Thursday, March 15, 2007

Of Blogging and the civil society...


The Internet and Blogging are new to our species. For Malaysian the Internet and Blogging are gifts from heaven. We now have the means and ways that we never dream of before. Blogging made it possible for us to share our thoughts with our society and the world at large. Cyberspace and the Internet has made that a reality. The freedom of expression. Not that we did not have the freedom of expression before the Internet. We all have but the mean to disseminate information to the masses are limited. Before the Internet one had to write book or write for the printed media to get one thoughts to the public in the country and the world. With Blogging and the Internet, the process of getting one thoughts to the world audiences became so simple. And Blogging is just one of the mean to an end.. The freedom of expression.

Since this is a new tools to us Malaysian I often caution blogger to use it with great care. And with wisdom. The reason is that this tool gave us the freedom to disseminate information to the society at large like never before. As usual some information are accepted, brush aside or offend people. In a multi cultural, multi religious and multi racial Malaysia there are things that we do not discuss in public. For the benefit of our society we have enact laws like the Sedition Act, the Printing Act, that in some ways seem to be against the freedom of expression. But then we are just fifty years old and in the process of nation building. If we want to progress as we had done during the last fifty years, with the country in peace and harmony, the people getting prosperous day by day and Living a better quality of life than our forefather, we have to expect some restriction in what we call the freedom of the press. Personally I do not believe in total freedom. There must be limit to everything. When the time comes for changes then it would happen but not now as yet, we all have to live with it for the time being and in a way be thankful for the law that we have. For it is these laws that help to keep the peace and harmony in the country.

Information are important for the development of the society. We get to where we are now because of the information that we had gathered along the way. As usual in any venture in doing so sometime we might step on the toes of the others. That are facts that we had to be reckons with. For that is the real world. For once the information are no more the sole privilege of the authority or some organisation. It now belong to all the rakyaat or the citizen of the country. Use it with wisdom it would give us wisdom in return. Sow it with the negative thoughts then we can expect the negativeness in return. So in a word, so we may reap what we sowed. Friends be responsible for what we Blog.

In a way blogging could become a tool for the reformation of the society. But then in any reformation it takes times. It is a process and part of evolution of a country. In any society there are surely people out there, Blogger included who dare to venture one step ahead and at time cross that thin gray line and venture on. That is the nature of our species and had it not been for the few who dare to venture and takes risks, our species would had not be as successful as we are today.

We are a young country and as such need the wisdom to succeed in whatever endeavour and hope for. Blogging could be a very useful tool in getting what we want. So friends Blogger venture on, but be very careful as we tread on. Be adventurous by all means but remember in any adventure you do not really know what you would find on the way. The pathway onward, into uncharted territories are just difficult to know. But if we do not venture, we would never know what's ahead. Success never come easy, but with wisdom and determinations we would eventually get there.

Remember be responsible when we blog. As a blogger myself who surf the net often I know that Malaysian blogger are responsible people and have the love for this country first in their heart. Of course we do makes mistake from time to time but then that is the human in us, for that is the nature of our species.

Most Malaysian Blogger are well educated, intelligent and articulate. I am sure that they all are not naive. They are Malaysian using a new tool, that they never had before to share their thoughts with fellow Malaysian and the world.

To blogger do continue to blog, for in a democracy our thoughts do count. Have a nice day.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great insight, Pak Idrus. I, too wished that M'sian bloggers will feel the responsibility on their side when they blog.

Pak Idrus said...

horatio, thanks for the visit and the kind comment. We all have to try to play our role in the ever changing country. take care.

Observer said...

It's no doubt that blogging is changing a lot people's perception ....

However, it will be much beneficial if the Gov is willing to accept and utilise it , then creating fear between 2 fences

Pak Idrus said...

freethinker, thanks for the visit. Like you I think the authority should encourage blogging so that Malaysian could learn to do creative writing, sharing thoughts with the community and the world. Have a nice day.