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In Malaysia, can the Internet be disciplined? PDF Print
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Sunday, 09 August 2009 02:23

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The advent of the Internet in a developing nation signifies the genesis of the erosion of the power of government-controlled print media. Universal access to the Internet will determine the total erosion of government-produced print media.

Azly Rahman
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/

Welcome to cyberspace. Malaysian cyberspace. Think of two cybernetic landscapes – Malaysiakini and Malaysia-Today. Think of these questions below:

Why are governments afraid of the power of citizen journalism - and of the Internet in general? What will be the conclusion of this great war between government bloggers and Guevara-inspired guerilla-like grassroots-based cyber-freedom fighters? Especially the one that is raging in malaysiakini and malaysia-today. A war that is bringing criminals from the battlefields of cyberspace into the real world of the interrogation rooms of the Anti-Corruption Agency. Ones that help expose wrongdoings of elected representatives and bring his downfall. Battles that rage between ideas of totalitarianism in universities and prospects for a freedom of inquiry and anti-fascism in college classrooms. Spaces of knowledge that bring us up to date information on what magnitude of corruption the New Economic Policy has brought us after almost 40 years.

"Information wants to be free" as some Internet guru and philosopher of this cybernetic age might say. And as information leaves the author and transmits and transmutes itself, it assumes a life of its own. As the great Islamic historian Ibnu Khaldun would say, to the effect "as the hands writes nothing is erased…" Or, as the physicist Stephen Hawkings would say, even data that transmutes is a life-form in itself.

But why is the Malaysian government afraid of the power of the Frankenstein it has allowed to roam the streets of Cyberjaya. Why is Malaysia's "ministry of cybernetics" afraid of this creature the magnitude of the mythical "Badang" (the strong man of the age of pre-agriculture Malaya) that becomes like "Agent Smiths" of the movie The Matrix roaming the streets exposing brutishly the corrupt practices of men and women, screaming of these people to be brought to justice?

Who can stop our Agents Smiths – even if counter-agents called Malaysian cyber-troopers as those cybernetic soldiers of fortune are cloned and droned and then released into blogs to engage in battles of the cyberfrontier – in this Mahabaratha of Malaysian cyber-rama as the general elections approaches?

There are several explanations I am proposing below- on how the Internet is going to further transform nations:

The power of cybernetics


1. In a globalised post-industrialist world, the development of a cybernating nation will continue to follow, to a degree or another the centre-periphery perspective of development.

2 .Pure historical materialist conception of change cannot fully explain why nations cybernate; the more a nation gets "wired" the more complex the interplay between nationalism and internationalism will be.

3. The more a nation transforms itself cybernetically, the more extensive the enculturalisation of the word "cybernetics" will be.

4. The extent of the enculturalization of the concept of "cybernetics" will determine the speed by which a nation will be fully integrated into the global production-house of telematics.

5. The stronger the authority of the regime the greater the control and magnitude of the cybernating process. In a cybernating nation, authority can reside in the political will of a single individual or a strong political entity.

6. The advent of the Internet in a developing nation signifies the genesis of the erosion of the power of government-controlled print media. Universal access to the Internet will determine the total erosion of government-produced print media.

7. Creative consciousness of the peoples of the cybernating nation will be centralised in the area of business and the arts, modeled after successful global corporations.

8. Critical consciousness of the people of the cybernating nation will be centralised in the area of political mobilisation and personal freedom of expression, modeled after successful Internet-based political mobilisation groups.

9. At the macro-level of the development of a nation-state, the contestation of power is between the nations cybernating versus the nations fully cybernated, whereas at the micro level, power is contested between the contending political parties/groups.

10. The more the government suppresses voices of political dissent, the more the Internet is used to affect political transformations.

11. The fundamental character of a nation will be significantly altered with the institutionalisation of the Internet as a tool of cybernating change. The source of change will however be ideologically governed by external influences, which will ultimately threaten the sovereignty of the nation-state.

12. Discourse of change, as evident in the phenomena of cybernation, is embedded in language. The more a foreign concept is introduced, adopted, assimilated, and enculturalised, the more the nation will loose its indigenous character built via schooling and other means of citizenship enculturalisation process.

13. Postmodernist perspectives of social change, rather than those of Structural-Functionalists, Marxist, or neo-Marxist, can best explain the structure and consequences of cybernetic changes.

These 13 propositions above I generated almost 10 years ago are general ideas of what is happening in the world of cyberspace as it clashes with the worldview of the physical space of the illusive concept of the "nation-state."

OUR USUAL REMINDER, FOLKS:
While the opinion in the article is mine,
the comments are yours;
present them rationally and ethically.
AND -- ABOLISH THE ISA -- NOW!

Comments (6)Add Comment
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written by KotaDamansara73, August 09, 2009 05:30:55
It is very difficult to cybernate conservative muslims of PAS and UMNO due to their heavily indoctrinated and rigid mindset. The fear of open and free competition of conservative Muslims in both PAS and UMNO are the ones that will continue to be a drag to the nation's progress. These conservative PAS and UMNO muslims are not open to change. Their mind is too rigid and has been indoctrinated by theologies that is not practical in today's fast pace society.

