On December 19, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s book ‘Assalamualaikum: Observations on the Islamisation of Malaysia’ was banned under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPA). As usual, only official reason given for this ban is that the book is "likely to be prejudicial to public order as well as public interest and is likely to alarm public opinion".
The addition of ‘Assalamualaikum’ to the growing list of books banned by the Malaysian government is proof of the government’s outright disregard for freedom of expression and ideas in Malaysia.
According to Zaid, the Home Ministry did not explain or consult him before banning his book nor was he even informed that the book would be banned. It goes to show the immense and arbitrary power that the PPA accords the Home Ministry to ban these without any clear reasoning.
Such curt excuses to ban books certainly harks back to the Stalinist or Maoist regimes where any forms of expression, whether in writing or in art, which are deemed prejudicial to the interest of the ruling elites are banned.
In 2017 alone, 44 gazettes have been issued to ban publications in Malaysia. Among the political titles banned are civil society group G25’s new book Breaking The Silence: Voices of Moderation; Islam in a Constitutional Democracy and reknowed academic Professor Farish A. Noor’s From Majapahit to Putrajaya, which was published in 2005.
The banning of these titles without any clear justification shows that the government exercising totalitarian control over what ideas can be discussed by Malaysians. This goes completely against the values of democracy that our country holds so dear.
In a democratic state, the authors and publishers would be hauled to the Courts to be charged for any criminal offences which may have taken place. Even if there were no criminal elements involved, the Government must at the very least provide facts and justifications to prove the contents of these books to be wrong.
However, the BN regime will not even pretend to rebut the arguments carried in the book, however feeble the rebuttals might have been.
Just last month I had questioned the government’s censorship of arts following the confiscation of works at the KL Biennale for purportedly containing ‘elements of communism’. It seems that the thought policing of our government will continue with the banning of these books and the continued censorship of our media.
We call upon the Home Affairs Minister to prove that Malaysia is not taking great leaps to undermine democratic principles enshrined in our Federal Constitution, in remaking Malaysia into a communist state.
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 03, 2018
Wednesday, December 06, 2017
In the National Art Gallery and the Police's attempt to censor works purportedly portraying ‘elements of communism’, they act precisely like the communists they so zealously despise
Last month, the Malaysian art community made headlines again when 7 artists withdrew themselves from the inaugural KL Biennale after pieces from their installation titled, “Under Construction” were purportedly confiscated by the police the day before the official launch of the exhibition. The KL Biennale is a biennial contemporary art exhibition jointly organised by the National Art Gallery and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC). Modelled after the famous Venice Biennale, the KL version was heavily promoted as it featured 103 local artists and 11 international artists.
While Malaysians may understand a degree of censorship with regards to certain taboo issues such as art works insulting religion, the basis of censorship for the so-called prestigious event above has made Malaysia an international laughing stock.
The artists, comprising of 5 Malaysians and 2 Indonesians, said that police were called in to inspect their work and had said that the works presented “elements of communism”. The parts removed by the authorities, included the word “Rasuahahahahaha” and some books.
According to the group’s spokesperson, Aisyah Baharuddin, the art installation was meant to depict the human mind, culture and community, which were always changing and developing.
To add salt to wound, the artists were even forbidden to touch their own art work pending police investigations.
“We felt that they have violated our artwork by removing things that were part of the whole project. We were not allowed to go near it or even touch it. That was why we finally decided to cover it up with the black net as a sign of protest,” Aisyah said.
What was most disgraceful is the utter lack of professionalism and competence among the organisers and the authorities.
The show’s curator told the artists that the police confiscated pieces from their installation. However, the police said they only advised the gallery to remove the artwork and return it to the artists. More than a week after the controversy, no one is none the wiser.
As Aisyah rightly asked, “the National Art Gallery and the police have given conflicting accounts. Who is telling the truth? What actually happened?”
The irony of the entire fiasco is the fact that the Malaysian authorities are acting precisely like the purported “communisim” elements which the artist were accused of portraying. Are we now like a Stalinist totalitarian regime where the police and other relevant authorities will act like the Big Brother controlling how and what its citizens think?
The blatant attempts at censorship here clearly epitomises the ‘advise’ provided by the recently retired Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to cartoonist Zunar to stick to “drawing Donald Duck”.
This totalitarian mindset of the National Art Gallery and the Police will destroy any hopes of achieving the Biennale’s main objectives, which was to position KL as a must visit city on the global art map and to position Malaysia as a country that is persistent in developing a competitive creative economic sector.
The government had proudly launched the Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) with a RM20 million allocation in this year’s budget to boost the country’s cultural economy. Previously, the government launched MyCreative Ventures in 2012 as an investment arm with a RM200 million allocation to invest in viable creative businesses in the country. Both CENDANA and MyCreative Ventures are listed as co-supporters of the KL Biennale.
However, all the above well-intended funding allocations however will be completely wasted if the trend of arbitrary and increasingly intolerant censorship continues.
Earlier this year, Sabahan art collective Pangrok Sulap also made headlines when the withdrew themselves from the ongoing ESCAPE from SEA, exhibition after their piece titled “Sabah Tanah Air-Ku” was removed from the exhibition in Bangsar. Their piece was reported removed after a complaint was made that was later escalated to the Prime Minister’s Office. The piece explicitly highlights major Sabahan issues including Project IC, illegal logging, flooding and corruption.
If the government is sincere about making Malaysia a global cultural hub and to develop her local creative industries, it must stop with these frivolous acts of censorship and allow creative expression to thrive.
While Malaysians may understand a degree of censorship with regards to certain taboo issues such as art works insulting religion, the basis of censorship for the so-called prestigious event above has made Malaysia an international laughing stock.
The artists, comprising of 5 Malaysians and 2 Indonesians, said that police were called in to inspect their work and had said that the works presented “elements of communism”. The parts removed by the authorities, included the word “Rasuahahahahaha” and some books.
According to the group’s spokesperson, Aisyah Baharuddin, the art installation was meant to depict the human mind, culture and community, which were always changing and developing.
To add salt to wound, the artists were even forbidden to touch their own art work pending police investigations.
“We felt that they have violated our artwork by removing things that were part of the whole project. We were not allowed to go near it or even touch it. That was why we finally decided to cover it up with the black net as a sign of protest,” Aisyah said.
What was most disgraceful is the utter lack of professionalism and competence among the organisers and the authorities.
