11 August 2014

Gomen nak tutup laman facebook...

"Saya fikir beliau (Shabery) perlu beri lebih perhatian kepada memperbaiki keseimbangan dalam laporan berita dan menangani isu ucapan menghasut, daripada memikirkan tentang menyekat saluran," katanya kepada The Malaysian Insider.

"Menyekat saluran tidak akan menyelesaikan isu asas atau punca sesuatu masalah," katanya.

Manakala Ahli Parlimen Umno, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed bersetuju hanya pendidikan mampu menjadi penyelesaian dalam masalah salah guna media sosial.

"Masalah dengan salah guna Internet ialah ia digunakan untuk menyebarkan keganasan dan ekstremis perkauman agama.

"Hanya pelajaran dan pendidikan dapat menyelesaikan masalah salah guna sekiranya rakyat faham dan tidak melanggan perkara demikian," kata ahli Parlimen Pulai itu.

Semalam Ahmad Shabery berkata kementeriannya sedang dalam proses mengumpul maklumat daripada orang ramai berkaitan isu berkenaan.

"Sekiranya ramai berpendapat kita patut mengharamkan Facebook, kita bersedia menghalusinya, tetapi ia pendekatan yang radikal," katanya.

Dia membuat kenyataan susulan laporan mengenai seorang lelaki menghina Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah dalam laman Facebook.

Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) sedang berkerjasama dengan polis menjejaki individu berkenaan.

Sementara itu, Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang Lim Guan Eng berkata langkah berkenaan keterlaluan dan akan menyebabkan Malaysia kembali ke zaman kegelapan.

"Cadangan Barisan Nasional (BN) mengharamkan Facebook keterlaluan. Kembali ke feudalism dan autokrasi zaman gelap. BN rasa mereka boleh menang semula pengundi muda?" tanya beliau dalam Twitter.

Setiausaha agung DAP itu berkata sekiranya kerajaan persekutuan mengharamkan laman sosial popular itu, partinya akan bertindak mengadakan protes.

"DAP akan anjurkan protes seluruh negara jika BN sekat dan tutup Facebook," kata Ahli Parlimen Bagan itu dalam Twitter, sambil menambah Twitter juga mungkin turut diharamkan nanti.


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Bekas pengarang New Straits Times Datuk A Kadir Jasin pula mempersoalkan mekanisme kerajaan mengumpul maklumbalas, sambil menambah siasatan menyeluruh perlu dilakukan sebelum mengambil apa-apa tindakan.

"Saya ingin tahu siapa orang yang dirujuk kementerian dalam isu ini. Sebab, kalau kamu tanya orang yang tiada akaun Facebook, dia tidak akan kisah tentang itu," katanya.

Ahli politik pembangkang berkata motif cadangan mengharamkan Facebook lebih berunsur politik daripada salah guna media sosial.

"Memang tindakan yang logik bagi kerajaan. Mereka akhirnya mengaku media sosial sebahagian sebab mereka hilang sokongan pada pilihan raya lalu," kata Ahli Parlimen PAS, Khalid Samad.

"Mereka hendak pastikan rakyat hanya disajikan dengan berita arus perdana."

Ahli Parlimen DAP Teresa Kok menyatakan rasa terkejut dengan cadangan berkenaan, kerana ia satu cubaan menghentikan suara yang menentang.

"Ini merupakan cara mendiamkan rakyat dan pengkritik," katanya.

Tetapi, katanya dengan menyekat Facebook tidak menyelesaikan masalah salah guna kerana pengguna akan beralih ke media sosial lain seperti Twitter dan Instagram.

"Dalam dunia Internet ada laman sosial lain. Contohnya di China, bila Facebook diharamkan, mereka gunakan aplikasi Weibo.

"Bagaimanapun, ahli politik Umno, termasuk perdana menteri menggunakan Facebook untuk berkomunikasi. Saya rasa cadangan Shabary itu hampir tidak waras," katanya.

Bekas Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah turut ke Twitter membantah cadangan Shabery itu.- tmi

Kerajaan sedia kaji kewajaran tutup Facebook


Government considers Facebook shut down...

Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the government will study the necessity of shutting down Facebook following cases of abuse involving the social website.

He said his ministry was conducting studies to gather public views on the matter although he did say shutting it down would be a radical approach.

“If the people are of the opinion that Facebook should be closed, we are prepared to look into the matter but it is a radical approach,” he told reporters after closing the Cheras Wanita Umno Delegates meeting yesterday.

Also present were Cheras Umno head Datuk Seri Syed Ali Alhabshee and Cheras Wanita Umno chief Datuk Hajah Zurainah Musa.

Nonetheless, Ahmad Shabery, who is also Umno Supreme Council member, said it would be quite impossible to close the social website as there are 15 million local accounts compared to only 2,000 reports of abuse received.

He added, “Many business people are also using Facebook, while others forge family ties (through the website) and have nothing to do with politics.”

“The complaints received were around 2,000 only. Should we completely close it down because of 2,000 reports? We need to relook this,” Ahmad Shabery said.- bernama


Kit Siang warns against power grab amid MB crisis...

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has warned against any attempt for a power grab amid the Selangor crisis after PKR sacked its menteri besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim from the party.

"It is most repugnant and obnoxious for anyone to try to fish in the troubled waters of the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor menteri besar crisis by entertaining the proposition that Abdul Khalid (left) join PAS or DAP so that PAS or DAP can lay a claim to the post of Selangor mentri besar, he said in a statement this evening.

Lim said the crisis should not be reduced into a "game of numbers" and Pakatan's top priority is to restore its "badly-damaged" public trust and confidence.

He said if any party were to entertain such a proposition to grab the menteri besar post, it would be the final straw that destroys Pakatan's credibility.