There are easily more than half of the Malay population in Malaysia that will never accept non-malays as full Malaysian citizen no matter how much the non-malays contribute to the nation. These are the root cause of the problems facing the whole of Malaysia. The fears that most Malays are facing today is that, they can’t compete in a level playing field. They continue to need more help because UMNO and many PAS leaders has failed to educate the Malay society of the importance of knowledge in science, technology and culture transformation and adaptation to the fast moving globalize world. Because of this failures to instill the importance of learning and acquiring skills that will help them to contribute to the global world, most Malays will never accept the non-malays as bumiputra.
When I was schooling in a Kebangsaan type PJ school, where the number of malays and non-malays are 50:50 ratio, I notice non-malays dominated the top half of the school results and the malays the bottom half. The education results has display how polarize Malaysia society is. It seems that the Malay parents don’t really emphasize on education as much as the non-malay parents.
The Chinese have many stupid chinese protocols and superstitious beliefs but many of them has discard it and embrace the modern fast moving world. Not because they want to, but because if they don't do it, they will die of hunger in the globalise world. If the Chinese parents don't continue to educate their children and don't learn from the more advance society and culture, many of their children today won't be working for many Americans, Japanese and western companies.

Only by doing that, we can contribute to the world by manufacturing or inventing goods and service to the world. If 90% of the CHinese everyday go and pray at the temple and put joss stick in the pot, the chinese today will never be able to participate in the fast pace globalise world. Busy setting up an association to spy on couple having sex does not display any progressive elements. WHy don't they focus on inventing things that can help the society progress. Invent something that can replace oil or improve the padi yeild would be a great deal of help to the society.
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written by Hairy Potter, August 09, 2009 05:36:57
it can be disciplined, of course; but it must not be done! its like asking a knife factory to produce only semi-sharpened knives out of fear that it will be used to harm or even kill people. of course it can be done but it must not be as not only will it be very irritating trying to chop a chicken with a blunt knife- for it will then produced "smashed chicken" instead

but it will also hinders the user from getting the real worth of the price paid! will it be fair? will knife users get rebates? can people who use knives as tools in their job perform just as efficient? will their employers be getting tax exemptions for not being able to produce better quality products etc etc etc...?

the same goes to internet furthermore, i believe it is more towards fear of truth being exposed
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written by sflee28, August 09, 2009 07:29:26
I am cuntfused! there are so many rape and sex cases also involving incest rape. There are also many cases happening in the villages. In the villages, do they have internet access and that will influenced their desire to rape. Rais is wrong when he spoke about pornos in the internet. I saw the interview, I was surprised to see an experienced politician answering question so corky and being a smart ass, he is not getting my vote.
Anyway I have to say Rais now an idiot, his statements made is only a shadow.
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written by Ghifarix, August 09, 2009 07:42:55
Control Control Control! that is what they have grown use to, merely because we let them have it (control)for a new proton a low Flat socio-dysfunctional crime inducing cell and the privacy to continue unbridled corruption without public scrutiny and its subsequent disapproval for many years. Well, the internet changed all of those luxuries for the Elite. The internet is the new microscope audible too. How else we'd have known of Altantuya, Teoh, Manohara Kugan and all the murdered and abused celebrity? How else we'd have known that the PDRM never really conducted a genuine investigation of the murder which took place at the MACC's office. How else we'd have convey that Mahathir conspired with a gang of racist thugs a drunken judge a Dugun and God know what other creatures that set up and frame Anwar Ibrahim? Even the industrialized countries regret they let go of the internet for their greedy commercial interest-like Mahathir's UMNO, they didn't see it coming......Freedom! and we ain't giving it back.
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written by NSTPravda, August 09, 2009 09:24:00
In Malaysia, can the Internet be disciplined?

Memang bolih.... we will post a PDRM guard with fixed bayonet to guard every computer in the country... and build a green dam to hold back the forces of mass recalcitrance. We will fight them on the streets, the longkang and the beaches... but we will never surrender... we will give them nothing but their blood sweat and tears. Ooops, sorry... we got carried away but still, semua-nya OK! as long as Rasuah sayang eh! We havta to do something regardless on how stupid we look!
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written by AlwaysFair, August 09, 2009 15:14:20
Dos the govt think they can blockade the internet just like they blockaded the streets in KL on 1 Aug?

The people may find it difficult to break the FORMIDABLE BARRIER of the police.
Information in internet have no barriers that is unassailable because this is the technological era whether you like it or not.

If you find unsavoury news about you on the net and it is true please take action to change yourself. If the police really beat up people mercilessly please control them. If you clean up your act why are you afraid of the truth?

If you refuse to clean up your act then you deserved to be exposed for being a FRAUD. You cannot cheat everyone all the time.

Which govt in the world has not been criticized?
If you want to ban opposing views or dissent then don't be leaders because all politicians as well as film stars live in the public's eye and their lives are always under scrutiny!!

Even Guantanamo Bay's babarism have been exposed so how do you expect to escape or cover-up if you also commit and condone such inhuman acts against your own citizens?
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