The importance of bloggers to Malaysian politics and society
The importance of bloggers to Malaysian politics and society
Perspective Murray Hunter
Bloggers in Malaysia rose soon after the internet became a growing mode of communication in the late 1990s. The “Free Anwar” blog run by Raja Petra, who now runs Malaysia Today was one of the pioneers. Free Anwar was political in nature. Lawyer and social activist, the late Harris Ibrahim started ‘The Peoples’ Parliament”, and journalist M.G.G. Pillai started his blog exposing corruption.
Many others followed across a number of categories. These included blogs that espoused particular political lines or agendas, blogs that highlighted particular issues through reposting other portal or news pieces, blogs that posted particular articles and made commentaries about them, blogs that took up scandals and disseminated information about corruption, and those blogs take took up causes for social activists and victims, the mainstream press wouldn’t touch.
Why are bloggers important?
Simply put, as Don Chipp the founder of the former Australian Democrats said, “to keep the bastards honest”.
Bloggers cover what the media is scared, or just won’t cover. Some bloggers are the last bastion of investigative journalism, that is quickly dying out in the Malaysian media today. Without bloggers, many political, financial, and social scandals just wouldn’t become public.
This is a thankless job that doesn’t have many rewards, and earns scorn from those exposed, who in most cases are very influential. Many bloggers have paid a high price for sticking to their convictions. You will always hear information and stories that smear their reputations.
However, most of the bloggers I personally know are true Malaysian patriots, although they will never be recognized as such. They work for love and passion, and are often tired and mentally exhausted from this job, or responsibility. They work hard for little personal return, just a big picture of what they imagine Malaysia should be.
In a time of strong media self-censorship, Malaysia needs them.
Bloggers have uncovered Royal deficiencies, politicians’ hypocrisy, given public attention to the cases of the marginalized, uncovered corruption, rape, murder, sexual abuse, human trafficking, medical malpractice, and exposed foreign infiltration of government.
With Malaysia’s vibrant defamation industry taking advantage of weak and unjust libel laws, bloggers are attacked by those exposed, which are usually wealthy corporations with deep pockets to break those who exist on a shoestring.
The only friends of bloggers are the marginalized in society.
Bloggers are a door to the current realities in society, that no one else wants to talk about.
Originally posted by Hussein Abdul Hamid SteadyAku47 on 16th October 2023
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Malaysia is still a very back ward nation. Why is this? One must remember that the majority population of Malaysia is of Malay origin (100% Muslim), unlike some countries like Turkey, Malaysia pressed by many to maintain "muslimness". Which means a restraint on free speech (of course many countries have this, but I would like to confine to Malaysia). every sector is impacted by this. In the Universities, the hijab is not mandatory but 'peer pressure' forces students to be compliant. Same with the workplace. Openly discussing about Islam mis dangerous if it is critical-in places like Bangladesh, Pakistan or Middle east-you may lose your life for 'blasphemy' . Malaysia is moving that way-as the Malay culture is slowly being diluted to become-Indian Muslim, Arab Muslim, African Muslim, etc. Inter marriage is plentiful in Malaysia. The need to support these values (Koranic times) comes with rewards-you can be elected. So change is difficult. PAs even though a corrupted organization is accepted by Muslim Malays because it is more important to be seen as a Muslim nation than corrupt nation. So bloggers beware. We must thank Dr M ( The father of Corruption in Malaysia) who weaponized religion and stifled free speech.