Saturday, January 27, 2007

Desperado: Whose Calling Other's Contempt?


Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now.
Oh you're a hard one,
But I know that you've got your reasons,
These things that are pleasin' you,
Can hurt you somehow.

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy,
She'll beat you if she's able,
The queen of hearts is always your best bet,
Now it seems to me some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get.

Desperado, oh you ain't gettin' no younger,
Your pain and your hunger they're drivin' you home,
And freedom, well that's just some people talkin',
Your prison is walkin' through this world all alone.
Don't your feet get cold in the wintertime?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine,
It's hard to tell the nighttime from the day.

You're losing all your highs and lows,
Ain't it funny how the feelin' goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate.

It may be rainin',
But there's a rainbow above you,
You gotta let somebody love you, (Let somebody love you)
You better let somebody love you,
Before it's too late.

-- The Eagles, Desperado (1973)


The title of the song is most adequate for my posting today on
Who commited subjudice?

I was awaked by an SMS from a gentlemen (during my nap) and reminded by Lubuk Melayu to tell me of a court hearing due Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 with respect to Rocky's case.

The plaintiff lawyer, Shearn Delamore, filed a complain for contempt of court on the online comments on Rocky's blog, ever since the paper were served on Tuesday January 16th, 2007. They claimed the online comments had influenced the court and public. Hahaha...we have a Internet surfing judge that we can influenced?

Anyway, if I could contempt the honourable court, here are some Fodder for Rocky's to give em back a deep cross court top-spin forehand to their left:

1. NST and Berita Harian published on that January 25th court date two articles entitled "Bloggers subject to same rules" and "Pemilik blog tidak ‘kalis’ undang-undang", respectively.

Below is NST's:

Bloggers subject to same rules

Anis Ibrahim

Bloggers are liable for defamation — just as in other forms of communication, lawyers and other experts said.

Kuala Lumpur Bar chairman Lim Chee Wee said statements on the Internet were simply writings in a different medium.

"You can call them blogs, online forums, websites, they’re all subject to the same defamation laws if offending statements are published," he said.

Lim agreed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who said in London on Tuesday that although bloggers would not be restricted, they could be subject to defamation, sedition and other laws.

"They cannot hide or take advantage of a situation and do something against the law," he said. "I also welcome the prime minister’s statement that blogs will not be censored," Lim said.

Law expert Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said there was no doubt the rules of defamation applied to blogs and Internet forums.

"The definition of speech covers every form of communication in whatever form, written or symbolic. There is no doubt that bloggers are subject to the same rules."

Asked whether defamation laws in the West were more advanced than Malaysia’s, Shad Saleem said, "In fact we tend to give people much more freedom to defame because we have no privacy laws unlike most Western countries."

Lawyer Datuk Dominic Puthucheary, who has represented a major local publication against defamation, said, "Our laws on defamation should
be governed by Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which provides for freedom of speech, unless limited by Parliament.

" There is no law restricting people on the content of their blogs, he said. But "if something is either spoken or written in a permanent form, it is liable for defamation according to basic common law".

That was his advice to a politician on a statement that had been taken from the Internet and broadcast.

Puthucheary also drew a line between private and public individuals: "A defamatory statement against a private person is actionable," he said.

"When it comes to public interest issues and the conduct of public officers, it is not defamatory in some jurisdictions unless there is reckless disregard for the truth. But it is still an open question here."

The former Member of Parliament said the legislature should draft laws to deal with defamation in the "new forms of communication".

Lawyer Nahendran Navaratnam agreed that legislative changes were needed "to ensure that protection is given both to bloggers and those who are the subject of discussion on the Internet".

National Union of Journalists president Norila Mohd Daud said it was logical that defamation laws would apply to blog postings.

"Right now our laws do not cover blogs or online forums, but I think it’s simple logic that a defamatory statement can reach the public via any medium, by newspapers, magazines or the Internet."

Norila also agreed that bloggers had to exercise caution on their websites.

"It is true that bloggers have to be responsible. You can express your opinions but we have to see it from the point of view of the people who are named," she said.

And, Berita Harian's:

Pemilik blog tidak ‘kalis’ undang-undang

KUALA LUMPUR: Pelbagai pihak berpendapat tindakan undang-undang terhadap pengendali laman forum atau blog di internet, tidak akan menjejaskan hak kebebasan bersuara atau bermaklumat di negara ini.

