banning and/or controlling blogs
Post on Mar.22, 2007
first we have this….

(picture from malaysiakini)
… a letter from the gomen itself requesting newspaper not to quote or refer to online websites or blogs.
then in came the zam zam guy, the minister of misinformation who said….

(picture taken from a commenter in susan loone’s blog)
yeah, he was only ‘parotting’ what the letter had directed – don’t quote websites… but look, like the minister of worrisome… er… tourism, who gave bloggers names like liars, cheats, rumours mongers and national unity haters, he too gave a string of names to us bloggers – frustrated journalists, political pundits, anarchist websites…
and more! from bernama…the heading mentioned blog!
The minister said he was disappointed as there were blog websites that have not been updated and carried inaccurate information, causing uneasiness and confusion to people surfing the websites.
"The information are posted on the blogs by people with no authority. Why you as journalists have to quote a blog website as the source of your story and then publish the news in the newspaper that has authority?" he asked.
"The information posted on the blog website may be something provocative, politically motivated, inaccurate and are mostly rumours floated for the interests of certain parties," he said.
"You (journalists) should not allow your readers to believe blog websites as a reliable source," he said when commenting on the trend among newspapers to attribute blog websites as the source, hence indirectly promoting them.
Zainuddin advised readers suspicious of the information posted on blog websites to refer to the mainstream media to get the true picture.
go on and read further! there was even a mention of banning and controlling blogs, i tell you! oh and a barisan nasional BN) rep had chipped in to say the same law should apply to bloggers… again using the ‘R’ word – that we bloggers must be responsible.
btw, howsy also has an interesting picture of this zam-zam guy as the blog demonizer and hypocrite.
Filed in blogging, government, silly















March 22nd, 2007 on 5:11 AM
I just wonder who are the advisers giving them these ideas. Instead of working with blogs for PR purposes they are doing exactly the opposite. As many countries including China have found out, they can’t stop the blogs.
lucia: yep, there ain’t no way at all to stop us!!
March 22nd, 2007 on 1:22 PM
To quote the classic definition of Anarchist – "Anarchism is a political philosophy or group of doctrines and attitudes centered on rejection of any form of compulsory government and supporting its elimination."
Yeah, I guess I’m a closet anarchist…can’t blame me with such Ministers of Disinformation in power.
lucia: good observation. yep, the gomen has themselves to be blamed for us being anarchist.
March 22nd, 2007 on 3:57 PM
The clown cow is funny
lucia: yep, it is. if not mistaken, the original pic is animated but i can’t see the animation here in my blog.
March 23rd, 2007 on 1:05 AM
I love the picture. How true.
lucia: ya, this is our minister with so much information, thus we must read only what he delivers.
March 23rd, 2007 on 1:38 AM
lucia: zam zam zam, alikazam…. made him disappear! *wave magic wand*
March 23rd, 2007 on 3:18 PM
IT-Sideways recognizes the importance of this matter.
It is still too early to tell the consequences of such towards any aspect of Malaysian livelihood.
This matter has to be taken will due respect for all parties.
This is a serious issue. Nevertheless, this can have a major impact on Malaysian social-economical landscapping based on the reason that blogism could indeed replace conventional journalism.
At the end of the day, it is all about users’ choice.
lucia: yes ultimately it is all about users choice… but yet we will have the gomen controlling us.
March 24th, 2007 on 2:34 AM
This Jozef Goebbels (ZAM) learned his lesson well…..
But he outlived his time, and is the laughing stock of the bloggers…