I think it’s important that I clarify something. About two days ago, Khairy J. made a reference to “blogger mouthpieces†on the internet. Yesterday, Desi made an important comment on ’sycophancy’. I think I need to say this: if I or anyone else speaks out against the excesses of the incumbent, we aren’t automatically partisan, and shouldn’t allow ourselves to be classified as such.
I don’t know how Khairy and the government view bloggers in general, but why have bloggers – all bloggers? - been tarred with the same brush? It only tells me one thing: the government are finally sick of shadow-boxing with the world wide web and are ready to wield their ‘big stick’ against everyone. I pray I’m wrong.
I very, very strongly think it says another important thing I’ve pointed out before: the ancien regime has been in power so long, meandered so long in byzantine mazes of their own making that they can’t see any “opposition†except in the most general of ways: as a collective, monolithic bloc. There are no shades of opinion, only collective reprobation (in their opinion).
God forbid they construe bloggers as part of this monolithic bloc, because angry, petulant children used to power are wont to slap down flies at will.
I’ve said before in August last year that the civil service needs to take centerstage. And I was being pretty serious, for reasons I’ve talked about in said post. There is, in no sense, any real credible opposition out there in Malaysia right now. I’m sorry to offend partisans, but that’s my opinion.
I’m not saying the opposition can’t form a credible government: that would be fallacious, as I’ve pointed out in my earlier posts. I’m saying I have no confidence in the opposition being familiar with the apparatus of governance: where are the alternative economic strategies? What about alternative foreign policies? Spending?
Is it any of the Opposition’s fault?
I don’t think so, entirely; the government itself must be convinced of allowing open criticism and scrutiny of its policies – which will NEVER happen. OSA for toll concession agreements? Defence spending? Who are we kidding, right?
So the only other alternative is to negotiate a space for debate and discourse through non-partisan, non-political organizations, i.e. NGOs… and this will only be successful if people pour their efforts into really supporting these NGOs. Wholeheartedly. What’s the alternative? In my opinion, the alternative is to allow the government to group us all together into neat little definitions: “insurgentâ€, “oppositionâ€, “evilâ€.
And all of us? Well, I think we’re all scrambling between parties: PKR, DAP, PAS, back to PKR, back to PAS, confusion over PKR’s leadership and Anwar’s ambitions to “rejoin UMNOâ€, if at all, PAS’s desire to institute an Islamic state, DAP’s tyranny of one (Khairy calls LKS the emperor, apparently)…sycophancy, hat-tip to Desi, is merely a symptom of this indecision amongst the rakyat harking for some bit of familiarity in a sea devoid of choice.
Civil society needs to consolidate in interest groups and work beyond simple party lines. There. My rant for the evening. ;)
Comments (9)
agreed. will comment more when or if i think of more stuff
IMHO, democracy is run under “responsibilities politics”.
The government is given with the executive power, so they must take responsibilities of carried out their job, make a better living for people.
OTH, blogger, critics, medias,etc are given the responsibilities to monitor, critique, question the executive.
Both side must be clear about their responsibilities.
When government think about “counterattack” the bloggers, they have cross the border(which they have did to MSM) and deem irresponsibilities.
hi dude,
well-argued.
malaysians should understand that views are simply views and may not necessary indicate a partisan stand.
we, the rakyat, have every right to hold opinions, to use our minds to think critically, to use our hearts to feel strongly and to use our souls to pursue our goals.
we are not the toy soldiers of the administration or the opposition.
we are simply ourselves.
the state of our democratic institutions (judiciary, media, executive, legislative) is far from democratic.
we are still very much a FEUDAL SOCIETY headed by the CHIEF WARLORD from UMNO ~~~ the super corrupt and mentally-challenged Prime Minister.
only in Malaysia can the Prime Minister get away with such a stupid remark like “We (the govt) are just leasing it…”. Leasing it from an entity that is 100%-owned by the govt’s investment arm, Khazanah.
and if the batu talam elections is the yardstick of what is to come, then the country seems doom to have the BODOHWI for another term!!!
hence, despite the OPPOSITIONS’ weaknesses, voting BN out and kicking BODOWI out would be enough motivation for me to vote for the OPPOSITION.
we can’t let the STOOPID CORRUPT FEUDAL BODOHWI who was in PERTH to launch his brother’s nasi kandar restaurant while half of peninsula malaysia was drowning in the biggest flood of the century.
the man is callous, selfish and not fit to be the country’s premier.
CHANGE!~~ NO MORE BADAWI~~
@moo_t: that’s exactly the point. In a truly representative democracy, the main thrust of the sitting government’s policies will be questioned by, presumably, the opposition of the day. The fact that it doesn’t happen effectively (not that it doesn’t happen at all) with any real result should force us to reconsider our options.
If conventional routes like expressing alternative interests through the opposition is cut off from us, there must be another way to do it!
@freelunch2020: what I’m afraid of when I consider voting for the opposition is whether I’m doing so because I don’t want to vote BN.
That just skews everything, I think: the only platform that seems available to the opposition is defined by BN! Isn’t that scary?
this is a v. nice new template!
thanks heh heh :)
OT: hey you have a new design i see. nice template with nice design. at first i spy it had black background and i went “ugh! not another one!” as i don’t like black background on blog (but black is my fav. colour). thank god your background is greyish and not black. oh and thanks for linking me. :)
Thanks lucia :) I’ve actually been linking to yours and quite a number of blogs for sometime, only that the links were placed in a separate page before. Black’s a fave colour too, but there’s a white version of this theme too!
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[...] are bloggers partisan mouthpieces?! I think it’s important that I clarify something. About two days ago, Khairy J. made a reference to “blogger mouthpieces†on the internet. Yesterday, D… http://xpyred.textfiend.net/2007/01/30/are-bloggers-partisan-mouthpieces/ [...]