Friday, September 29, 2006

Umno bloggers, be warned!

It's not a threat, it's a clear message. When asked if Zaharin Yassin's sacking was a warning to other bloggers who are Umno members, Umno secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad's immediate response was, "Possibly". He then added: “It sends a clear message.”

And just last week Nazri Aziz spoke of the "lack of freedom and some dictatorial tendencies during the previous administration" [NST, 20 Sept - "Nazri: Lack of freedom in previous government"]. Click here to read.

A young Umno member sent me this sms this morning after news of Sang Kelembai sacking:

"teruk sangat ker dia kutuk umno sampai kena pecat? it means ramai lagi la kena pecat. umno is sure to lose their grip on young professionals. they hv critical minds n like to debate. i'm really dissapointed."

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:44 pm

    Pujangga,
    I don't think AKJ's blog is in any danger. He may be an Umno blogger, but his criticisms are not personal in nature.
    In his latest posting, Zaharin clearly said he was punished because Umno thought his criticism of Pak Lah was personal.
    The following statement by Zaharin should explain why Umno cannot take action against AKJ :"Saya telah dihadapkan kepada Lembaga Disiplin UMNO pada 4hb September 2006 atas 22 pertuduhan yang berkisar kepada tulisan saya yang menyentuh Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dalam blog "Sang Kelembai". Lembaga Disiplin UMNO telah bersetuju untuk mengambil tindakan agar saya dibebaskan tetapi tidak dilepaskan dari tuduhan disiplin, dan saya memberi surat aku janji supaya tidak lagi menulis perkara - perkara yang menyentuh serangan peribadi Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sebaliknya menulis bentuk kritikan kepada perkara - perkara dasar atau pandangan yang boleh membantu parti. Surat "aku janji" itu telah saya serahkan kepada Lembaga Disiplin tersebut."
    Still, this Umno decision shows that it fears public opinion while at the same time it recognizes the growing influence of blogers.
    But I think it pays for all blogers, Umno members or not, to be mindful of the growing fear of the Government of the blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3:50 pm

    pujangga

    How appropriate that you refer to the Bn Government under Pak Lah as the Pak Lah Regime.

    Nazri Aziz was quoted as saying "...During the past administration, it was a bit of a dictatorship, people were not free."

    "Now, when people are free to speak up, they talk about the boss (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi), and when people talk, this is construed by some people as losing control."

    Oh yeah? Who you kidding?

    Who's acting like a dictator now, u moron?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rocky!

    I was made to understand it was not so much not the criticism on Umno that got him the boot but the attack on party president. Well, you know how the Russian Revolution started, it started when a bunch of Russian elites (like Umno Supreme Council) having a hell of a ball one winter evening in St Petersburg, when the peasant were demanding food and fair government, well the ruling elite sent the Cossacks Regiment and with their long sword quell the uprisng on the street. Well eventually the rest is history as we know it! It is really sad to know that we did not even ask about the fate of two Malaysian citizens held at Gitmo (Guantanamo), and the tis government has now the audacity to allow nuclear carrier to berth at our port inspite of us being the signatory of the international non-proliferation treaty (the treaty is now a joke), and for taking more than a week to retort after being insulted by Singapore. Well lets face it, the Umno leaders are not only morons but a bunch of fat cats that dont really care, eh!
    So Zahrin! I dont think you are alone! Keep on doing what you are doing!

    P.S. IN case you all do not know the meaning of the word moron look it up, you children may be smart enough to use the dictionary!


    Puasa lah sapa hendak!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:55 pm

    Pasquale,

    moron
    noun

    1. derog, colloq
    A very stupid person.
    Thesaurus: imbecile, simpleton, dullard, dunce, cretin, idiot, dolt, dimwit, halfwit, boob (US slang), ass (slang), bonehead (slang); Antonym: philosopher, sage, genius.
    2. old use, now very offensive
    A person with a mild degree of mental handicap.
    Derivative: moronic

    colloq
    Stupid; foolish.
    Thesaurus: asinine, foolish, mindless, simple, thick, stupid, unintelligent.
    old use
    Like or characteristic of a moron.
    Derivative: moronically
    adverb

    Etymology: Early 20c: originally US, from Greek moros foolish.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:04 pm

    Bloggers celebrate!

