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Minister recognises our role, say bloggers

Sunday, 23 March 2008 11:16

(THE STAR) - Bloggers in Malaysia describe Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek's willingness to meet them as a recognition of the role played by the cyber community in shaping public opinion in the country.

Yasser Arafat Ishak, or better known as Jiwarasa among the cyber community, said Ahmad Shabery’s willingness to listen to the views of this community augured well for the country’s development.

He said the willingness also enabled the government to understand the role of the community in analysing current issues that were of interest to the multiracial society in the country.

He was speaking to Bernama after a discussion session “Writers and Blogs: The Current Trend”, organised by the Malay Documentation Centre, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) at the DBP here yesterday.

Yasser and Nisah Haron, also a blogger, were two members of the panel for the discussion session chaired by a lecturer from the Faculty of Education Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Shamsudin Othman.

On Friday, Ahmad Shabery had said the ministry took the role played by the alternative media seriously.

Statistics from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) showed that 13.5 million people or 47.8% of the Malaysian population of 28.29 million used the internet last year.

It is estimated that there are now more than 70 million web blogs throughout the world with blogs in Japanese language recording the highest number representing 37%, blogs in English (33%), Chinese (8%), Italian (3%), Persian (1%) with the remainder using other languages. – Bernama

Comments (21) Add Comment

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written by nafis, March 23, 2008 11:34:27

Keep the MSM and Bloggers totally separated.

If 'merged', 'umbrella-ed', then it's a lost cause why Bloggers are here in the first place.

Msm is shit, the Bloggers are the high-pressure water jet-spray smilies/grin.gif

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written by rajaphillips, March 23, 2008 11:42:40

He better recognize the bloggers if he knows what is good for him and Umno/BN. Gone are the days when people depended on NST and STAR alone for information. The recently concluded election is proof of bloggers power in determining the outcome of an election and all future elections

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written by indianputra, March 23, 2008 11:44:50

Just received an sms - to be confirmed of course - that the 5 Hindraf Detainees will be released without any charges against them on Monday.

If that's the truth and it happens, the 5 Hindraf leaders should sue the Government for USD 500,000,000....

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written by Wisdom above, March 23, 2008 12:10:21

...Cheek's willingness to meet them...

Just read their blogs's recommendations to improve the delivery system.

Meetings are wasting time.

Syabas. P. Barisan Rakyat.
.

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written by ekt tan, March 23, 2008 12:21:20

Bloggers should not meet Shabery. Remember the ISA is still intact. Bloggers may be spied on. Better keep all comments in the cyberspace

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written by Ujang, March 23, 2008 12:29:20

BTW who is this guy Yasser Arafat Ishak. Is he representating the Malaysian bloggers when he spoke to Bernama?

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written by Fist of Asia, March 23, 2008 12:39:44

who is this Jiwarasa who "Speaks on behalf" of all Malaysian bloggers? talk more only..
more MSM spin!!
REJECT the Information Minister, whoever he may be.
The position is irrelevant and insignificant. Our last Info Minister made a laughing stock of Malaysia, WORLDWIDE!

Besides, who are THEY to control what information the rakyat consumes????

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written by obewan, March 23, 2008 13:39:37

Meeting with bloggers? Isn't the whole idea of blogging to express opinions, etc in cyberspace?. Surely, the minister understands that(?). Maybe not.....

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written by penang1, March 23, 2008 13:52:39

People do things for different reasons. Some people blog because they have nobody to tell their story to. Some people blog because they see social injustice and they had to share it with the world. And then, there are people who blog so that people would pay attention to THEM, not the issue they talk about, it's "THEM" that is important. As long as people pay attention to "THEM", issues can be secondary. The third kind of bloggers are exactly the kind of bloggers that the "Minister recognises our role, say bloggers" title talks about. This type of bloggers are like that. They want people to pay attention to them, and as long as people pay attention to them, they can change their views.