Mereka berpendapat, tindakan itu malah dapat membantu memastikan pengendali laman forum atau blog supaya lebih bertanggungjawab terhadap kandungan bahan yang disiarkan bagi mengelak sebarang implikasi negatif.

Ia berikutan tindakan pengendali blog yang menyebarkan fitnah tanpa bukti kukuh boleh memberi implikasi negatif besar bukan saja kepada individu atau sesebuah organisasi, tetapi juga negara.

Presiden Majlis Peguam Malaysia, Yeo Yang Poh, berkata sebarang bentuk sebaran fitnah sama ada dari segi percakapan atau penulisan boleh dikenakan tindakan mengikut Akta Hasutan.

Beliau berkata, mangsa yang difitnah sendiri perlu membuktikan bahawa sebaran terbabit mempunyai unsur fitnah sebelum proses pendakwaan di mahkamah boleh dibuat.

Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia, Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar, berkata tindakan undang-undang terhadap pengendali laman forum atau blog boleh dibuat kerana kebebasan bersuara bukan sesuatu yang mutlak dan perlu mempunyai had.

“Jika kebebasan bersuara sehingga menafikan hak orang lain, itu tidak betul dan dalam Islam sendiri, kesalahan memfitnah itu adalah lebih berat daripada membunuh,” katanya.

Kelmarin, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata pemilik laman forum atau blog tidak bebas daripada dikenakan tindakan undang-undang serta harus bertanggungjawab terhadap apa yang mereka lakukan.

Perdana Menteri berkata, walaupun kerajaan berpegang kepada dasar tidak menapis kandungan di internet, pengendali blog harus memahami ada undang-undang fitnah dan hasutan yang boleh dikuatkuasakan.

“Mereka tidak boleh menyembunyikan diri atau mengambil kesempatan melakukan sesuatu melanggar undang-undang. Mereka harus tahu dan tidak boleh melindungi serta berharap dilindungi engan
perlindungan tertentu.

Abdullah berkata, media sama ada cetak, elektronik dan internet termasuk pemilik laman blog mempunyai tanggungjawab dan beliau tidak mahu wujud kebebasan tanpa tanggungjawab kerana ia akan membawa kehancuran.

Perdana Menteri berkata demikian mengulas tindakan The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) dan pegawai kanannya memfailkan saman fitnah terhadap Ahirudin Attan dan Ooi Chuan Aun berhubung beberapa artikel dalam laman blog mereka.

NSTP dan plaintif lain – Timbalan Pengerusinya, Datuk Kalimullah Hassan; Ketua Eksekutif, Datuk Syed Faisal Albar; Ketua Pengarang Kumpulan, Datuk Hishamuddin Aun dan bekas Pengarang Kumpulan New Straits Times (NST), Brendan Pereira, memfailkan saman itu di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur, 4 Januari lalu.

Mengikut laporan akhbar, kedua-dua saman fitnah itu dikemukakan berhubung beberapa artikel dan komen yang disiarkan atau dibenarkan untuk disiarkan oleh Ahirudin dan Ooi dalam laman blog masing-masing.

Sementara itu, seorang peguam, Hasnal Rezua Merican berkata, pengendali blog tidak boleh berpendirian bahawa mereka beroperasi dengan mendapat kebebasan mutlak tanpa mengendahkan undang-undang negara.

“Ia sama dengan penulis buku yang masih tertakluk kepada Akta Fitnah. Ini tidak bermakna, kalau disaman kerana melanggar undang-undang mereka boleh mempertikaikan kononnya ia melanggar hak kebebasan bersuara,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, kalau pengendali blog meminta imuniti seperti itu atas nama kebebasan bersuara, ia boleh menyebabkan penyebaran fitnah berleluasa seterusnya mencetus pelbagai masalah.

2. Now, since we are talking contempt of court, how about Sun's "Dangers of misusing blogs" and The Star's "Defamation suit to test the limits of freedom of speech in cyberspace" on January 20th, 2007. The more the merrier?

