Thursday, September 4, 2008
BN's Blockhead of the Year Award
FROM CNET.NEWS: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission earlier this week ordered all 19 of the country's Internet service providers to block the controversial political portal Malaysia Today.
According to a report on Thursday by online news portal Malaysiakini, the MCMC chief operating officer, Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, confirmed that the commission was behind the site blackout. "It is being blocked because we found that some of the comments on the Web site were insensitive, bordering on incitement," Mohamed Sharil said.
Local news reports indicated that users were unable to access Malaysia Today through three major ISPs: TMnet, Maxis, and Time. However, a check by ZDNet Asia on Thursday evening found that the portal could still be accessed through a mirror site.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar (left) said the block was justified, as Malaysia Today was publishing offensive content. He told reporters Thursday: "We do not intend to curtail people's freedom or right to express themselves. But when they publish things that are libelous, slanderous, or defamatory, it is natural for the MCMC to act."
What a joke. I have a browser window open on Malaysia Today right now. Since the MCMC ordered the block on MT I've only been unable to access the news portal on one occasion - and the delay lasted no more than a few hours. So what's the point of trying to block it - when the blockade doesn't actually work? Instead, thousands of Malaysians who haven't been paying close attention to local politics prior to this attempt to censor the Internet have probably now discovered the goodies to be found on RPK's infamous news site. Nothing like the taste of forbidden fruit.
Everything BN does backfires
Not only has the attempt to block Malaysia Today been totally ineffectual, it has also been extremely bad publicity for the Umno/BN government - something it certainly doesn't need. So what exactly have they achieved with this knee-jerk reaction?
They have only enhanced RPK's stature as a national hero and made his explosive No Holds Barred column even more credible. If what RPK is saying isn't true, why bother trying to shut him up?
RPK's prime target in recent days has been Najib Razak. By flatly accusing his wife, Rosmah Mansor, of ordering the vicious, cold-blooded murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, RPK has exposed himself to defamation charges which he is fully prepared to answer in court. Najib's greatest fear, however, is that in an open court, evidence might surface that could drag him and Rosmah into the spotlight. What if RPK's lawyers subpoena Rosmah Mansor and Najib Razak as witnesses and cross-examine them? It would be interesting to see them attempt to squirm their way out of that. What about Lt. Col. Aziz Buyong and his wife Norhayati - whom RPK named in his June 18th statutory declaration as active participants in the disposal of Altantuya's body with C4 explosives? Will they be summoned to court too? That is exactly what Najib has been trying to avoid since November 2006.
As long as BN remains in control of the Attorney-General's Chambers, the police, and the judiciary, there is little chance of any of this coming to light in court. However, with Pakatan Rakyat taking over the federal government - very likely within the next couple of weeks - the Attorney-General will be sacked or asked to resign, paving the way for fresh evidence to be introduced in the long-drawn Altantuya murder trial. Evidence that will lead to the conviction of Rosmah Mansor for murder in the first degree; and Najib Razak for aiding and abetting his jealous, spiteful wife.
Another recent RPK target has been Umno lawyer Mohammed Shafee Abdullah (left), who was named as the mastermind behind the latest sodomy accusation against Anwar Ibrahim. Shafee's aggressive retaliatory attack has only resulted in angering the entire blogosphere - since his court order against Malaysia Today includes demanding the IP addresses and identities of dozens of commenters on Malaysia Today.
Shafee has become the #1 Enemy of Internet Freedom and exposed the fascist inner core of Umno
Umno's credibility is below zero. Can you imagine what Shafee Abdullah's credibility rating is, now that everybody knows he has been promised the post of Attorney-General if he does some dirty work for Umno?
You could say that RPK has successfully dashed the political ambitions of more than a few people. In fact, it wouldn't be too farfetched to say that RPK and Anwar as a combined force have proven to be absolutely fatal to Umno/BN.