    Umno, by sacking Zaharin for criticizing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his Sang Kelembai Blog, formally recognized the power of the blogs.
    Now we know why so many bloggers, including pro-Umno and pro-PM bloggers, chose to become "penembak curi".
    Zaharin decided to blog under his own name and got shot by Umno.
    "Dictator" Mahathir gave bloggers and websites freedom. Pak Lah the democrat punished bloggers.
    Long live Pak Lah! Wither Umno.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous8:18 pm

    Sdr Rocky,

    Sungguh luarbiasa. Blog Zaharin Sang Kelembai sebenarnya bukan hebat sangat. Zaharin pun bukan heavyweight dalam Umno dan dalam dunia penulisan.
    Tetapi Pak Lah dan "budak-budak" MKT begitu terancam sehingga membuang Zaharin dari parti.
    Kalau Pak Lah dan penasihat-penasihat politik dan medianya benar-benar profesional, mereka seharusnya menjawab dan mematahkan hujah-hujah Zaharin dan blogger-blogger lain.
    Tapi samada berdepan dengan blogger hentam keromo macam Sang Kelembai dan Machai.Net atau dengan blogger profesional dan berwibawa, saya rasa mereka dalam MKT dan di sekeliling PM tidak ada kemampuan dan komitmen.
    Tidak ada wang dalam blog. Sebaliknya kena guna masa dan wang sendiri.
    Inilah keputusan apabila pihak yang selfless macam blogger lawan pihak yang selfish macam anggota MKT, konco-konco, macai-macai dan runner-runner mereka.
    Akhirnya mereka main kotor, guna kekuatan, guna power.
    Syabas Zaharin anda menang!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:00 pm

    from www.malvu.org
    http://www.malvu.org/index.php/articles/2811

    UMNO cannot stand this blogger!
    Posted by: free&fair on Fri, 29 September 2006 00:39:21 (59 Reads)

    UMNO has become more and more intolerant : the latest evidence is the sacking of a blogger member who criticise the party through the blog. Whatever is in the blog the criticisms can either be seen as helping the party to get feedback ala Tun M's criticisms, or seen negatively as an `attack' on the party. The later attitude is often the fall back/default position of the party -unless something intervene eg the seniority of Tun M is weighing against expelling him. However lesser mortals like the blogger mentioned above is not so lucky : he was expelled even against the advice of the party's disciplinary board ! The decision which came after the PM want to stop all inter-religious dialogue, stop media reports on the `hijacked' school fund, and disallowing all public discussion of `sensitive' issues etc, may not be surprising. However hitting a blogger whose rants are only accessible to a few readers from among the not so big part of Malaysians who can access internet, is still surprising. It speak more of intolerance against the internet, which has been said to come under surveilence lately. So this is the first casualty-who is the next ?
    September 28, 2006 22:53 PM

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:39 pm

    Bro,
    I have to agree with pasqule.

    In short all come to 'only fools knows the quality of lame horses'

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:59 am

    It's Pak Lah's (my) way of provingt "I'm in control" & "I'm the Prime Minister".

    Blogger Zaharin was sacked not so much for critising the party but for criticising the party president.

    It goes to show that Pak Lah does not seem to be interested in knowing what is going on the ground – only in what he wants to hear.

    In today’s Umno, there is no room for dissent.

    So what f*cking freedom ("Now, when people are free to speak up, they talk about the boss [Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi]), was Nazri talking?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:38 pm

    Can anybody or Umno insiders share with us why LKY remarks was not discussed during the Supreme Council meeting??

    ReplyDelete