the citizens. People write voluntarily on how they feel about certain issues.

3) Mainstream newspapers can be logically monopolised by interested parties through share acquisitions, governance and business ownerships.

4) Malaysians are not stupid. They are not easily influenced. They are not robots and they are able to think for themselves.

The source is "dissatisfaction with mainstream papers and administration", its symptom is "opposition use ICT more effectively".

When one approach a solution to a problem, it should be through the evaluation of its source and not its symptom.

Stop denying the truth and research why people are dissatisfied instead of harping on the ICT factor as the main cause. If the country had been administered properly, the bloggers would have written good things and not the bad, dissatisfaction would have been kept at a minimum.

No More Partisan MSM : Introducing NEWSKini

In view of the report in Haris Ibrahim's website on " Close encounter with The Star " , I will refrain from buying any papers with such way of delivering news. Malaysia needs a massive change, not only in governance, but in the context of MainStream Media (MSM) as well.

As a Malaysian, I have had enough of pro-Barisan Nasional media. I do not want any pro-Pakatan Rakyat (the soon-to-be-official PKR-DAP-PAS coalition) media too. I do not want media that reports half-truths or biased spins. Say no more to "selective" news publishing that tends to marginalise any group of people not associated with the publishing company.

I want Fairness, Truth and Nothing but the Truth.

Promoting boycotts will not work unless we give newsreaders some alternative sources.


I would like to introduce to the public of this "news spider system" called NEWSKini .

It has been there for a decade. It has everything you need : headlines of recently posted local online news (Asia Sentinel, KLPos, Sun2Surf, Malaysia Today), foreign news (Chinadigitaltimes, Reuters, Chinapost, Atimes, International Herald Tribune) latest major blog and Youtube (of Malaysian news) entries. Not to mention, several categories of Entertainment, World, Business and Tech have been listed.

The most interesting part of all NewsKini even has an MGG Pillai Archive !

My blog links are listed in Newskini. The system is quite efficient as it has automated periodical updates to refresh its content.

Enjoy... !

Zam, Dr M, Umno Runtuh ?

1) Malaysia Today : Zam: Dr M to blame, too
2) Malaysia Today : Dendam dan marah Mahathir punca Umno runtuh - Zam

Somebody said, Umno is on the verge of "collapse" just because of Dr. M's continual criticism. I can't help it but make this important statement.... Hope, someone can convey it to Zam....

In English :
" If the government/party (of big number of members / ministers) collapses or becomes unstable just because of a criticism from one person, then that government/party is not a good government/party. It is extremely weak and should be changed from bottom to the top "

In Bahasa Melayu :
" Jikalau sebuah kerajaan/parti (yang mempunyai ahli yang ramai) boleh runtuh hanya kerana kritikan satu orang, maka boleh dikatakan kerajaan/parti itu tidak baik dan lemah. Sudah sampai masanya kerajaan/parti itu ditukar dari bawah sampailah ke atas. "

Blaming other people for one's weakness is not a brilliant thing to do. Malaysians are not stupid. They know how to judge. They will not solely base their voting decision on Dr M's criticism. There are many factors if one cares to source the net and Malaysiakini for more information.