The show’s curator told the artists that the police confiscated pieces from their installation. However, the police said they only advised the gallery to remove the artwork and return it to the artists. More than a week after the controversy, no one is none the wiser.
As Aisyah rightly asked, “the National Art Gallery and the police have given conflicting accounts. Who is telling the truth? What actually happened?”
The irony of the entire fiasco is the fact that the Malaysian authorities are acting precisely like the purported “communisim” elements which the artist were accused of portraying. Are we now like a Stalinist totalitarian regime where the police and other relevant authorities will act like the Big Brother controlling how and what its citizens think?
The blatant attempts at censorship here clearly epitomises the ‘advise’ provided by the recently retired Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to cartoonist Zunar to stick to “drawing Donald Duck”.
This totalitarian mindset of the National Art Gallery and the Police will destroy any hopes of achieving the Biennale’s main objectives, which was to position KL as a must visit city on the global art map and to position Malaysia as a country that is persistent in developing a competitive creative economic sector.
The government had proudly launched the Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) with a RM20 million allocation in this year’s budget to boost the country’s cultural economy. Previously, the government launched MyCreative Ventures in 2012 as an investment arm with a RM200 million allocation to invest in viable creative businesses in the country. Both CENDANA and MyCreative Ventures are listed as co-supporters of the KL Biennale.
However, all the above well-intended funding allocations however will be completely wasted if the trend of arbitrary and increasingly intolerant censorship continues.
Earlier this year, Sabahan art collective Pangrok Sulap also made headlines when the withdrew themselves from the ongoing ESCAPE from SEA, exhibition after their piece titled “Sabah Tanah Air-Ku” was removed from the exhibition in Bangsar. Their piece was reported removed after a complaint was made that was later escalated to the Prime Minister’s Office. The piece explicitly highlights major Sabahan issues including Project IC, illegal logging, flooding and corruption.
If the government is sincere about making Malaysia a global cultural hub and to develop her local creative industries, it must stop with these frivolous acts of censorship and allow creative expression to thrive.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Is Multimedia and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak calling the findings of the Auditor-General is frivolous and hence should be disregarded?
It appears that Dato’ Seri Najib Razak’s cheerleaders are busy lining up to play down the damning Auditor-General’s (AG) Report on 1MDB which has been exposed by the Sarawak Report.
Multimedia and Communications Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak is now telling Malaysians that the Auditor-General’s Report on 1MDB is not a “final” report and hence insinuates that the findings and conclusions presented should be ignored.
“In fact, the auditor-general’s report is not complete because it addresses just one aspect of 1MDB. The complete report is the one from the PAC because it not only takes into account the auditor-general’s report but all the other information gathered as well,” Salleh wrote on his blog.
The biggest irony was when he argued that the Sarawak Report has intentionally “misled” the public with the AG’s Report. There is no bigger attempt to mislead the public than the Minister of Multimedia and Communications himself by playing down the findings of the AG’s Report.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its proceedings, relies almost entirely on the findings of the AG Report to present its deliberations, conclusions and recommendations. In fact, the PAC members understood that the AG’s Report was to be presented together with the the PAC Report to provide a complete picture with detailed facts and figures to the Parliament.
Hence the PAC Report itself made extensive references to the findings AG’s Report without citing the details for the simple reason that the PAC was expecting the AG’s Report to be published together with the PAC Report.
Therefore, the AG’s Report wasn’t merely “one aspect of 1MDB” as Salleh claimed, but an integral part of the PAC Report on 1MDB, without which the PAC Report would be incomplete.
The PAC Chairman himself has explained to the media on March 7, a month before the publication of the PAC Report that “the federal audit report on 1MDB will no longer be classified a state secret under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) once the PAC tables its findings on it in Parliament.”
The Members of the PAC, as well as Malaysians at large were hence shocked when Datuk Hasan Arifin autocratically rescinded what he promised and decided against publishing the AG’s Report, without any discussions with the Committee.
Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak must also accept the fact that there was nothing in the PAC Report which contradicted or negated the findings of the AG’s Report. In fact, PAC members from the government backbench and opposition concurred fully with the AG’s Report and never at any point of time, as recorded in the PAC Hansard, disagreed or rejected the findings.
Hence all the findings in the AG’s Report must be deemed factual and dealt with accordingly by the authorities. The question of the AG’s Report being “incomplete” does not arise at all.
Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak should stop becoming Dato’ Seri Najib Razak’s Minister of Miscommunication by trivialising the AG’s Report and insulting the professionalism of Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang. Instead he should be scandalised by the findings of the Report and demand for heads to roll for all who were involved in the elaborate 1MDB scammed which cheated billions of dollars from Malaysian taxpayers, to protect the “good name” and credibility of the Government.
Thursday, July 07, 2016
The best Hari Raya present: the Auditor-General's discoveries on 1MDB which the Najib administration tried to hide via the Official Secrets Act (OSA)
It appears that The Sarawak Report has successfully procured the classified Auditor-General’s Report on 1MDB with the relevant accompanying documents.
It is a feat even I could not achieve because the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin has ruled that even PAC members could not retain a copy of the document. This is despite the fact that we have been specifically cleared to access the Report. I could only read the Report during the PAC meetings or upon request at the Parliamentary office.
What is important however, isn’t the feat itself, but the fact that the whole wide world can now confirm what was speculated earlier as the real reason why the AG’s Report has not been declassified and presented to the Parliament. It is because the Auditor-General’s comments on the fishy tales and documents supplied by 1MDB is even more damning than the already damning PAC Report on the 1MDB investigations.
For example, 1MDB made payments to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Incorporated Aabar Investment PJS Limited amounting to US$1.15 billion between May to November 2014. These were originally explained to the Auditor-General as compensation payments for the termination of options granted to Aabar.
However, much later, after it was exposed that they have separately made another payment of US$993 million for the same purpose in November 2014, 1MDB changed their tune and claimed the US$1.15 billion was meant for a separate “top-up security” Deposit to Aabar.
1MDB even got its Board of Directors to retrospectively approve the above US$1.15 billion “top-up security” payment one year later in November 2015.
This was despite the fact that Arul Kanda, as the Chief Executive of 1MDB would have already received notification from International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC) and its subsidiary, Aabar Investment PJS of Abu Dhabi in July 2015 that the BVI-incorporated Aabar is a fictitious entity unrelated to them!