3. Why not one more interested party namely; the PM himself?
Walk with us
made a good case here. His comment from London came out in all the local papers and even international coverage in Straits Times, Singapore, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, Sydney Herald Tribune, Australia, Asia Media, and thats just a few I know of.

4. By the way, since we are going to do more exchanges before the actual injunction and defamation hearing and trial, Rocky and perhaps Jeff (Jeff could appeal his Exparte Injuction, could he, Malik?) could do a counter suit for a "reverse" defamation. I take excerpt from NST 27th news report "NSTP wants postings in blogs removed" below:

KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Ahirudin Attan, who is slapped with a defamation and malicious falsehood suit, continues to display comments from his readers that are prejudicial to the case.

Was the word "allegedly precudicial" used? Is the description
"malicious falsehood" the legal term for the suit? Venomous? Definately ular ada banyak...

There you go, Rocky and Jeff. I'll post the various articles and news mentioned in the commentaries later. Much much later.

Now back to my nap...

Before its too late.

A Voice
Dreamland Somewhere
January 27th, 2007 1:
00 a.m.


UPDATE:

PM in a Sunday Interview on Sunday Times today January 28th and interviewed by Dato Hishamuddin Aun could be considered committing another contempt of court. The excerpt as follows:
Q: But do you think the criticism against you has gone overboard? If previously there were people who disagreed with certain matters the leaders did, the government did, today there seems to be more integrated efforts from a particular group to discredit you. This is most evident in cyberspace. Why is this happening?

A: Seems that these people are captivated by these tools, the SMS, electronic media.

They feel they are free, they cannot be disturbed and they can say whatever they wish to say. They do it (post comments) anonymously.

This sort of freedom had made them resort to such action (of spreading lies and making unfounded allegations).

Even bloggers or those who maintain websites use this opportunity to create stories. Lies after lies are being told. To them, everything is not right, everything is not good.

If I allow myself to be distracted by all this, I will not be able to do any work. That is what they want, that I not focus on my work.

My focus now is to ensure the 9MP is successful and I am confident that the nation is on the right track and is moving forward.

The economy is expected to grow. I feel more energised to fulfil Malaysians’ ambitions.

A more compresed reporting on Berita Minggu's "Tak gugat tumpuan PM". Excerpt below:
Beliau berkata, pengendali blog atau laman web menggunakan kesempatan mereka membuat pelbagai cerita.

“Bohong demi bohong dilakukan. Pada mereka, semuanya tak betul, semuanya tak baik. Kalau saya membenarkan diri saya diganggu sepanjang masa, saya tak akan dapat buat kerja. Itulah sebenarnya yang mereka mahu lakukan, supaya saya tak dapat tumpukan pada kerja,” katanya.

Perdana Menteri berkata, ada segelintir yang kini ghairah dengan perantaraan moden seperti khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS), media elektronik, pengendali blog atau laman web kerana tidak perlu mendedahkan nama dan berasa mereka bebas.



Still preaching us to dream 9MP but year in year out nightmarish reality. I am sure economy is expected to grow in his dreamland of high inflation, VSS, and no growing sector. I am awake and on terra firma today. Is he?

A Voice
Kuala Lumpur
January 28th, 2007 10:00 a.m.


11 comments:

A Voice said...

IS THIS NOT SUBJUDICE?

The Star Online
TechCentral
Saturday January 20, 2007

Defamation suit to test the limits of freedom of speech in cyberspace

By A. ASOHAN

COMMENT By A. ASOHAN

IT HAS been threatening to happen for some time now and few who follow developments in the online world were caught by surprise.

When the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) filed a defamation suit against Malaysian bloggers Ahirudin Attan and Ooi Chuan Aun (a.k.a. Jeff Ooi), the company must have geared up for a severe PR backlash.

The suits were filed by NSTP and its deputy chairman Datuk Kalimullah Hassan, Group Editor-in-Chief Datuk Hishamuddin Aun and former Group Editor Brendan Pereira. NSTP chief executive officer Datuk Syed Faisal Syed A.R. Albar was an additional plaintiff in the suit against Ahirudin.

Ahirudin and Ooi, whose cases will be heard Jan 25 and Jan 30 respectively, must have suspected that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, and could only hope that they wouldn't be the test cases.

