Nation moving towards Dictatorship
here is my writing that appear on 'Letter' section in Malaysiakini.
Offensive on bloggers: Nation moving towards dictatorship
Noor HamzahJul 31, 07 3:52pm Adjust font size:
The West values freedom of speech, writing and thinking. Where speech is free, opinion is valued, no matter how stupid our views.
So it is a shock to me that Malaysia is moving to curb bloggers on what they write.
Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law of the prime minister, reportedly said: ‘Dakwa penulis blog. Biar monyet lain takut’ (Charge bloggers in court. Let the other monkeys get scared).
Are we priming the country towards dictatorship? Like, ehem, Pakistan or previously, Iraq? Are we reducing parliament to be a mere rubber stamp for the incoming dictator? Notice that Khairy makes the call first, then Umno politicians follow suit and formulate policies which will then be rubber-stamped by the rest of the BN coalition.
I don’t understand how the government is going to muzzle blogs. A blog is like free speech. As long as people have a mouth to speak, believe me, they will. In recent history, dictators started to move by controlling the media, then free speech. We know that prime media in Malaysia are all controlled by the ruling parties, leaving only online media to be relatively free. Is this the precursor to a dictatorship?
My recent attempts to surf Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today blog has been thwarted by a 'Site unavailable' page or ‘Server too busy' announcement. Proof that his website has become even more popular as the premier source of news for Malaysia.
My congratulations to Raja Petra. If what Malaysian bloggers write are all slander, all the government should do is to deny it. Or sue the blogger for defamation if they have a strong case.
But rounding up the bloggers and sending them to jail? That’s draconian. That’s sounds like what the late Saddam Hussein would do.
2 comments:
I totally agreed with you. I had always felt that as ordinary citizen, the only rights granted is the voting rights during election and now with blogs it adds a new era where is the only place where we can voice our comments, right or wrong, good or bad...the elected rep. should fully utilise it to justify their appointments in whatever portfolio they may be rather than clamping down on bloggers...they will then take away my other right
I love Malaysia and want this beautiful country to be progressive and open. I don't want it to put on horse blinkers so that it has a tunnel vision and see narrowly. Many politicians are having horse blinkers on.
Malaysians need to be aware of the many threats to its freedom of speech etc.as one can see of such impending doom inspite of the many reports otherwise.
We at the convent used to sing naughty versions of NegaraKu, Chinese, Malay and Indian girls all get in the act - all teenagers nonsense. Mind you we love the country but we did it.
Can we not get race and religion out of this rap song? Can we see it as something else?
I think he has some pertinenet points there about our police force, our lackadaisical attitude and other things.
I have been victimised by the police force on many occasions, rudely put off by the government officers or front-liners at ministries, as well as had stupid comments said in front of my face -"like you Chinese should go back to China" by a different race.
I still love Malaysia and forgive the "uncultured" for such comments. After all, Malaysians are people and not "monyet". By the way, my Malay and Indian friends have made more horrible comments about our government than some of us.
It is time we wake up and see our country for what it is and what it can and should be - a truly bangsa Malaysia with a healthy democracy. No monkeys calling each other monkeys.
Pak Lah is a wonderful Prime Minister but he should have some Dr M's steel and do away with nonsense ,close-by or otherwise for the good of the whole nation. Malaysia belongs to all of us not just one race or one religion.
Long live Malaysia!!!
Just treat NameWee as as prank or freedom of speech helathy democracy. Have you heard of the many versions of the STAR SPANGLED BANNER? You will die many times of heart attack and stomach-ache. If the AMericans can stomach it why can't we? Just let it be.
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