Boredworkers.com

There’s been some buzz over the past week about media control being applied on the internet and electronic media. It has finally culminated in a front page splash in The Star titled Bloggers Beware. At first, I was taken aback by the strong statement. However, reading into the matter further, I realised that little has changed.

The government isn’t censoring Malaysian internet access or content. It is not going the way of China and India by banning access to certain sites. Indeed, the internet and electronic media in general is still governed by the The Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commision (MCMC). No censorship will be levied by the government upon the freedom of speech. The only implication that this warning has is to inform the public (and yes, in some ways threaten it) that big brother will be watching you. It has not gotten to the point that the government has decided to revise any laws to allow censorship of the medium to happen. Indeed, such censorship if ever implemented, would be futile and counterproductive to the advancement of the nation.

Truth be told, the government has always been monitoring internet usage and content. This is not something new. In fact, the threat of censorship is not something new. It has reared its ugly head before and was slain in the process. The point of the matter is that the Internet is like a multiheaded hydra; cut of a head and two will spring in its place. There is no real way for any real form of censor to be put in place.

The warning goes out to those who abuse the freedom of speech to incite unrest and generally do anything that would threaten national security. While this indirectly limits a person to publish what the government deems fit for public consumption with the threat of arrest under the Internal Security Act, it does not mean that you cannot continue to excercise your freedom of speech. It is the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)’s way of telling the people to act responsibly and don’t be a pain in the ass. It forces online publishers to be responsible for their own actions and words.

The fact that we are getting all this information from main stream media leads one to suspect whether the main stream media is trying to blow things out of proportion. Is the main stream media being envious of the freedom that alternative media enjoys and are they trying to undermine and perhaps even incite the masses to act and ultimately force the government’s hand? Conspiracy theories abound and one would do well to think before acting.

Work along logical lines, within the confines of the law and be reasonable. That is all that is requested for and required to continue enjoying what you have. While I am all out against any form of content censorship, I do believe in being responsible for one’s own actions. In that sense, I am of the opinion that the government is not doing wrong by anyone with the warning and its stipulations. That is of course as long as the government does not in turn abuse its power and rule the nation under an iron fist. It is a matter of compromise. While there have been many incidents for discontent with the current governing body, I still have faith in them that they would ultimately do the right thing.

As with all things in life, always take things with a pinch of salt. Even if internet publishers are forced to comply to some form of censorship, it is still the readers that decide what happens and what they make of the things they read. An extremist reading a right winged article can still twist the truth make mountains out of molehills. At the end of the day, we usually just see and read what we want to hear. Opinions are always twisted in that sense. Apply some common sense and don’t believe everything you see.

There is no spoon…
- The Matrix -

Related articles by alternative publications:
5xmom
Rojakz Daily

Related main stream online media:
Bernama || The Star Online || Malaysia Kini

• 02-08-2006:
  PM: Those who spread untruths on the Net will be detained - The Star Online
• 01-08-2006:
  Zam: Some control on Net media needed - The Star Online
• 31-07-2006:
  Internet, Websites Must Be Controlled, Says Zainuddin - Bernama
  Zam wants internet websites to be controlled - Malaysia Kini
  Zam: Controls will enhance Internet media’s credibility - The Star Online
• 30-07-2006:
  Fu: No plans to amend Act
• 29-07-2006:
  No Plans To Amend Act To Control Internet Media - Bernama
  Zam, did PM clear your ‘muzzle press’ order? - Malaysia Kini
  Zam: Don’t Create Issues - The Star Online
• 28-07-2006:
  Honeymoon’s over, Zam warns media - Malaysia Kini
• 27-07-2006:
  Government looking at gaps in printing Act - The Star Online
• 26-07-2006:
  The media more credible than blogs - The Star Online
  Push For Media Council - The Star Online
• 25-07-2006:
  Mainstream Media Need Not Ape Websites, Bloggers - PM - Bernama
  Alternative Media Should Refer To Mainstream Media - Bernama
  Zam Rekindles Efforts To Form Malaysian Press Council - Bernama
  PM: Don’t compete with websites, blogs - Malaysia Kini
• 22-07-2006:
  Zam Ticks Off Media Which Go For Sensational News - Bernama