For a few years now, there has been a growing awareness among a cross-section of the local blogosphere that they weren't operating in a legal vacuum, that what they posted on their weblogs or blogs were answerable to the country's laws.

In fact, since last February Ooi had begun carrying a warning on his Screenshots blog (www.jeffooi.com) advising those who posted comments to "bear in mind that whatever is illegal offline is illegal online in this country".

But NSTP would have also known that because it is a major media organisation taking action against two individuals, it would be cast as a David versus Goliath clash. It is going to be an emotionally-charged issue no matter the merits of the case.

One only has to see the reaction of the online community to get an idea. Bloggers are uniting in the face of what they see as intimidation by the powers that be. In various degrees, they see it as a case of mainstream versus alternative media, megacorp versus small fry, old world versus new, controlled versus independent media, repression versus freedom.

Just wait for international media watchdogs and advocates to jump on the bandwagon, too.

Even the foreign wire agencies are painting it in these colours, prominently quoting Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang's view that the case would have a "chilling effect" on freedom of speech in Malaysia, and that it was a "grave development in the defence of the legal rights of bloggers and citizen journalists in Malaysia to break the stifling monopoly of the mainstream media".

But since when has filing a suit become synonymous with infringing upon one's legal rights? Indeed, wouldn't denying due process to NSTP be an infringement of the plaintiff's rights?

Just as much as bloggers have a right to free and fair comment, those under their scrutiny have a right to legal recourse if they feel they're been portrayed unfairly.

We aren't a failed state yet, the last time I checked.

True, an area of concern would be the ability of Ahirudin and Ooi to mount an effective defence against a relatively deep-pocketed plaintiff, but already supporters of the two bloggers are discussing setting up legal funds for them. Their readers have also noted that some law firms would be happy to defend them on a pro-bono basis.

In a heart-warming way, this is the online community at its best. A movement, Bloggers United, has been formed and has issued a statement that "what you do to any of us, is what you do to all".

The statement added that "as responsible bloggers, we demand and claim our space on the blogosphere for free and fair comment, where important national issues and prominent personalities are discussed."

While there may be extenuating circumstances, which those of us on the outside cannot claim to be privy to, as to why these two bloggers were chosen, a defamation lawsuit involves a third party, in this case the country's legal system, determining if those comments were free and fair.

It also puts the onus on the plaintiff to prove that he suffered "damage" – of reputation, for example – as a result.

The thing is, laws are put in place to protect both individuals and organisations. While they may express their support for the bloggers concerned, surfers should also welcome these lawsuits.

For now lines will be drawn as to what is permissible and what is not in cyberspace; how far you can go in expressing yourself, and more importantly, what legal recourse you have if someone – anyone, including a rival blogger – maligns you on the Net.

Yes, the laws on defamation are there to also protect you, the individual. Given that some political leaders want to introduce new laws specifically for the Internet, that websites and their operators have been threatened with the Internal Security Act, that subtle intimidation has allegedly been tried, and that some media organisations have used their own platforms to unfairly vilify selected bloggers before, it's a welcome change to see existing legislature being used this time around.

Because now, we finally get a case that will also determine just how relevant our laws are in the information age.

A Voice said...

IS THIS ALSO NOT SUBJUDICE?

Sun
Wed, 24 Jan 2007

Dangers of misusing blogs

Defamation and libel can be described as an injury to the reputation or character of someone resulting from false statements. Defamation is an attack, albeit false and, or malicious on one's good name. It exposes or subjects one to odium, hatred, contempt, ridicule, or disgrace, or causes one to be shunned or avoided.

In short, defamation/libel can be described as words - written or spoken - tending to lower an individual or organisation in the estimation of right-thinking members of society.

Our laws protect every citizen from harm to their reputation by false and derogatory remarks. It is enshrined that every citizen can seek redress if they believed that they have been defamed. Over the years, many media organisations have found this out the hard way. Sloppy and even malicious reporting have resulted in payouts and dents to the organisations' reputation and credibility.

Some years ago, media organisations, journalist unions and non-government organisatisations rallied together to fight multi-million ringgit awards given by the courts in defamation cases. The fight then was not so much against being sued or being found guilty of defamation, because no one including the media can be above the law, but against the ridiculously high awards.

The defamation suit filed last week by The New Straits Times Press (NSTP) and several of its executives against two bloggers on the internet has once again brought the issue to the fore, but with a twist.

