4/08/2006

badawi can't take the heat

Actually I wanted to start a new topic on what I am going to say below but find them all inter related. Let me start off by referring to an article in the Straits Times today reporting that Badawi wanted his critics on the Ninth Malaysia Plan 'to hold their tongues and to stop spreading negative stories about the plan.' Basically Badawi is experiencing the heat and cannot take the heat. In this new century of internet and virtual reporting, politicians cannot afford to talk rubbish and propose craps and think they can get away with it. Not that in the past there were no criticisms about those silly policies they dished out. They were articulated but not heard. The people have no means to be heard. Today everything is heard and immediately heard. There is no way the politcians can pretend to be an ostrich and refuse to see or hear the feedback. And the internet, the blogs and forums, are the real feedback which they can only refuse to hear. They chose to set up a fictitious feedback unit and only consider those things there as feedback. Anything comments outside of the feedback unit is considered destructive criticism and not to be taken seriously. And they are going to behave like Badawi, when the criticisms are strong and they do not want to hear, gag them. Don't let people speak or air their views, so they can feel good and believe that everything is good, the ground is sweet. And their 'yak' proposals can then be pushed through happily because they did not hear any criticism. Is that what intelligent people want to do? Get only the feedback they want to hear and the rest must not be allowed to say anything? If there is no immediate feedback, the PAP will be happily singing the song of no upgrading to opposition wards and go into Potong Pasir and Hougang with their legs wide open. Now they can reword their positions and hopefully can undo the damage caused. Would they say a big thank you to internet, to the bloggers and forumers for exposing how badly that position was received?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you're talking about Malaysia, their Internet penetration rate is only 17% so that's why the govt there doesn't bother about Internet criticism. They know the folks in the rural heartland will never have access to these alternate viewpoints.