reduced and recycled

Khairy J, maverick, son-in-law and other less pleasant names, has declared that UMNO will be gearing up efforts to counter online “negativity” directed against UMNO. Here, watch this, from Malaysiakini:

If there has been a concerted effort to push politics into the online arena by some parties (and maybe there has been, eh?), those parties - whoever they are - should congratulate themselves now.

UMNO has been forced to engage online criticism when it never really has in real life - the mainstream media never prints debates or discussions, they print decrees and weak arguments with others having no opportunity to present counter-arguments or such.

Though I must say: there’s only cause for celebration if and only if UMNO decides to play fair: they present their side of the story, we rebut, they counter and so on and so forth.

UMNO’s so-called clamp down hasn’t worked thus far, and I think bloggers have been emboldened by mutual support. So they must engage.

Now it remains to be seen whether they actually will, or whether they’ll resort to talking past us.