Salak

Does Malaysia have a Government at all? Or do we have a club, whose rules are broken every other day, pretending to be a national government?

We hear of the Malaysian Government spin project launches of "world class quality" and all the endless jingoism. The latest project still hogging the news is the "halal" enterprise projects.

At the Asia Media Summit in KL on May 27, Datuk Najib bared all to Asia and the world what the Malaysian Government and the Malaysian political landscape are all about. Not that it matters to him and friends. They almost lost the election, because of bloggers, so they lamented. Out of that they must engage bloggers. Why because of bloggers and what do they expect of bloggers?

There has been comments that some bloggers (surely a few) are sucking up to mainstream media because of corporate, management and business changes. These are people from the favoured MSM, who get thrown out because of party politics and clique changes. There are others, with adequate general experience disfavoured because of the change in UMNO leadership and have an axe to grind. The bulk of the blogging "iritants", as far as the Government is concerned or unconcerned, are really citizens who have enough of the current Administration's failures, abuses and bloopers, including a sprinkling of political party proponents, supporters and NGOs.

If you consider the Government's monopoly of the MSM, which include the public as well as politically linked private Newspapers, the politically linked private corporate bodies, it makes no sense why in the battle for the hearts and minds, the voters were not convinced enough to return Barisan National (BN) a 2/3s parliamentary majority. The "good" brains of the country are in the Public Civil Service as well as the private corporate sector (and linked to the BN component parties). What went wrong? It ain't right! It's meaningless! Unless, if it's wrong it will go wrong! Apparently, it has!

Well, a lot of things are wrong in Malaysia. In the first place those bloggers who are ex-MSM employees of the linked Media companies, would by now have found meaningful employment, one way or another. Many however, have not and have started things on their own including in addition to blogging. How many things, can you do in Malaysia without crashing into "the political cliques" and their operators? This is the main crux of the matter: the MSM are cornered by party strategists and gasping for breadth; there is little else anybody can say or print without prior "consent". Left to servitude, there can't be much fertility left in imagination for openness and good governance, if not accountability. But had there been more freedom of the Press in Malaysia, the few of the "rejects" could have spurred a healthy growth in the print and news media or even broadcast sector and the BN would have won 4/5s majority in Parliament. But, as "it was wrong, it went wrong". Chances are the BN will still be "wronger" with this overture to bloggers.

So what about these bloggers? Are they responsible for the "defeat" (but still a "win" lamanted by Najib as a loss) for the BN? There are so many "gates" in Malaysia. Some worst ones are about to burst after the "Lingamgate".

So it was not about the bloggers. The Government will not be able to "appease", tame or coddle them---with or without money! The money now in hand is not "turned over". They know that with more freedom and greater choices, they can turn whatever little they have many times over, and soon. The reward, the greatest, will be they can protect whatever wealth they have.

And this is what the GE2008 has started---the seed sown will now germinate. It will take time, but it will grow! Or perhaps, it will pop out like a mushroom after a shower?

It also depends on what plans Anwar Ibrahim has hatched for the next 6 months. What with Ezam returning to UMNO! What are these people brewing in their wildest dreams? Castling the
rooks to spar with the Black Knight?

But what a blessing the Internet has given us! We could share thoughts and use our votes as we want them for if not for all, the most number of people and lives for more people and more lives.