Censoring the Internet – seriously, Dr M?
04/08/2014 - 20:00
V Shuman
QUICK TAKE: The Internet is best likened to an ocean.
Both are vast and have all sorts of stuff in it -- from beautiful to scary and ugly things.
Calling to censor the Internet is like asking to dry up a whole ocean just to get rid of some scary killer fishes residing in the deep.
Most of us try to leave the bad elements out and take the good ones in, but unfortunately for some, they only choose to see the bad residing in one corner, and fuss over it.
Case in point, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former premier recently called for Putrajaya to censor the Internet to curb all kinds of moral abuses.
It was ironic as the call came just days after social media site Facebook blocked access to his own blog, chedet, last week.
This was after he wrote a scathing piece on the ongoing Gaza conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
This call was totally in contrast to what Mahathir said back in 1999, when he launched the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) as the then prime minister.
He had given an assurance that the government will never impose censorship on the Internet.
With all due respect, why the different tune now, Tun?
Not surprisingly, Umno mouthpiece Malay daily Utusan Malaysia supported Mahathir by urging the government to consider his call for censorship.
This is because, as the writer said, the Internet is fast becoming a venue to insult the Malays and Islam.
The writer, Zulkifli Jalil, said the censorship should be first implemented for a certain period of time to gauge Malaysians' reaction to it.
“There’s too much violence on the Internet. Lately, there are insults being hurled at Islam, the Malays and the royal institution.
“With all this in mind, why don’t the government consider Tun M’s suggestions?” asked the writer in his column.
This is a totally expected reaction from Utusan because the Umno camp sees the Internet and the social media as the “breeding ground” for those whose political leanings are different and a place full of people who are not “Yes men” of the ruling coalition.
People like these, who dare question the government of the day on any matter, are branded as traitors and deemed unfit to be citizens and thus asked to relocate to another country.
Assuming the Internet does get censored, how would we research for stuff? Make a trip to the library and flip through the archive? And depend on the “not so reliable” mainstream media to catch up on current happenings?
Also, how would our “fiery” youths keep abreast of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) latest blood-letting activity?
After all, the militant group, which counts a few of our country men as its members, is a huge fan of the social media and has been posting gruesome photos and videos of its shootings, hangings and beheadings online lately.
- See more at: http://www.theantdaily.com/Main/Censoring-the-Internet-seriously-Dr-M#sthash.HY9TYLyO.dpuf
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