whoa! warning from the ‘bodoh’ MP

as i am still besieged with problems of commenting and spam, my head is in a muddled, can’t think straight to post so will just CnP this old news from bernama with my short comments in italic.

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Govt Warns Of Tough Action Against Bloggers Who Disparage
July 24, 2007 22:00 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) — The government today warned of tough action against web bloggers who write on sensitive issues which include insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam.

what about insulting christianity, buddhism, hindusism?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the government would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 121b of the Penal Code against these bloggers.

ahh. ISA again. see the gomen would not want to abolish ISA at all.

He said the government had exercised restraint in the matter for a long time and the time had come for it to act according to those laws.

"I want to issue a warning that the time has come for us to take action against them (bloggers who make disparaging statements). We have the right and we will do it. We have been very patient," he said when winding up debate on the Electronic Government Activities Bill 2007 in the Dewan Negara here. The bill was passed.

whoa! A WARNING! earlier we read of kerismuddin giving a warning, now this ‘bodoh bodoh bodoh’ guy.
anyway, disparaging statements according to who? why, UMNOputera MPs of course i guess. those may be ‘disparaging’ to them but to most of us they may be just speaking up, or better still ‘speaking the truth’… truth that hurts, thus become disparaging to them.

Yesterday, Umno lodged a report at the Dang Wangi Police Station against the web portal "Malaysia Today" for publishing sensitive comments on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam, and of a racial nature.

Umno Information Chief Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who had made the police report, had said that the public comments carried on the portal on July 11 violated the law and insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"Such publication is deemed as likely to spark crime and incite racial and religious violence," he had said.

ahem!! *choke* more likely it’s the UMNOputera MPs statements and antics that is deemed likely to incite racial and religions hatred.

Muhammad, also raised the matter in the Dewan Negara today during the debate on the Electronic Government Activities Bill.

Urging the government to act against the portal, he said the contents could undermine unity as well as corrupt young minds.

"The liberal writing on the portal can cause young minds to think that there are no rules and sensitivities governing articles and that anyone can write on any matter in the name of individual freedom," he said.

"At a time when the government is introducing the system of electronic government, there are unhealthy developments in the form of publications on the web such as this, articles which can be read not only by our society but also the whole world and anyone for that matter, even children," he added.

‘unhealthy development’? go lah buat bising on those porn sites – they are the unhealthy development!!

Muhamad said there was no absolute freedom in any country and that Malaysia had its own ways to regulate the freedom, which was founded on the practice of tolerance and mutual respect among the races that had been going on for a long time.

ahem (again)! ‘mutual respect’?? don’t make me laugh.

Senator Datuk Norraesah Mohamed intervened to get Muhamad’s explanation on his view that the issues raised in "Malaysia Today" went beyond criticism to attacks specifically to incite hatred among the people.

She also called for tough action, saying what had happened would not only ruin the ruling party but also touched on the integrity and stability of the country.

Nazri also hit out at the blogger for criticising Muhamad for his having lodged the police report, and described him as a blogger who was childish.

He said his officers would consider the appropriate law so that the blogger involved could be penalised as per the misconduct.

He also said that the government planned to draft an act to enable it to monitor and act against bloggers who committed offences.

adoi! gone will be our freedom on the net??

"This is not aimed at eliminating the freedom of speech but to wipe out the freedom to cheat, defame and hurt people so that blogs can really be a source of correct information and sincere views and not a platform to hurl abuses at people," he said.

but he said no!

When replying to a question raised by Senator Ismail Kassim, Nazri said he did not rule out the possibility that full-time bloggers were sponsored by certain quarters.

well thank god i’m not a full time blogger. oh dear! is nathaniel tan? raja petra?

The Dewan Negara also approved the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2007, Islamic Banking (Amendment) Bill 2007, Takaful (Amendment) Bill 2007 and Bills of Exchange (Amendment) Bill 2007.
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further reading from BBC ‘malaysia cracks down on bloggers’ and asianews ‘malaysian minister  warns bloggers face harsh laws’, read from beritamalaysia here
from malaysiakini ‘use of ISA against bloggers alarming’ at beritamalaysia here.
lim kit siang’s ‘malaysian parliament now the world no’ 1 anti bloggers parliament?

finally, sign the petition regarding the allegations UMNO brought against malaysia today.