In the spirit of honesty and decency during the month of AidilFitri celebrations, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak must immediately instruct the declassification of the AG’s Report, which was never meant to be permanently classified. After all, if he has nothing to hide and insists that the Sarawak Report has once again falsified documents and doctored, in this case the AG’s Report, then making public the “real” Report will once and for all destroy Sarawak Report’s credibility.
The failure to declassify the Auditor-General’s Report however, would only prove to Malaysians and the whole wide world that we have a Prime Minister who is guilty of one of the biggest cover up in the history of the world. It would also ultimately confirm the public perception that we are a country run by kleptocrats.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Why doesn’t the Government just stop all Malaysians from travelling overseas since it does not have to give any reason under the Immigration Act?
I am disappointed that former Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Datuk Nur Jazlan has decided that there is absolutely no need for the Government to be transparent and accountable for its decisions.
The Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the government need not have to give reasons for barring Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah from leaving Malaysia.He told reporters that “it's a power given under the Immigration Act, we don't need to explain why... We are not compelled to give a reason.”
Even if it is true that the law gives the Government such dictatorial rights, a Government who prides itself on transparency and accountability will nevertheless attempt to justify its actions.
The lack of such transparency and accountability only points to a Government which is intent on abusing its powers to repress its critics and dissidents. Maria Chin was on the way to South Korea to receive the prestigious Gwangju Prize Human Rights Award, an award previously bestowed upon Aung Sang Suu Kyi and Xanana Gusmao.
At the same time, even if a law grants the authorities the relevant discretion to exercise its powers, such discretion under any democratic regime governed by the rule of law must be exercised reasonably. Such discretion were never meant to be abused according to the authorities’ whims and fancies.
I have been barred from leaving the country since 24 July 2015. The Government and the Director of Immigration had similarly refused to provide me with any reason as to why I have been barred from leaving the country.
It was only when the decision was challenged in court that the Director of Immigration provided an affidavit which disclosed that I have had my travel rights restricted because I was allegedly under police investigations for “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy" which carries up to a 20-year prison sentence.
Even so, I have only been called in for questioning by the Police as a witness for their investigations and have never been informed by any parties that I was ever a suspect.
Hence the Government’s crude attempts to restrict our travel rights are outrageous abuse of power, which only serves to prove the critics allegations of Malaysia transforming itself to be police state run by a tin-pot dictatorship.
The Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the government need not have to give reasons for barring Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah from leaving Malaysia.He told reporters that “it's a power given under the Immigration Act, we don't need to explain why... We are not compelled to give a reason.”
Even if it is true that the law gives the Government such dictatorial rights, a Government who prides itself on transparency and accountability will nevertheless attempt to justify its actions.
The lack of such transparency and accountability only points to a Government which is intent on abusing its powers to repress its critics and dissidents. Maria Chin was on the way to South Korea to receive the prestigious Gwangju Prize Human Rights Award, an award previously bestowed upon Aung Sang Suu Kyi and Xanana Gusmao.
At the same time, even if a law grants the authorities the relevant discretion to exercise its powers, such discretion under any democratic regime governed by the rule of law must be exercised reasonably. Such discretion were never meant to be abused according to the authorities’ whims and fancies.
I have been barred from leaving the country since 24 July 2015. The Government and the Director of Immigration had similarly refused to provide me with any reason as to why I have been barred from leaving the country.
It was only when the decision was challenged in court that the Director of Immigration provided an affidavit which disclosed that I have had my travel rights restricted because I was allegedly under police investigations for “activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy" which carries up to a 20-year prison sentence.
Even so, I have only been called in for questioning by the Police as a witness for their investigations and have never been informed by any parties that I was ever a suspect.
Hence the Government’s crude attempts to restrict our travel rights are outrageous abuse of power, which only serves to prove the critics allegations of Malaysia transforming itself to be police state run by a tin-pot dictatorship.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Malaysia enters new age of darkness as the Najib administration brutally suppresses press freedom
Never has the media in Malaysia faced a greater onslaught than it faces today since the dark days of Operasi Lalang where The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Watan was suspended on 29 October 1987.
Today, in a bid to put a lid on a barrel of crawling worms, the Najib administration has taken the most drastic and draconian action to date by blocking Malaysia’s most popular English news portal, The Malaysian Insider.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed that The Malaysian Insider has been officially banned “on the grounds of national security”. The notice posted by the respective Internet Service Providers claimed that the website is “not available in Malaysia because it violates National Law(s)”.
The Malaysian government has gotten increasingly brazen with abusing its powers by previously blocking whistle-blower websites such as The Sarawak Report and even the Medium channel for publishing The Sarawak Report news. It has previously blocked the Bersih.org website and more recently, the anti-establishment Malaysia Chronicle blog.
The latest block against the mainstream news portal The Malaysian Insider is clearly a sign of the Malaysian government upping the ante against any news outlets deemed to provide free and fair coverage of politics and Malaysia.
Worse, the MCMC has blatant flouted the very laws it claims to protect by taking action against the website without even any charges pressed against them. The Malaysian Insider has stated that it has no knowledge of being investigated for any of its reports, nor has it been sought to assist in clarifying any matters deemed sensitive by the authorities.This goes to prove the complete disregard for the rule of law by the Government.
The unannounced block by MCMC is a blatant show of naked force to not only to shut down “misbehaving” news sites, it is also intended to frighten and threaten all other news portals into submission and compliance.
President Barrack Obama had spoken up on the need of media freedom to preserve meaningful democracy during the World Press Freedom Day last year. "Journalists give all of us as citizens the chance to know the truth about our countries, ourselves, our governments," he said. "That makes us better, it makes us stronger, it gives voice to the voiceless, it exposes injustice, and holds leaders like me accountable."
The increasing brute and brazen attempts by the Najib administration to tear down the fourth estate, a critical pillar to check and balance those who are in power will only go to demonstrate how we are closer to a banana republic than we think we are. The world will now see in our full naked glory, how Malaysia is run by an utterly corrupt and shameless regime.
The DAP calls upon the MCMC and the Najib administration to lift the ban on all news portals. It will not only to return Malaysia to some semblance of the rule of law, but also to prevent a further drain in confidence in the country by local and foreign investors which will crush our fragile economy today.