The blogging community and even some NGOs have labelled it as an attempt to curb freedom of expression over the internet. Some have even described it as going against the government's guarantee of no censorship on the internet.

They are wrong.

It is the message, not the medium, that is the issue here.

Were the articles/postings that appeared in the two blogs defamatory? The plaintiffs have to prove to the court that they were.

If they are proven to be defamatory, they would be defamatory whether they appeared over the internet, published in newspapers or broadcast over radio and TV. And if they were not defamatory, they were not, regardless of the medium they appeared in.

It is a fallacy to assume that defamation laws don't operate in cyberspace just because the government said it would not exercise censorship. And it would be dangerous.

Non censorship is not a licence to break the laws of the country. The internet and blogging have empowered ordinary citizens to express themselves. Those of us who value the power we now have, must do our utmost to ensure it is not abused.

Yes, bloggers should unite, but unite against those who misuse the blogs because they are the real threat to the future of blogging.

A Voice said...

I DO NOT KNOW I AM NOT INVOLVED? IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS N EXCUSE

Utusan Malaysia
Januari 24hb, 2007

Abdullah: Laman blog perlu bertanggungjawab

LONDON 23 Jan. – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengingatkan penulis-penulis laman blog supaya lebih bertanggungjawab dan tidak memaparkan hasil kerja yang bertentangan dengan undang-undang.

Tegas Perdana Menteri, meskipun kerajaan tidak membuat tapisan terhadap bahan-bahan dalam Internet, ia tidak bermakna penulis laman blog boleh bertindak dengan sewenang-wenangnya.

‘‘Mereka (penulis laman blog) tidak boleh mengambil kesempatan dengan melakukan sesuatu yang bertentangan undang-undang. Undang-undang tetap undang-undang.

‘‘Apa makna kebebasan tanpa tanggungjawab,’’ kata Perdana Menteri pada sidang akhbar selepas menyampaikan ucaptama bertajuk Barat dan Dunia Islam: Meredakan Tekanan Masa Kini di sini hari ini.

Abdullah mengulas tindakan sebuah akhbar tempatan (Malaysia) yang menyaman dua laman blog yang didakwa memaparkan kandungan berunsur fitnah dan hasutan baru-baru ini.

Sementara itu, dalam perkembangan lain, Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN) mengingatkan jentera pilihan raya parti supaya jangan memandang mudah cabaran parti lawan pada pilihan raya kecil Dewan Undangan Negeri Batu Talam, 28 Januari ini walau pun pihak pembangkang bertindak memulaukannya.

Tegas Abdullah, jentera BN perlu mengerakkan seluruh tenaga menerusi kempen yang dijalankan bagi memastikan kemenangan besar kepada calon BN.

‘‘Pembangkang tidak berani nak bertanding. Jika ada peluang untuk menang, mereka (pembangkang) akan berbuat demikian,’’ kata Abdullah.

A Voice said...

NEWSPAPER MUST BE RESPONSIBLE ALSO. PM AND THE STAR SUBJUDICE?

The Star Online > Nation

Wednesday January 24, 2007

Bloggers must be responsible

LONDON: Bloggers must be responsible for what they write on the Internet as there are laws on defamation and sedition, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

The Prime Minister said these laws were enforceable and bloggers must bear in mind that they could not hide or take advantage of the Internet to do something that was against the law.

“They cannot hope to cover themselves or hide from the laws,” he told Malaysian journalists at the end of his three-day working visit here yesterday.

He said bloggers, just like newspaper journalists, must be responsible for what they wrote or risk facing legal action from others.

Abdullah was commenting on the legal action against bloggers Jeff Ooi and Ahirudin Attan by the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP), its deputy chairman Datuk Kali-mullah Masheerul Hassan, Group Editor in Chief Datuk Hishamuddin Aun and former Group Editor Brenden John Pereira.

He raised the question of “what was freedom without responsibility,” saying that laws must be respected.

On the lack of proficiency in English among teachers and lecturers, he said there was a need to improve the curriculum and methods to teach English in schools.

He added that Malaysians must understand that English was an international language.

Abdullah was responding to questions from journalists on the declining standard of English in Malaysian schools and universities.

