Is Malaysia getting its own version of China’s so-called 50-centers, the legions of Chinese bloggers who monitor websites and reply to criticism of the government for money?
Ahiruddin Attan, the Kuala Lumpur-based pro-government blogger who writes under the name “Rocky’s Bru” says last September he pulled together friends to set up what he calls a small news portal called The Mole with the idea “to give certain balance to the reports of Malaysiakini, Malaysian Insider, Malaysia Today.”
In Ahiruddin’s view, “there are too many anti-establishment, anti-government sites in Malaysia.”
The Malaysian Insider reported last year that the government had provided US$10 million for the project. Other reports circulating in Malaysian political circles say the bloggers have been provided with US$10 million by the United Malaysia National Organization, the country’s biggest political party, and another US$10 million from the Malaysian billionaire Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary to follow the proliferating anti-establishment news organizations that are thronging Malaysia and state the government’s viewpoint.
But, Ahiruddin said in a telephone interview: “That US$10 million is totally crap. There is no truth at all in it. We are really small.” A former editor of a variety of UMNO publications including the Business Times, The Malay Mail and The Sunday Mail, he says he derives his current income from his continuing directorship at the Mail, a Kuala Lumpur-based daily tabloid. To reports that he had bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his new-found wealth, he snorted. The Harley, he said, is 12 years old.
Despite Ahiruddin’s denials, other sources insist that at least 10 to 15 people are involved in the effort, with government support.
Because all of Malaysia’s mainstream media, including newspapers and television, are owned by its ruling political parties the country has generated perhaps the most vociferous opposition Internet news portals in the region, with some, including Malaysiakini and the Malaysian Insider, providing professional coverage of the government.
Although government officials grit their teeth over what the news portals publish, they have adhered to a pledge made by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to leave the Internet censorship-free. Mahathir made the pledge in 1995 to promote the international development of his multi-media Super Corridor, which was designed to attract high-tech industry across the globe. In 1998, the government allowed Malaysiakini to begin operations.
The result, along with the proliferation of news sites, most of them anti-government, has been an explosion of readers who gather their news from the Internet. According to Freedom House, a whopping 55 percent of Malaysians had access to the Internet in 2011. And, the NGO said: “In the watershed elections of March 2008, the ruling National Front coalition lost its two-thirds majority for the first time since 1969. In addition, opposition parties won control of five of the country’s 13 states, including those with relatively high Internet penetration rates…Together with the growing popularity of independent online news outlets, the use of the Internet for political mobilization was widely perceived as contributing to the opposition’s electoral gains.”
“Any blog that is registered, we will pick up their story automatically, we only pick up some stories to follow up, to do follow-through,” Ahiruddin said. “Talk about a blog war room is totally crap.”
The so-called “50-cent party” arose in China in 2005 when Nanjing University officials hired students to search bulletin boards for undesirable information and counter it with comments friendly to the Communist Party. The price for each entry was said to be half a yuan (0.8 US cents) although varying prices have been paid by different Chinese organizations.
The result has been a deluge of comments, not only on Chinese bulletin boards but almost any Internet publication across the globe that contains stories about China. Any even-mildly negative story about China on the pages of Asia Sentinel is certain to generate swift and angry replies charging a pro-US bias, calling attention to the once-dominant history of western colonizers in China and decrying US interference in international affairs.
A Sentinel
Too much pro or too much anti are no good, we must have a balance or moderation in both.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech should be allowed, but be careful not to get too carried away.
ReplyDeleteWhen one gets too carried away, then he/she is driven by emotion, not sensibility.
DeleteWhat the readers want is the truth, not embellished stories making themselves look good or making others look bad.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, the readers need to be rational and wise. Don't simply believe what have been written.
Deletepasti ada yang bersifat bias dalam penulisan mereka di media2 massa mahupun elektronik. pembaca kena pandai menilai.
DeleteKebebasan bersuara pun kena ikut undang2 juga
ReplyDeleteya.. kita mmg perlu ada kebebasan bersuara, tapi ia perlu ada hadnya. jgn berlebih-lebih.
Deletebetul tu..tapi kebelakangan ni di Malaysia sendiri, nampak sangat perubahan di kalangan rakyat yang menuntut kebebasan.
DeleteSaya sokong Gaban..Kalau tidak ikut undang-undang maka tidak ada guna undang-undang ditubuhkan di Negara kita ini.
DeleteIS 54 YEARS OF UMNO SUPPRESSING FREEDOM OF PRESS & SPEECH NOT ENOUGH?
ReplyDelete"In Ahiruddin’s view, “there are too many anti-establishment, anti-government sites in Malaysia.”
One does not know whether to laugh or gasp in shock over this view! So Ahiruddin thinks that a few opposition web newspapers are too much and too many for UMNO's good!
Can't UMNO cope?
In a democracy, it is a human right to have an oppositional view. This is the foundation of the electoral system. In casting your vote you can say "yeah" or "nay" to any political party.
So there is nothing wrong with having anti-governments views but is a basic right for citizens to disagree or agree with what their elected government does or does not do for them! An elected government as UMNO purports to be is ultimately accountable to the voters.
It seems that by saying “there are too many anti-establishment, anti-government sites in Malaysia.” is an act of undemocratically denying freedom of thought and speech.
After all those in power spent 54 years suppressing press freedom in Malaya and 48 years in Sabah and Sarawak.
What a cheek!
So they have created their own dirty tricks department ("the Mole'") without finance from UMNO!
Who does anything for "love" in UMNO without wanting a share of the loot?
The sort of love they are expert at promoting is sex scandals galore.
The question is how long will this internet press freedom last is a worrying one as seen in the US anti-piracy laws being forced through their legislature.
This is overlapped by the current British police action against the newspaper there over charges of bribery and unethical practices of the Press. While these practices are highly undesirable it is unknown how far official action go to shut up the press.
These overseas actions may have impact locally and UMNO may take a leaf from them to shut down or shut up the local internet Press.