Today, in a bid to put a lid on a barrel of crawling worms, the Najib administration has taken the most drastic and draconian action to date by blocking Malaysia’s most popular English news portal, The Malaysian Insider.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed that The Malaysian Insider has been officially banned “on the grounds of national security”. The notice posted by the respective Internet Service Providers claimed that the website is “not available in Malaysia because it violates National Law(s)”.
The Malaysian government has gotten increasingly brazen with abusing its powers by previously blocking whistle-blower websites such as The Sarawak Report and even the Medium channel for publishing The Sarawak Report news. It has previously blocked the Bersih.org website and more recently, the anti-establishment Malaysia Chronicle blog.
The latest block against the mainstream news portal The Malaysian Insider is clearly a sign of the Malaysian government upping the ante against any news outlets deemed to provide free and fair coverage of politics and Malaysia.
Worse, the MCMC has blatant flouted the very laws it claims to protect by taking action against the website without even any charges pressed against them. The Malaysian Insider has stated that it has no knowledge of being investigated for any of its reports, nor has it been sought to assist in clarifying any matters deemed sensitive by the authorities.This goes to prove the complete disregard for the rule of law by the Government.
The unannounced block by MCMC is a blatant show of naked force to not only to shut down “misbehaving” news sites, it is also intended to frighten and threaten all other news portals into submission and compliance.
President Barrack Obama had spoken up on the need of media freedom to preserve meaningful democracy during the World Press Freedom Day last year. "Journalists give all of us as citizens the chance to know the truth about our countries, ourselves, our governments," he said. "That makes us better, it makes us stronger, it gives voice to the voiceless, it exposes injustice, and holds leaders like me accountable."
The increasing brute and brazen attempts by the Najib administration to tear down the fourth estate, a critical pillar to check and balance those who are in power will only go to demonstrate how we are closer to a banana republic than we think we are. The world will now see in our full naked glory, how Malaysia is run by an utterly corrupt and shameless regime.
The DAP calls upon the MCMC and the Najib administration to lift the ban on all news portals. It will not only to return Malaysia to some semblance of the rule of law, but also to prevent a further drain in confidence in the country by local and foreign investors which will crush our fragile economy today.
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
If BN wants to win back Malaysian votes, they should look at their own policies and statements, instead of blaming journalists
The Malay Mail Online reported yesterday that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged journalists from non-mainstream media to help paint Barisan Nasional (BN) in a good light, in the ruling coalition’s bid to reclaim the support of Chinese and Indian voters.
The Deputy Prime Minister got his priority completely wrong. It is not the role of journalists to “help paint” BN in a good light. It is the role of the journalists to report the facts and the truths of events and activities. If the truth paints anyone in the bad light, regardless of whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, the fault lays with the relevant parties themselves, and not the journalists.
If the Deputy Prime Minister is really sincere about winning back the votes from the rakyat, particularly from the non-Malay community, then the first step must start from himself and UMNO.
The Deputy Prime Minister got his priority completely wrong. It is not the role of journalists to “help paint” BN in a good light. It is the role of the journalists to report the facts and the truths of events and activities. If the truth paints anyone in the bad light, regardless of whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, the fault lays with the relevant parties themselves, and not the journalists.
If the Deputy Prime Minister is really sincere about winning back the votes from the rakyat, particularly from the non-Malay community, then the first step must start from himself and UMNO.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Stop the Impossible Task of regulating the Impossible
From a university dropout, William Henry Gates III turning lines of codes into the Windows Operating System first released back in 1985, to a Harvard social misfit, Mark Zuckerberg creating the world most successful social media site – Facebook.com, the industry is one that is fertilised by impulse and innovation, perpetually morphing and forever intruding into every aspect of our lives.
The industry is so pervasive that hardly any product escapes its reach. Computer programming is required today to build your car, produce movies and animations, set up manufacturing plants and to develop an efficient order management system to deliver pizzas. IT is the industry of making what was "impossible", possible.
The draft Computer Professionals Bill 2011 however, is an ill-conceived impossible attempt by the Government to regulate the “impossible”. The proposed bill fails because the limits and scope of the law cannot be strictly defined as the industry changes by the minute.
“Computing services” for example, will include today, website designers, setting up blogs or anyone producing an animated Flash-game for your Facebook. In fact, with seamless integration of a simple word processor, such as Microsoft Word with the Internet, a desk clerk now effectively becomes a provider of “computing services”.
The definition of “critical national information infrastructure” will be equally impossible define as it would and could encompass any industry from the government sector to financial services to the telecommunication communications or even the airline or transportation industry. Surely a failure in any of these industries would have a “devastating impact on national economic strength”.
Putting the two indefinable terms together will result in absurd outcomes. An advertising agency offering web design services for a bank will have to become a “Registered Computing Services Provider”, or a technician providing maintenance services of computer hardware in a government office would have to be registered as a “Registered Computing Professional” or a “Registered Computing Practitioner”, whichever applicable.
What is unimaginable would be for Microsoft to have all its computer programmers in the United States registered with the Board of Computing Professionals in Malaysia, before the company could sell its software to entities providing “critical national information infrastructure” in the country! If Microsoft or Hewlett Packard or any other product developer or manufacturer involving “computer services” from overseas could be exempted from being “registered”, then why should Malaysians be penalised for being unregistered?
The Bill and the bureaucracy to be created with its implementation will become an utter waste or resources for both the Government and the industry. Registration of practitioners or professionals does not guarantee quality and will not lift industry standards. If other countries from the United States to South Korea, from to Singapore to Germany and from India to South Africa do not require such a Bill to design, develop and produce top quality computing and related products, what makes the Government think that such a Bill will miraculously make Malaysia a top computing nation?
In fact, the implementation of such a Bill will only lead to an exodus of talent in Malaysia because they will find the environment substantially more conducive in other countries to pursue their computing dreams.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and hundreds of others did not succeed because they registered with a “Board of Computing Professionals” in the United States or elsewhere in the world. On the contrary, their success is based precisely on an environment which encouraged unrestrained creativity, breeding innovation without the leash.
The Malaysian Government will do well to admit the mistake that is the Computing Professionals Bill, and withdraw the thought of ever tabling the bill in the Parliament.
The industry is so pervasive that hardly any product escapes its reach. Computer programming is required today to build your car, produce movies and animations, set up manufacturing plants and to develop an efficient order management system to deliver pizzas. IT is the industry of making what was "impossible", possible.