Earlier, Abdullah told Malaysian students at the London School of Economics of the need for Malaysia to be competitive, pointing out the paces already made by the Chinese and India.

A Voice said...

WOULD THE COURT HOLD YOU FOR CONTEMPT, PM?

January 24th, 2007

Govt won't censor Internet Bloggers but they must be responsible, says Abdullah

(Bernama) -- The government won't censor Malaysian bloggers on the Internet but they must be responsible for what they write, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Tuesday.

"We do not censor the Internet and that's our policy, but they (bloggers) must understand that there are also laws on defamation and sedition, for example.

"These laws are enforced. They should bear in mind that they cannot hide and they cannot take advantage of doing something against the law," he told Malaysian reporters here in his first comments on the country's growing number of online bloggers of late.

He was responding to a question on legal suits for alleged defamation filed by The New Straits Times newspaper and four of its senior executives against two popular blogs, Screenshots and Rocky Bru.

"The law is the law. They cannot hide and hope to be protected under some kind of a cover or whatever they think that they have," the prime minister added.

Abdullah said it was obvious that for bloggers and for journalists of other media, duty and responsibility must go together.

"And if you want freedom, what is freedom without responsibility," he asked. "I don't agree with freedom without responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy. Actually it becomes irresponsible," he added.

Husin Lempoyang said...

The Black Babboon wrote in his today January 28th NST's column, "Out of the Cage: Opposition has no clear direction". Excerpt:

... as much veracity as a blog run by some never-was journo hack with a dried-up contact list and an enormous chip on his shoulder.

Husin Lempoyang said...

Ini satu lagi tuan. NST report dari London oleh K.P.Waran bertarikh 28hb Januari, 2007 berjodol "PM asks world to stop forces of extremism". Excerpt dibawah ini:

Speaking later, Abdullah said the government would not censor bloggers but they had to be responsible and that they could be subject to defamation, sedition and other laws.

"They cannot hide or take advantage of a situation and do something against the law," he said when asked to respond to the suit being taken by the New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, its deputy chairman Datuk Kalimullah Hassan, chief executive officer Datuk Syed Faizal Syed Albar and former group editor Brendan Pereira against Ahirudin Attan and Ooi Chuan Aun over their web postings.

He said bloggers could not plead ignorance of the laws as freedom without responsibility would be anarchy.

Pesanan Keramat said...

Malaysian premier attacks Internet users

Januari 28th, 2007
Agence France-Presse

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has accused Malaysians of using the Internet to spread lies about him, according to a report Sunday.

The premier also insisted he still had the support of the majority of Malaysians despite attacks by critics.

Abdullah said Malaysians were using the freedom and anonymity of the Internet and mobile text messages to make "unfounded allegations."

"This sort of freedom had made them resort to such action," Abdullah told the government-linked New Straits Times in an interview.

"Even bloggers or those who maintain websites use this opportunity to create stories. Lies after lies are being told. To them, everything is not right, everything is not good," he said.

"If I allow myself to be distracted by all this, I will not be able to do any work. That is what they want, that I not focus on my work."

His attack follows the launch of a controversial defamation suit against two Malaysian bloggers by the New Straits Times, for which Abdullah has voiced support despite heavy criticism of the action.

Abdullah said his detractors were trying to undermine his leadership but added that most Malaysians were still behind him.

"I know there are people who are trying their best to ridicule me. They make a mountain out of a molehill. They just want to rubbish me," said Abdullah.

"All this is expected in politics. No politician is liked by everyone. The most important thing is that I have the support of the majority," he said.

The New Straits Times' unprecedented suits against bloggers Ahirudin Attan and Jeff Ooi have triggered criticism from watchdogs, who say the moves will stifle free expression in Malaysia, where the media is tightly controlled.

Both writers have published articles critical of Malaysian government policy and Abdullah's administration.

BaitiBadarudin said...

Fan of the Eagles and the Temptations? Moh, bloggers karaoke. BTW, tak paham 'reservation required' and 'pariah weekend?'

A Voice said...

queenb

I was doing a pun of 2 Travel Channel's prgram - ANthony Bourdain's No Reservation Required and Ian Wright's VIP Weekend :-)

BaitiBadarudin said...

wokay, LOL!

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