Please do not be surprised, people, if this type of bloggers come out from the meeting with that minister, would immediately write rosy stories about be ends, and would tell the world how wonderful be ends are, that Malaysia must be grateful to be end because be end is the one who has taken such good care for us. On the other hand, there are bloggers who blog because there are SOCIAL INJUSTICES, and their attention is on the ISSUES - and as long as the social injustices remain, they'd keep blogging, and no matter how the minster or gummint court them, they will continue to hammer on the injustices. This type of bloggers deserve my respect. No matter which issue they are fighting for, they will fight it to the end.

Before I end this message, I want to remind the bloggers this - before you go to meet that minister, please remember to find a safe house, just in case. Once you go meet the minister, the gummint already know who you are, and they MAY go after you later. If you do not have a safe place to hide, you'd end up either dead, or languishing in Kamunting, eathing nasi kari every day. Don't say I didn't warn you, okay?

Oh, one more thing - Anyone here noticed that the article is from "Bernama" ?? It's a bait, man. It's a freaking bait to get you guys out into the open. Beware !

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written by Commonsenses, March 23, 2008 13:52:58

No need to meet, set up ur blog and dialogue with us, if u r internet savvy. If not go and fly kite.

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written by Deris, March 23, 2008 14:35:18

Hello, who are these two guys? Although there may be hundreds of SoPo bloggers in Malaysia, these two are virtual unknowns. They do not speak for the rest of us!

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written by Deris, March 23, 2008 14:39:14

Hm, upon closer observation I find that these two bloggers are part and parcel of the Dewan Bahasa Fraternity, thats all...I rest my case ...

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written by HARIMAU BIN ABDULLAH, March 23, 2008 14:39:47

"Familiarity breeds contempt"... so it is better to carry on as usual, otherwise the mood to express our real feelings will subside like tide-water.
Please therefore spent a minute of your time to think and to ponder what will become of MT if a BN rep is allowed to come in. I am very suspicious.

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written by ibabonma, March 23, 2008 15:33:42

I don't trust in them, the UMNO hapraks.

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written by apanama, March 23, 2008 16:30:52

BLOGGERS MUDAH LUPA. BLOGGERS SEMUA PUNGGUNG TENYEK HABIS BILA SHABERY ANGKAT.
bloggers first united against mahazalim, mahafiraun. mana semuanya sekarang?

mahazalim masih angkuh. mahafiraun masih belum minta maaf atas dosa dosa 22 tahun. malah sekarang, dia nak lantik PM baru untuk kita/ pirrraahhh.
menteri angkat sikit, bloggers dah tertonggeng.
bloggers sudah lupa.

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written by RichPoon, March 23, 2008 17:47:41

just engaging the bloggers is not good enough....the government should note the problems raised and address them.

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written by bayan, March 23, 2008 19:58:57

Bloggers jangan lupa ,ada dua bloggers yang di saman oleh NST .Siapa empunya NST , kalau bukan UMNO. Sudahkah mereka tarikh balik saman tersebut ? So jangan lupa ,jangan mudah lupa macam T. Mahathir.

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written by omarkhayyam, March 23, 2008 22:12:43

No need to meet us .... jus read and the instruction manual on the blogs and act accordingly, if still dunno ..... engage a english translator.

btw Yasser and Nisah go to hell ..... u dun represent me

cheers

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written by Negarakuku, March 23, 2008 22:38:48

Who the hell is Yasser Arafat Ishak, or better known as Jiwarasa???? smilies/grin.gif

I only know the dead Palestinian ex-leader Yasser Arafat.

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written by forcefield, March 23, 2008 22:58:49

In a way Shabery thinks and implies that bloggers are 'cheap'. Why should bloggers in the first be agreeable to engage to this Shabery guy? What does it achieve? How sincere is he? Come on, don't forget he's got an agenda himself.

What is more important at the end of the day is not all these meet-the-bloggers sessions, but giving our MSM more transparency in reporting. That is really the true measure. You can meet your bloggers can continue with all the MSM crap, it doesn't lead to anything.

How insulting!

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written by BennyG, March 24, 2008 08:28:02

So fast, BN MSM tried to spin that Shabery was listening to the bloggers by inviting pro-BN bloggers to speak on bloggers' behalf.

So fast, the bloggers found the truth about BN promises. At this rate, DAP/PAS/PKR will be the next gov't. Let's hope that DAP/PAS/PKR will not let this opportunity slipped.

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