The draft Computer Professionals Bill 2011 however, is an ill-conceived impossible attempt by the Government to regulate the “impossible”. The proposed bill fails because the limits and scope of the law cannot be strictly defined as the industry changes by the minute.
“Computing services” for example, will include today, website designers, setting up blogs or anyone producing an animated Flash-game for your Facebook. In fact, with seamless integration of a simple word processor, such as Microsoft Word with the Internet, a desk clerk now effectively becomes a provider of “computing services”.
The definition of “critical national information infrastructure” will be equally impossible define as it would and could encompass any industry from the government sector to financial services to the telecommunication communications or even the airline or transportation industry. Surely a failure in any of these industries would have a “devastating impact on national economic strength”.
Putting the two indefinable terms together will result in absurd outcomes. An advertising agency offering web design services for a bank will have to become a “Registered Computing Services Provider”, or a technician providing maintenance services of computer hardware in a government office would have to be registered as a “Registered Computing Professional” or a “Registered Computing Practitioner”, whichever applicable.
What is unimaginable would be for Microsoft to have all its computer programmers in the United States registered with the Board of Computing Professionals in Malaysia, before the company could sell its software to entities providing “critical national information infrastructure” in the country! If Microsoft or Hewlett Packard or any other product developer or manufacturer involving “computer services” from overseas could be exempted from being “registered”, then why should Malaysians be penalised for being unregistered?
The Bill and the bureaucracy to be created with its implementation will become an utter waste or resources for both the Government and the industry. Registration of practitioners or professionals does not guarantee quality and will not lift industry standards. If other countries from the United States to South Korea, from to Singapore to Germany and from India to South Africa do not require such a Bill to design, develop and produce top quality computing and related products, what makes the Government think that such a Bill will miraculously make Malaysia a top computing nation?
In fact, the implementation of such a Bill will only lead to an exodus of talent in Malaysia because they will find the environment substantially more conducive in other countries to pursue their computing dreams.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and hundreds of others did not succeed because they registered with a “Board of Computing Professionals” in the United States or elsewhere in the world. On the contrary, their success is based precisely on an environment which encouraged unrestrained creativity, breeding innovation without the leash.
The Malaysian Government will do well to admit the mistake that is the Computing Professionals Bill, and withdraw the thought of ever tabling the bill in the Parliament.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Computing Professionals Bill 2011: An Orwellian "Big Brother"
The draft Computing Professionals Bill 2011 (CPB2011) which is currently being circulated for "consultation" is an attempt by MOSTI to regulate all "computing services" provided to entities or persons related to the "critical national information infrastructure" (CNII).
"Computing services" is defined as any services provided to "plan, architect, design, create, develop, implement, use and manage information technology systems". Based on this definition, the scope of such services would cover anything from designing websites to the setting up of computer servers to the design and development of any computer products - whether software or hardware. In fact, one would easily classify the setting up of blogs and news portals, or even use of Facebook and Twitter accounts as being covered under "computing services".
"CNII" on the other hand, is defined as "those assets, systems and functions that are vital to the nation that their incapacity or destruction would have a devastating impact on National economic strength or National image or National defense and security or Government capability to function or Public health and safety".
CNII could hence cover any entity in the Government, financial institutions and government linked companies. What is absolutely frightening is the definition would also cover all the way to any website, portal or information technology application which could have a detrimental impact on the "National image" or deemed to hurt the "Government's capability to function".
Any ambiguity in the law shall be determined by the 15 imember "Board of Computing Professionals" appointed at the sole discretion of the Minister, and subjected only to the Minister's approval.
Contrary to the clarification statement made by MOSTI, which claimed that the bill does not restrict the practise of "computing services" and is only limited to CNII, the bill has pervasive and damaging consequences not only on the information technology industry, but also infringes on key Goverment commitments under the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees.
The Bill of Guarantees have promised "unrestricted employment of knowledge workers" and "no censorship of the Internet". However the CPB 2011 will clearly restrict the hiring of knowledge workers by necessitating registration. Similarly, the CPB 2011 as it is currently defined could be used to register, regulate and restrict the activities of individuals or corporations to publish news reports or those who use Facebook, Twitter or other similar applications with the excuse of protecting the "National image".
It is clear that the flimsily drafted CPB has the Orwellian "big brother" fingerprints all over it.
The information technology and computing industry has been operating without controversy, issues or impediment for the past decades. There is absolutely no bureaucratic requirement to restrict and control the industry, which will only bring adverse outcomes without any corresponding tangible benefit.
I will personally attend the CPB 2011 Open Day organised by MOSTI tomorrow to hear the Ministry's clarifications on the bill, and to submit the relevant points of objection.
"Computing services" is defined as any services provided to "plan, architect, design, create, develop, implement, use and manage information technology systems". Based on this definition, the scope of such services would cover anything from designing websites to the setting up of computer servers to the design and development of any computer products - whether software or hardware. In fact, one would easily classify the setting up of blogs and news portals, or even use of Facebook and Twitter accounts as being covered under "computing services".
"CNII" on the other hand, is defined as "those assets, systems and functions that are vital to the nation that their incapacity or destruction would have a devastating impact on National economic strength or National image or National defense and security or Government capability to function or Public health and safety".
CNII could hence cover any entity in the Government, financial institutions and government linked companies. What is absolutely frightening is the definition would also cover all the way to any website, portal or information technology application which could have a detrimental impact on the "National image" or deemed to hurt the "Government's capability to function".
Any ambiguity in the law shall be determined by the 15 imember "Board of Computing Professionals" appointed at the sole discretion of the Minister, and subjected only to the Minister's approval.
Contrary to the clarification statement made by MOSTI, which claimed that the bill does not restrict the practise of "computing services" and is only limited to CNII, the bill has pervasive and damaging consequences not only on the information technology industry, but also infringes on key Goverment commitments under the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees.
The Bill of Guarantees have promised "unrestricted employment of knowledge workers" and "no censorship of the Internet". However the CPB 2011 will clearly restrict the hiring of knowledge workers by necessitating registration. Similarly, the CPB 2011 as it is currently defined could be used to register, regulate and restrict the activities of individuals or corporations to publish news reports or those who use Facebook, Twitter or other similar applications with the excuse of protecting the "National image".
It is clear that the flimsily drafted CPB has the Orwellian "big brother" fingerprints all over it.