However, Lim said he was gratified that all three Pakatan component parties have reaffirmed their commitment to remain in the state ruling coalition.

"This is the time to save Pakatan, when Pakatan leaders, whether from PAS, PKR and DAP must exercise even greater discipline to demonstrate their commitment to the principles and objectives of Pakatan and not to do or say anything which could be used by the enemies of Pakatan to undermine and destroy the alternative political coalition," he said.

Acknowledging the Selangor crisis to be its worst since Pakatan's formation, Lim said a resolution will depend on the political integrity and honour of Pakatan leaders to stay true to the coalition's principles.

DAP today endorsed PKR bid to replace Abdul Khalid with PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Selangor menteri besar.

However, the PAS syura council has chosen to back Abdul Khalid prior to his sacking and whether PAS will change its position depends on its central committee meeting on August 17.

Abdul Khalid was yesterday sacked from PKR for refusing to comply with the party's instruction for him to step down as menteri besar.- mk


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The cases of Khalid Ibrahim and Nizar Jamaluddin: a study in contrasts...

When the political history of Malaysia for this period is written I am sure that special attention will be given to the role of two state political chiefs—the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid Ibrahim, and his erstwhile counterpart in Perak, Nizar Jamaludin, and their handling of the political crises that emerged during their tenures.

Firstly it should be noted that both Menteris Besar helped make political history in that they and their Pakatan Rakyat colleagues captured power in the two prized states from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

Secondly, much was expected of them in not only providing leadership that would be a change from the corrupt and anaemic state governments that preceded them but also in helping the coalition government of Pakatan become a serious contender for national power.

Today, we are seeing the impact of these two political leaders on the development of their states as well as on the Pakatan coalition.

Nizar, as is well known, had to go through a baptism of fire in which the Menteri Besarship was stolen from him with the crossover of three of the elected Pakatan assemblymen to the Barisan side.

During his brief stint in office, Nizar provided Perakians with a rare quality of leadership. Honest, fearless and non-racial, he led the way in introducing far reaching reforms to the state. These included the conversion of leasehold land to freehold titles at an 80% discount on premiums for all new and planned villages, the distribution of 1,000 ha of land to the state’s nine Chinese independent schools, free water (for the first 20 cubic meters), an allocation of RM40.9 million for allowances to religious supervisors and teachers, an allocation of land plots for the Orang Asli and others.

What remains imprinted in the memory of Perakians was also the way he dealt with the prolonged political crisis between late 2008 and early 2009. He could have feathered his own nest by doing a quiet deal with BN or by crossing over to the Barisan side. Or he could have looked around for scapegoats to explain the loss of power, including pointing the finger of blame at those in DAP or PKR.

To his credit, he never did so. What he did instead was to hold Pakatan in the state together and to show to Perakians as well as Malaysians that PAS leaders such as him were committed to the coalition’s reformist and common policy framework—to the extent that he was accused of being anti-monarchy and anti-Malay. In the process of doing so, we can see that Nizar consistently placed the wellbeing and higher interest of the coalition above all else, including his own party’s and his own individual self interest.

It is not an exaggeration to say that PAS’s image as a moderate Muslim party and its appeal to voters across racial and religious lines is largely because of leaders such as Nizar, Dzulkefly Ahmad, Khalid Samad and a few other liberal individuals in the party. Without them, PAS is doomed as a force in the coming election as it is regarded as a conservative and even backward party by urban, non-Malay and younger voters.

Although Pakatan failed to win power in Perak during the last election, the coalition, led by Nizar, is in a good enough shape to succeed in the next election. The solidarity of the three parties remains intact. Nizar remains as a highly regarded leader whose honesty and integrity are unimpeachable. He is the glue that will help ensure that Perak returns to the Pakatan coalition.



Contrast this situation with what is happening in Selangor where the Pakatan coalition, which has a large majority in the state assembly, is in a shambles. In the richest and most developed state in the country, with such a healthy majority and with so many of the state voters supporting the Pakatan coalition, Khalid Ibrahim is single handledly doing what UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan have not been able to do—which is to bring down Pakatan’s position in the state and even nationally.

Furthermore, Khalid is now being seen as the trojan horse introduced to destroy the unity and solidarity of PAS, and indirectly that of Pakatan, by his attempt to get the support of PAS leaders to ensure he remains in power.

And for what? One of his strongest supporters in the Internet media has written that Khalid is hanging on to his position because “his principles are founded strongly in the belief that good governance is about setting up institutions and political culture that not only outlasts individuals, but by definition curb the ability of individuals to abuse the system.”

Nonsense. The charges and criticisms against his leadership are exactly the opposite of these so-called Khalid principles. In brief, his main political sins are reported to be the following:
  • Doing a secretive deal with the BN government on Langat 2 after years of fighting to delay the project
  • Favouring the Umno-linked Puncak group in the water companies buyout after years of accusing them of greed, mismanagement and default
  • Giving state approval for the controversial KIDEX tollway project
  • Weak handling of the confiscated Bibles issue
  • Giving a sweetheart deal to Danny Tan’s Tropicana (formerly Dijaya) Corp.
Furthermore, Khalid is widely rumoured to have benefitted from a sweetheart deal with Bank Islam and that the person behind the settlement of his RM66.67 million debt with Bank Islam is former Umno lawyer Abdul Rashid Manaf.

The expression “If it looks like a rat, smells like a rat, and acts like a rat, it’s a rat” applies to the charges levelled against Khalid. The only way in which he can convince the public that there is no truth at all to the allegations is to come clean and not to challenge his accusers to file a complaint with the MACC. 

As noted by a commentator, “Please go through each allegation and explain it to [the] public. Not because you have to (legally, you don’t) but because keeping your name clean is a moral obligation to us, the voters”. - fmt





cheers.

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