In the recent Malaysia election campaigns, Malaysia opposition mounts campaign in cyberspace. Opposition parties turn to cyberspace, mainly are using blogs and youtube to express their anger towards government. The opposition parties are rarely mentioned, but thanks to the internet they have begun campaigning feverishly in cyberspace with the aim of reaching young, urban, educated voter. Major mainstream media are filled with flattering stories on the government and its achievements ahead of March 8 general elections.
“They control the television but we’ve got YouTube now,” said 31-years-old Lee Sean Li, an account who avidly surfs the internet for alternative news and complains there are only negative glimpses of the opposition in the main media.
Blogs in Malaysia are becoming the last bastion of freedom of speech. In this age of convergence (which I would like to define as the death of traditional media as we know it), blogs have provided an environment for people like Jeff Oii.
In fact, more netizens were posting more controversial issues in the blogs. Opposition bloggers in particular are getting influential, their news being noticed and listened to by government, mainstream media and the public. Thus, increase public awareness and expose a lot of wrongdoings in the government.
The opposition leader Lim Kit Siang posted a speech on the upcoming elections, just minutes after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi dissolved parliament earlier this month. The opposition leader is very professional and clever in using of technology. “Blogging is one way to get word out and an opportunity to circumvent media control,” said Lim from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is aiming to dent the government’s thumping majority in the upcoming vote. “We cannot neutralize the state-controlled media,” he told AFP. “But Internet pick-up rates will keep getting higher. We will not be blacked out forever.”
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Malaysia 124 out of 169 on its worldwide press freedom index, and says the main media are “often compelled to ignore or to play down the many events organised by the opposition”.
Political dissident and ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim also writes his own blog which has news links and videos of his Keadilan party’s campaign activities. Anwar last year used the site to release a video clip which allegedly showed a high-profile lawyer brokering top judicial appointments — a scandal which triggered a full royal commission of inquiry.
Thus, it is no doubt that Malaysian minister has warned bloggers that they are being monitored. Malaysian government has also tried to introduce internet laws to control bloggers and prevent the, from spreading “disharmony, controversial materials on their blogs.
what is the one thing i find amazing about googling malaysia?
the amount of information the search returns me. I can sit at my computer for a whole month and still not finish perusing the websites!
today, i decided to narrow down my search and just googled ‘malaysia food’… i got some really cool stuff about malaysia!
u know how people always think Singapore is the gastronomic capital of Asia…? Well interestingly, Malaysia also offers a delectable array of choices to whet the appetite of the fussiest of consumers.
These are just 2 of the thousands of search results of got… the websites not only introduce food in Malaysia, they also extend to introduce the country itself, the sights to see, the places to shop, the places to stay, and the transportation you can take! there’s even a travel tool that offers currency converter, time zone converter and weather check! absolute coolness! it’s an all-in-one website with sufficient information for the internet savvy traveller to form a relatively decent vacation!
of course, any clever traveller would not just rely on 1 website to formulate a trip.. so google on you social media fanatics out there! Search engines are absolutely god-send! there’s plenty of websites to offer you the information you seek. For all you know, you might just stumble upon something interesting like I did when I googled “malaysia food”. =)
In the last few years, the impact of social media has become particularly profound. Likewise in Malaysia, there is an increasing trend of bloggers to post sensitive issues that are not controlled by the government.
Despite the strict control of mainstream media by Malaysia Government, the former Prime Minister Mahatir promised not to censor the freedom of the internet.
In Malaysian 2008 election, despite an explicit ban on online political commentary, bloggers continued to post about the election. Bloggers posted photos and videos that mainstream media ignored. Because of the loop-sided reporting from the mainstream media during election, there was a lot of anger and distrust of the media.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was elected in 2004. Under his reign, he failed to eradicate corruption or crime. Both these ills remain rampant under his administration. Critics say he has failed to live up to the heightened expectations and the calls for reform have re-surfaced. Abdullah has also been seen as weak on freedom of religion issues, disappointing those who once saw him as a “moderate” leader. As a result, many Malaysians rebel the government and seek political reinvention.
Abdullah has always been frequently criticized by Malaysian bloggers and foreign media for silencing his critics. He has vowed to crack down on pro-democracy protesters and gave his support to the police to break up protests and arrest participants. It was followed by a series of media blackouts regarding several peaceful pro-democracy rally events such as the 2007 Bersih Rally held on November 10, 2007 Local media controlled by the Malaysian government did not broadcast the event although it was featured in foreign media such as Al Jazeera, Reuters, BBC, and CNN.
According to the sources, he even attempted to control underground resources such as Web pages, forums and blogs, assuming those who criticise him via these media as “the people without credibility. Meanwhile, opposition party, Anwar Ibrahim, is trying to draw the disparate opposition parties together into a more cohesive force. He favours a growth-oriented market economy balanced by ”humane considerations and distributive justice”.
Although the opposition’s economic platform has not been widely publicised, there is now growing confidence among opposition parties of a significantly improved performance in the coming general election — despite complaints of gerrymandering of constituencies, vote-buying and abuse of the media and government agencies for campaign purposes. The proliferation of independent websites and blogs such as Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini means the ruling coalition’s propaganda machinery now faces agile and resourceful opponents in cyberspace. Controversial or embarrassing incident that once could be swept under the carpet are now being posted on YouTube, blogs and websites. ‘Nowadays, it is difficult not only to lie but also to conceal effectively,’’ For instance, the senior cabinet minister who heads the ethnic Indian party in the ruling coalition was jeered when he officiated at a regional dance competition here. It would have passed unnoticed if a video-clip of that incident had not been quickly posted on YouTube. However, the video has been removed.So the monopoly on truth has been cracked by bloggers and others. A lot more people have become more discerning especially after recent demonstrations revealed the stark contrast between the mainstream media’s coverage and the bloggers
With the Malaysia elections around the corner, the press has been hot and heavy with news regarding Samy and Jeff Ooi. Samy Vellu with his cheating ways. Jeff Ooi with his unorthodox foray into the political scene.