The information technology and computing industry has been operating without controversy, issues or impediment for the past decades. There is absolutely no bureaucratic requirement to restrict and control the industry, which will only bring adverse outcomes without any corresponding tangible benefit.
I will personally attend the CPB 2011 Open Day organised by MOSTI tomorrow to hear the Ministry's clarifications on the bill, and to submit the relevant points of objection.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Malaysia-Today Censored?
Update: It has now been confirmed. Malaysia-Today has been censored by the Government and it spells the end of Mahathir's Multimedia Super Corridor. When a Bill of Guarantee deemed sacred is infringed, then there is nothing else credible in it. Let's hope it spells the end of this UMNO-led government as well.
I have received information that the ultra-popular Malaysia-Today website operated by Raja Petra Kamaruddin may have been blocked and censored altogether by the Malaysian authorities, and cannot be accessed via TMNet connections.
You can still access the website via the mirror site @ http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com.
Well, it may look like the end of the Multimedia Super Corridor Bill of Guarantees which has promised no censorship and there may be plenty of truth in the exposé by Malaysian Insider yesterday on the fact that bloggers are being targetted next.
Let's just hope that we are wrong about all this.
I have received information that the ultra-popular Malaysia-Today website operated by Raja Petra Kamaruddin may have been blocked and censored altogether by the Malaysian authorities, and cannot be accessed via TMNet connections.
You can still access the website via the mirror site @ http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com.
Well, it may look like the end of the Multimedia Super Corridor Bill of Guarantees which has promised no censorship and there may be plenty of truth in the exposé by Malaysian Insider yesterday on the fact that bloggers are being targetted next.
Let's just hope that we are wrong about all this.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Avril Lavigne Too Sexy
You must be kidding me. Avril Lavigne has attitude. She wears the grunge look with dark eye-shadows. Yes, I'm a fan. But Avril Lavigne "too sexy"? Unbelievable.Unfortunately, our very own Minister of Culture and Heritage agrees with the PAS Youth leadership that Avril is inappropriate for Malaysian youth. So permit has been denied for the concert, and I should think, unless you are Tom Jones or Cliff Richard, one should just forget about visiting Malaysia.
In fact, I think sooner or later, the famous Hong Kong and Taiwan artistes will be banned as well, for as far as I can tell, singers like Jolin Tsai or Karen Mok and many others dresses much more sexily than Avril Lavigne (without in my opinion being inappropriate).
Malaysian Artistes’ Association (Karyawan) describing the move as “ridiculous”.
“Their narrow-mindedness will definitely not get the support of the rakyat. They are always looking at the world through blinkers. They cannot see any other point of view except theirs.”We can forget about Malaysia becoming a "cultural and entertainment" centre in the region, and one of the biggest victims will be our tourism industry in itself. Of course, that obviously isn't the concern of PAS Youth. Inul was asked to be banned. Same for Gwen Stefani. They even our very own Malaysian Ella and Mas Idayu's concert, much to the consternation of Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite certain that after watching these concerts I won't suddenly get the urge to consume drugs, rob banks, go on a murder rampage or even cheat on my wife. And I don't even drink! So what's the problem?
I wonder if these PAS Youth members even looked out of the windows in their house? Or more pertinently, do they have windows?
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
政治马戏笑死国际
Thankfully, I managed to get my Chinese column in Oriental Daily printed on Monday last week for I was discussing the issue of Wee Meng Chee, which as become a "political circus", while Malaysia became the butt of jokes by the international community. For on the very next day, the all powerful Internal Security Ministry headed by none other than the Prime Minister himself, issued an instruction to stop all further discussions and reports on the issue, well, except when its raised by the all-knowing Prime Minister himself, and his deputy.Once again, I'll reiterate that I do not wholly agree with the content of Wee's songs, particularly in his use of coarse language as well as when he touches on religion. However, it becomes absolutely ridiculous when senior ministers of the Malaysian cabinet all took turns to jump on to the bandwagon to take potshots at the 24 year old student, threatening him with anything from detention under the ISA, withdrawing his citizenship and even charging him for treason!
The funniest of it all, must be Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's highly thought provoking remark, when he wanted to take action against YouTube.com. If only our Ministers could act against all the other ills plaguing the country with equal seriousness and gusto.
(And Wee's back, now with his debut album to be released on 2nd Sept)
政治马戏笑死国际
潘俭伟
马来西亚内阁全然变成了一束国际笑话：一位24岁、年轻有为又潇洒的旅台生--黄明志只是唱了一首歌上载到YouTube.com网站，就足以使整个内阁直跳脚。
雪州前任州务大臣、巫统宣传主任莫哈末泰益及马六甲州首席部长阿里鲁斯旦建议政府撤销黄明志的公民权。首相署部长纳兹里要援引煽动法令控告黄明志。外交部长赛哈密提出把黄明志从台湾引渡回国的问题。。。。。。
还有，青年及体育部长阿莎丽娜威胁要援引内部安全法令扣留黄明志。教育部长希山慕丁及副首相纳吉把黄明志标签为“叛徒”。这可不是开玩笑的！叛国罪唯一的惩罚就是死刑。
马华的卫生部长蔡细历医生还特别代表黄明志向国人及政府道歉。然而，蔡细历在代表黄明志道歉时，却当着黄明志父亲即黄安熙面前通过电视及平面媒体再痛骂一顿，甚至批评黄明志是个“天真”、“幼稚”及“不成熟”的年轻人。
我们的内阁部长好像个个都特别空闲，以致没有其它更重要的事情急须处理。
过去3年来，马来西亚的犯罪指数飙升45%。我国外来直接投资额在过去10年内降低45%，反观城市的生活消费越来越高。耗资46亿令吉设立的巴生港口自由贸易区，引发涉嫌贪污及滥权的大问号。
根据最新公布的上海交通大学“世界500所最佳大学”排行榜，我国没有任何高等学府列在榜上。然而，我们亲爱的部长从来不认为这些属于国家大事，似乎不比黄明志所撰写的歌词来得严重。
即使黄明志道歉之后，内阁经过商议后还是决定要把黄明志提控上庭。如果我是黄明志，我很自然地反问：若是这样，我为何要先道歉呢？至于那些通过互联网发表威胁我及家人安全的人，为何没有面对同样的待遇呢？
最有趣的是，纳兹里竟然说除了援引法律对付黄明志之外，政府还要对付YouTube。纳兹里这番言论是否有点太“天真”、“幼稚”及“不成熟”？
YouTube是美国网络巨人Google的子公司。Google市值高达1千560亿美元（5千460亿令吉），或相等于占马来西亚国内生产总值的一半。最根本的问题还是Google的电脑伺服器未设在马来西亚。那么，政府又有什么权力“对付”Google呢？
要是这些内阁部长能够以同样程度的激情、热心与关心，去面对并解决其它领域包括经济、罪案、教育等方面的问题，我国人民肯定受惠无穷。只可惜，这些国阵领袖不仅成了马戏团的小丑，他们还成了国际社会见笑的卡通政治人物。
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Malaysian Cabinet Bullies Young Student
In an unbelieveable circus which, for one reason or another, can only happen in Malaysia, the entire might of the Malaysian cabinet bore down upon a 24 year old helpless young man who is currently still a student at a university in Taiwan. For what? Because he shot a video of himself singing and criticising the negative aspects of the country in a crude satirical fashion.Yes, Wee Meng Chee used swear words. Yes, he used images of feces. Yes, he sang that he got woken up by prayers at a mosque early in the morning. And yes, he made the national anthem a tad more snappy to those who are young at heart. I wouldn't do that.
