masterwordsmith-unplugged

“We are weak in publicity not because we are lazy. But because we are in power for so long that we do not know how to play the role of opposition anymore,” he said.

He added that lack of blogging and twitting among party members had made the opposition better equipped during the publicity war.

Perhaps he is unaware that his son, Chua Tee Yong, MP of Labis and now Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, has his own blog HERE which was last updated on July 11th, 2010. Most of his posts are cut and paste jobs from MSM. In 2010, Chua Tee Yong only posted 15 articles!! Dr. Chua's own blog HERE was last updated today and is also filled with cut and paste jobs from various MSM.

Since he urged party members to use the Internet and Twitter to inform the public about the truth at the launch of the ‘Twitter Session with the MCA President’ at the party headquarters, perhaps he and his son should set the example of writing their own posts in their own blogs and provide true information instead of relying on MSM.

One thing is for sure - the new media is here to stay and has revolutionized communication.in unexpected and unprecedented ways. The situation is such that more and more Malaysians are NOT relying on mainstream media but on the new media that it has truly become a force to be reckoned with. Even my newspaper vendor has given up trying to persuade me to resume my subscription to TheStar which we terminated in February 2008.

It is obvious that cyberspace is an ideal place to strategize and to disseminate information speedily, effectively and cheaply. MSM is controlled by the government via the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 so this is the best alternative source of information available. Besides, blogs and online portals allow two-way communication in that readers can post their comments so in that way, esprit de corps is developed as concerned Malaysians not only express their outrage and concerns but identify with each other while fostering a sense of belonging to the same purpose and agenda.

This is unavailable in MSM as it takes time to send the comments which are then vetted by editors whereas in portals such as in many sites, readers can voice their feelings with just the click of a mouse making it possible to express and share their opinions instantly. Regular comments by readers foster ties and solidarity. In this way, readers return to the website like a community and continue to comment thereby elevating the social discourse and increasing their influence in cyberspace.

In Malaysia Today, one can see regular commenters and how five main topics are the source of heated discussion - the Altantuya case, corruption, TDM, Rosmah and of course famous politicians embroiled in certain issues.

It is time Pakatan realizes that the Internet and blogs are more than just websites but as the powerful alternative media, they provide social settings that set the agenda for discussions. For instance RPK is a very powerful opinion leader as can be seen in how just ONE of his recent postings on July 22nd about Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif's alleged relationship involved with Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan led to her being dropped from the prosecution team in the sodomy trial of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Clearly, we can see that bloggers/blogs such as RPK, Sarawak Report, Thomas Lee (of MySinchew), Vijay Kumar Murugavell, Art Harun and other blogs/bloggers dictate the topic for the day via their writings and then disseminate the information to others via their websites. Due to the lack of trust in MSM, such writings are then passed on to others by readers via emails.

In this manner, vital information such as alleged cases of corruption could be announced in websites and then picked up by the MSM who may or may not do follow-up stories depending on their threshold of fear thanks to the PPPA. I can see that once there a scoop is exposed in cyberspace and generates enough public interest and debate, the MSM will keep the ball rolling via follow up stories as they would have no fear that they started the fire!

In blogs, the readers could be mobilized to share the same aim, agenda and strengthen their solidarity and stand on issues by garnering support as they provide data, facts and logical arguments that voice what readers feel. Similarly, other readers could actually speak out the unspoken words in the blogger's heart :-). As a blogger, I try to personalize the story in such a way that readers feel part of the post and can identify with what I am writing. I do this with the hope that it can generate more discussion on the topic and to allow the blog to be a platform of discussion.

Microblogging is the next development of the new media in Malaysia. Many politicians have yet to realize the power of Twitter. If you recall, Twitter had a major role in the Iranian elections last year. Please click HERE to read an excellent post by The Washington Post which tells us in no uncertain terms that in the next GE, we had better be twittering instead of blogging or sms'ing!!! This post also has an excellent discussion on the topic. Businessweek HERE also provides a good article on the topic.

Traditionally, technology played a very important role in fanning protests. Years ago, Xerox machines helped anti-communist protests in Poland. Today, technology is still playing a crucial role in helping people gather information and, most importantly, get heard. If you have yet to get a twitter account, do so asap. Remember our PM is on leave till Aug 10th. Remember there is always a calm before the storm and things were somewhat similar before the elections in 2008.

So, maximize the power of the new media. Be involved and be in the know lest we get deceived by spins, myths, lies and distortions of truth or reality.

Do leave a comment to share your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks! Have a lovely evening.