Politics 101 Malaysia

Raja Petra Kamaruddin is to be charged with criminal defamation.

He has been ordered to surrender at the Kuala Lumpur contingent police headquarters (IPK) tomorrow at 10am.

His wife Marina Lee Abdullah told Malaysiakini that Raja Petra was issued a warrant of arrest this morning through his lawyers.

“We spoke to one ACP Aziz at 2pm just now and he confirmed that Petra must report to IPK KL tomorrow,” she said. ”Continued”

 by Lee Siew Lian, NST.

ON Saturday night, as he flew over the Indian subcontinent, a Malaysia Airlines pilot asked for the regular update on weather conditions at home. What he received from Malaysian air traffic control included unexpected news — that three states had swung to the opposition.

The updates had obviously been culled from Internet news websites, as official results had yet to be released at the time.

So great was the demand for news of the results that online news portals such as Malaysiakini and the new Malaysian Insider, were overwhelmed and crashed on Saturday night.

A bit player in the 2004 elections, the Internet in Malaysia came of age with the 12th general election. ”Continued”

Malaysia goes to the polls next month and this time the campaign is going online, as opposition parties turn to blogs, SMS and YouTube to dodge a virtual blackout on mainstream media.

Major newspapers and television stations — many partly owned by parties in the ruling coalition — are awash with flattering stories on the government and its achievements ahead of March 8 general elections.

The opposition parties rate barely a mention, but thanks to the Internet they have begun campaigning feverishly in cyberspace with the aim of reaching young, urban, educated voters.

"They control the television but we’ve got YouTube now," said 31-year-old Lee Sean Li, an accountant who avidly surfs the Net for alternative news and complains there are only negative glimpses of the opposition in the main media. ”Continued”

by Susan Tam, Electric News, Jan 10.

THE speeches he gave in Malay at Umno’s general assembly when he was deputy prime minister used to send reporters scrambling for their dictionaries.

Now, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, 60, grapples with words like ‘jude’ (local lingo for good-looking) as he uses the Internet to engage young voters and gain more support.

The opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader told The New Paper he updates his Facebook profile regularly via his Blackberry, but he is shy about it.

‘These young kids are asking me some embarrassing questions, but you have to entertain them and engage them,’ he said yesterday.

And questions from some of his more than 1,400 Facebook friends range from the name of his hairstylist to the brand of fragrance he uses. ”Continued”

By Hazlin Hassan, The Straits Times, Dec 6.

Facebook, the social networking site used around the world for having fun with friends, is becoming a popular avenue for political dissent in Malaysia.

To circumvent the muted coverage of opposition politics in Malaysia’s mainstream media, an increasing number of people are using the site to discuss issues and announce upcoming meetings.

It adds to the growth of political blogs that are hotly debating two mass rallies in Kuala Lumpur last month, and photo-sharing websites that showed close-ups of the street protests.

Indeed, the Bersih coalition, which is calling for free and fair elections in Malaysia, created an event posting on Facebook to publicise its Nov 10 mass rally. ”Continued”

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters, Nov 23.

Syrian users of Facebook said on Friday the authorities had blocked access to the social network Web site as part of a crackdown on political activism on the Internet.

“Facebook helped further civil society in Syria and form civic groups outside government control. This is why it has been banned,” women’s rights advocate Dania al-Sharif told Reuters.

“They cut off communications between us and the outside world. We are used to this behavior from our government,” said Mais al-Sharbaji, who set up a Facebook group for amateur Syrian photographers.

There was no comment form the government, which has intensified a campaign against bloggers, virtual opinion forums and independent media sites in recent months. ”Continued”

by Asher Moses, smh.com.au, October 31.

Federal politicians are bending over backwards to expand their networks on Facebook and MySpace, but how strong are their newfound friendships?

The gang from The Chaser’s War on Everything sought to test how much politicians value their social networking buddies by arriving at Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd’s house with 50 of his Facebook “friends”.

It comes as social commentators are now questioning whether “friend” is the right term to use for our online pals.

Many amass social network connections as though they’re collecting stamps, but the relationships are often only skin deep. Typically, real-world friends form just a small fraction of our total MySpace or Facebook pals. ”Continued”

Associated Press

Terror groups are becoming more computer savvy and are increasingly turning to the Internet to communicate, recruit new members and transfer funds, Malaysia’s defense minister warns.

Najib Razak urged Asia-Pacific intelligence agencies to deepen cooperation and boost their technological capabilities to counter the new threat from Internet-linked terrorism.

“Judging by the plethora of Web sites that belong to terror groups, it is clear that the modern-day international terrorist is becoming increasingly adept and proficient in the use of computers and the Internet,” he told a conference of Asia-Pacific intelligence chiefs.

“Initially used in their propaganda campaigns, their Web sites have now become tools for recruitment and the movement of finances and material across borders,” he said. ”Continued”

By Reme Ahmad, The Straits Times, Sept 2.

Four masked men have appeared in a YouTube video clip warning a Malaysian rapper who had been accused of insulting Islam and the Malays that he would “receive punishment” if he were to return home.

The clip echoes the video threats made by Middle Eastern terrorists.

Speaking in Malay, one of the men read from a statement: “We would like to give a warning to Namewee that if you were to return to Tanah Melayu you will receive punishment for insulting Islam.” Namewee is the nickname used by the 24-year-old Wee Meng Chee, an undergraduate based in Taiwan.

Tanah Melayu literally means Malay Land.

The 18-second video ended with the four men chanting “God is Great.”

Last month, Mr Wee parodied the national athem in a rap video that was also posted on YouTube. The clip infuriated many and is now the subject of a government probe into possible sedition. ”Continued”