But for goodness sake! Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, himself the Minister of Education, as well as the Datuk Seri Najib "Islamic State" Razak labelled Wee Meng Chee a "traitor" on national television and all mainstream press. Tan Sri Muhammad Taib, the influential former Selangor Menteri Besar asked for his citizenship to be revoked! Other ministers asked for him to be extradited to be trialled back in Malaysia, for his university sponsorship to be retracted (even if he wasn't sponsored by the Government), for him to be charged under the draconian Sedition Act (even though there was a national anthem act).
All because of a 3-minute entertaining satirical music video which must have been view more than a million times by now by viewers all over the world. Wee Meng Chee rapped on police corruption, civil service bureaucracy, discrimination against Chinese education as well as the insensitivity of the authorities.
Harian Metro led the charge to demonise Wee, leading to plenty of threats against him and his family. "Now the messages posted in Youtube say the Malays want to bomb my family, burn my house, kill my family members and others."
Under intense pressure and threats, Wee finally succumbed to apologise to "those who are offended by his work". This apology was proudly conveyed by Datuk Chua Soi Lek, representing the Malaysia Chinese Association (MCA). Wee and his parents must have suffered total ignominy when the Minister of Health went on national television to publicly and openly criticise Wee as being "naive and immature".
Wee must have swallowed his pride in order for the furore to pass, as promised by the MCA politicians in the hope that his parents will be able to find peace and anonymity in Muar once more. MCA for a day, behaved like heroes for "saving the day".
But unfortunately, it was not to be. MCA's bed partner, UMNO, decided that the apology should not be accepted, and the matter must be referred to the Attorney General for prosecution under the Malaysian laws. Clearly, it has shown Malaysians that MCA can't even protect the interest of a 24 year old student from UMNO, even after forcing an apology out of Wee, as well as bringing Wee family's reputation into disrepute with the public scolding Dr Chua meted out. (What type of useless party is that?)
I feel completely disgusted. I'm completely disgusted not only to the treatment meted out to Wee Meng Chee, but also the total double standards the Barisan Nasional government handles these type of matters.
While Wee's videos were crude and rude, the article posted by Kelab Penyokong Maya UMNO (KPMU) was incontrovertibly offensive and seditious, when the latter insinuated that the Christian God was false, and their descendents deviants.
The overwhelming might of the Cabinet and Barisan Nasional was brought to bear upon Wee, while til today, absolutely no action has been taken against KPMU despite a police report having been filed more than a week ago. The offensive article remains in its website, totally unchallenged, not even by MCA who claims to represent the Chinese community.
Or what about the case of Tung Ket Ming who was trashed and tortured by the Police after being arrested? Absolutely pin-silent from our BN, the epitome of moral uprightness.
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. This Government has clearly lost its moral compass.
Read also Ong Kian Ming's view of the circus at our other blog here.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Action Against UMNO Supporters' Website?
As mentioned in my previous post, I lodged a police report on a highly seditious and incendiary article posted only by Kelab Penyokong Maya Umno (KPMU). This has also been reported in Malaysiakini today.
The whole point of the article was to insinuate and accuse the fact that Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin was not a true Muslim but instead a closet Christian, but in doing so proceeded to hurl various hurtful, unfounded and grossly insulting remarks with regards to Christianity and its believers.
Raja Petra himself have responded to the article by rightly pointing out that if KPMU, whom Raja Petra accused of being the Cyber Troopers engaged by UMNO, has a bone to pick with him, then pick the fight with him, and not go one to hurl uncalled for insults using coarse language at others, including his family members and the Christian community.
Hence we can only hope that the police will be equally efficient in calling up the Editor of KPMU, a Dato' Siddiq Akmal Ismail for interrogation within 2 days of the report being filed. So far, after a day, I've just been asked to make my statement at the Mutiara Damansara police post earlier this evening. (no
Like the cases of Malaysiakini in 2004 and Nathaniel Tan a month ago, their computers were confiscated, will the Police do likewise to KPMU since the hosting company is based in Kuching and the data centre is located in Telekom Malaysia?
For the police report, I've specifically taken the liberty of using the summary extracts compiled by 5xMom
The whole point of the article was to insinuate and accuse the fact that Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin was not a true Muslim but instead a closet Christian, but in doing so proceeded to hurl various hurtful, unfounded and grossly insulting remarks with regards to Christianity and its believers.
Raja Petra himself have responded to the article by rightly pointing out that if KPMU, whom Raja Petra accused of being the Cyber Troopers engaged by UMNO, has a bone to pick with him, then pick the fight with him, and not go one to hurl uncalled for insults using coarse language at others, including his family members and the Christian community.
I urge the Kelab Penyokong Maya Umno boys to play fair. Call me a swindler, someone who runs away to Thailand to secretly marry the Sultan’s daughter, gay, sex pervert who shags animals, male prostitute, gambler, mother-fxxxer, or anything at all you so wish. I can take it.While the "insulting Agung and Islam" case against Raja Petra lodged by UMNO has been incredulously based on comments left on his blog, in this case, the owners and editors of the site have published KPMU's article which is really a direct insult to a multi-racial and multi-religion Malaysians.