An IT consultant by profession, Jeff Ooi had a keen interest in politics, joining as a member of Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, a major party in the Barison National, in 2000. Then in 2003, he started his blog, Screenshots to air his political views. Over the years, he has gained a huge following of avid supporters of his blog, who share his interest in politics in Malaysia. In 2007, he announced his decision to join the Democratic Action Party and contest polls in Penang.
Malaysia. A closed door to open views and honest opinions, the papers are often censored to a high degree. Blogs have opened an avenue for those repressed and waiting to speak up. While the take up rate is rather slow, it is slowly catching on with more popular bloggers such as LiewCF and KennySia gaining recognition in the blogsphere. It is rather amazing how social media is slowly changing the face of politics in Malaysia. Blogs have given Jeff Ooi a chance to speak up and a chance to gain confidence to contest polls. If not for the blogosphere, he might not have had the opportunity to openly share his political viewpoints. Had he been unable to share his politcal viewpoint, he would still be a member, futilely hoping change, like the rest of the population.
Jeff Ooi is one inspiring story. Hopefully, this story will inspire others to aspire for change. The belief that you, as an individual, can make the change. In the internet, all voices have equal weight, and people ought to leverage on this equality to drive change.
Which brings me to my next example, where social media is a platform for the censored… erm, flesh. Dreamgirl Malaysia! Malaysia’s first online reality search for models. As we all know, Malaysia has strict regulations with regards to baring of skin on national television. To overcome this barrier, producers in Malaysia decided to go online instead. In this edition, there will be skin, there will be bikinis; wipe that drool off your face men. Episodes will be available for free and no sign up is required, so keep an eye out when it finally airs.
Social media is gradually changing the landscape of traditional media, and at some point in time, traditional media will need to learn to incorporate functions of social media or else be left to wither in the long run.
In this week’s social media, Netzley mentioned the difficulty in finding the content you want online without P2P networks. I think the same applies across the board for everything.
When I was searching for Malaysian blogs to read, I faced the same difficulty of not knowing where to start. So I googled “Malaysia Blog” and voila! Out popped some really useful blog directories. These things are like the central server of the P2P networks that collate all the information place.
Here’s the link for the 2 coolest blog directories:
Malaysian Central – http://www.mycen.com.my/malaysia/blog.html
Planet Malaysia – http://www.planetmy.com/
There was another blog directory called “Malaysia Blog” which unfortunately had their databases cleared due to a virus. HA HA… with that I kicked them out of my “Coolest Blog Directory list”
Then out of curiosity to know how Singapore measured up (yes the 2 neighbours are always comparing tsk tsk)…
Singapore… as usual.. outperforms Malaysia with 3 blog directories… heh heh heh…
And to be honest, Singapore blog directories look way more modern and advanced than the Malaysia ones. But hey, so long as it serves its purpose of finding me good blogs to read.. I don’t really care how colourful or fanciful the central site is. =) I’m a no frills consumer…
Yes I think i should stop here and click on those tempting blog links to bring me to another world! Happy reading! Till then, I’ll bring you more on the content and draw you to the interesting bloggers in the Malaysian blogosphere!
Meanwhile, do visit our page on Facebook! remember.. its… roti jalah! tata~
alright, the Startup Assignment was meant for us to start off into the new space…but it does not seem to be such as smooth start of us though…
Comments left at different channels in the new space received no replies, as reported by Julita, Hui Suan, Alvina, Adelyn and myself….yes that makes up the whole team! What is going on?
The forum that we have chosen to target, the moderator actually rejected my topic to be posted in the discussion board! Perhaps maybe our account is still a “junior” account, but I believe there is more than that…by the way, my topic is titled : “internet freedom in Malaysia”…so much it speaks.
So instead of writing my views on any topics in Malaysia…I am gonnna to document down my journey into the Malaysia’s internet media…perhaps you girls should do that too!
The classes I’ve been attending recently made me reflect a lot…
Compared to the conventional market research methods, the emergence of Web 2.0 enables marketers to better track consumer’s lifestyle and behavior. They then crack their brains for innovative ways to penetrate these communities to influence purchase decisions – all these with dramatically improved precision and huge cost savings.
The technicians furiously write softwares as a platform for communities of different passions to grow. The marketers relentlessly think of opportunities to push content to consumers – in their 3G mobile phones, websites they visit, banners that accompany their travel journeys, behind toilet cubicle doors, the list is endless.
This also means that the world we live in is encouraging ego-centric behavior. The marketers already have a term for it, known as Consumer Centric.
Source: BBC
In simple words, consumer centric means that the world no longer revolves around the Sun, but around a person, an individual. It is as if the person is the single most important creature that exists and everything around him/her only serves as objects for his/her pleasure and benefit.
My takeaway from this phenomenon is
1. To know that the values of the world are ever changing
2. I may be living in this system (or society), but I can strive not to be like it
Some questions to ask yourself is
1. Is it wrong to be egocentric?
2. What would happen if everyone were to become obsessively egocentric?