I appeal to the Kelab Penyokong Maya Umno boys to be a bit more sensitive to the feelings of Christians. By all means engage Malaysia Today. But please spare the Christians.
Hence we can only hope that the police will be equally efficient in calling up the Editor of KPMU, a Dato' Siddiq Akmal Ismail for interrogation within 2 days of the report being filed. So far, after a day, I've just been asked to make my statement at the Mutiara Damansara police post earlier this evening. (no
Like the cases of Malaysiakini in 2004 and Nathaniel Tan a month ago, their computers were confiscated, will the Police do likewise to KPMU since the hosting company is based in Kuching and the data centre is located in Telekom Malaysia?
For the police report, I've specifically taken the liberty of using the summary extracts compiled by 5xMom
Repot Polis Bertarikh 7hb Ogos 2007We look forward to the fair and just Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has preached responsibility in blogging, who is also the Internal Security Minister, to act without fear or favour.
Saya, Pua Kiam Wee, yang beralamat 55-M Jalan SS21/1A, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, ingin membuat report mengenai laman web Kelab Penyokong Maya UMNO (KPMU) yang beralamat web http://www.kpmu.net.
Dalam satu rencana bertajuk 'Riwayat Raja Petra II' tanpa tarikh yang baru diterbitkan di laman web - http://www.kpmu.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=129, KPMU telah membuat tuduhan yang teramat menghina terhadap kaum beragama Kristian. Penulis, penyunting, penerbit dan pemilik laman web KPMU perlu ditahan polis dan disiasat atas undang-undang hasutan (Sedition Act).
Penyunting laman web KPMU adalah Dato' Siddiq Akmal Ismail.
Rencana tersebut menuduh bahawa Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, pemilik blog “Malaysia-Today” bukannya beragama Islam. Sebaliknya dia beragama Kristian. Antara seksyen-seksyen rencana tersebut yang jelas tidak bertimbang-rasa terhadap penganut agama Kristian in Malaysia, dan akan membawa keadaan cemas dalam hubungan antara rakyat berbagai kaum, adat dan agama di negara kita, termasuklah:Tuduhan-tuduhan di atas langsung tidak berasas dan diterbitkan bertujuan menghina penganut Kristian dan menghasut perasaan sakit hati, marah, kecemasan dan menimbulkan ketidak-tenteraman antara rakyat Malaysia.
- Tuduhan bahawa Tuhan agama Kristian palsu dan tidak wujud:
“Ada jugak yang I dengar pernah nampak dia singgah ke gereja bersama dengan isterinya. Buat apa lagi? Dah tentu lah itu cara dia mengingati tuhan nya yang palsu tu.”- Tuduhan bahawa penganut Kristian adalah pemabuk:
“Biasalah kalau dah kafir tu, mestilah dia dengan arak tak dapat dipisahkan. Umpama orang mabuk yang mengantuk tidur dengan botol arak-araknya. Confirm la bangun pagi wain dah tentulah dalam gengamannya.”- Tuduhan bahawa penganut Kristian di Malaysia berniat menghapuskan kaum Melayu:
“Orang macam ni memang tak boleh di percayai. Manusia yang bertopengkan Islam sedangkan pada dasarnya jiwanya masih kristian dan cuba untuk menjatuhkan bangsa melayu.”- Tuduhan bahawa penganut Kristian adalah orang liar dan "deviant":
“Keturunan yang mengalirkan darah kristian dalam tubuh anak-anak,cucu-cucu serta semua generasi petra yang akan datang akan terus menjadi songsang.”
Pihak polis mesti memberikan perhatian dan tumpuan terpenting dalam urusan kes ini supaya kesemua pihak yang bertanggungjawab akan dibawa ke mahkamah secepat mungkin.
Siasatan terhadap Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin dapat dilaksanakan dalam masa yang singkat sekali, dua hari selepas satu repot polis yang diserahkan oleh pihak UMNO di mana Raja Petra dituduh menghina Agung dan agama Islam. Kami berharap supaya pihak polis akan bertindak dengan kecekapan dan kepantasan yang sama.
Salinan rencana KPMU ada dilampirkan bersama report ini.
Halaman web tersebut dikendalikan oleh Hive Hosting Sdn. Bhd., yang beralamat 9A Lot 539 Section 10 KTLD Rubber Road Commercials, Kuching, 93400. Syarikat tersebut bertelefon +60.82234588 dan berfaks: +60.82234588. Manakala, server laman KPMU berada di pusat data, Telekom Malaysia. Matlumat di atas boleh diperolehi dari laman http://whois.net, seperti yang juga dilampirkan dalam repot ini.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Silencing Cyberspace: The Final Frontier?
This forum is part of a event by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to promote and protect the freedom of expression by the Malaysian civil society, particularly on the Internet.
SILENCING CYBERSPACE - THE FINAL FRONTIER?
Date: 6 February2007 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Speakers:
We do not require such an Act to govern us in the cyberspace. The Bill of Guarantees of the Multimedia Super Corridor project assures us, Malaysians, and the world that there will be no censorship of the Internet.
Hence it is important to protect the civil society's rights to express fair-minded views, opinions and commentaries on the Internet through arguably Malaysia's only source of freedom of expression.
Instead of making veiled threats in the news media or through our legal system, which appears to be increasingly prevalent, to silence the cyberspace, we hope that our Government will play its part to promote responsible freedom of expression on the Internet.
See you there! ;)
SILENCING CYBERSPACE - THE FINAL FRONTIER?
Date: 6 February2007 (Tuesday)
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Speakers:
- Mr Yeo Yang Poh, President of the Malaysian Bar Council
- Mr Jeff Ooi, Pioneer Malaysian Blogger
- Ms Sonia Randhawa, Executive Director, Centre for Independent Journalism
- Mr Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader
- Mr Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General of DAP
We do not require such an Act to govern us in the cyberspace. The Bill of Guarantees of the Multimedia Super Corridor project assures us, Malaysians, and the world that there will be no censorship of the Internet.
Hence it is important to protect the civil society's rights to express fair-minded views, opinions and commentaries on the Internet through arguably Malaysia's only source of freedom of expression.
Instead of making veiled threats in the news media or through our legal system, which appears to be increasingly prevalent, to silence the cyberspace, we hope that our Government will play its part to promote responsible freedom of expression on the Internet.
See you there! ;)
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