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Internet censorship is useless in today’s evironment – Taib Mahmud

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Pehin Sri Taib delivering his speech during the Sarawak Social Media Convention 2012

The Net not a threat

By YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my

KUCHING: Censorship is useless in today’s environment, says Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Speaking at a gathering of social media enthusiasts here, Taib said transparency was now key to political survival, and praised the Barisan Nasional administration for “tearing down the ISA”.

The Chief Minister also commended the amendments to laws governing the media.

“Old fashioned censorship just doesn’t work anymore. The free flow of information (via the Internet) has given great power to the ordinary men on the street,” Taib said at the close of the Sarawak Social Media Convention 2012 yesterday.

Taib said criticisms online had to be accepted as a new form of feedback by those in power. He added that he first noted the change that would come with the Internet when companies based in the US started outsourcing jobs to the Indian economy.

“When we saw that happening, that was becoming possible, we knew the communication revolution was on its way. We expected a lot of things to change. I’m rather old fashioned. I studied in libraries, but if you look at developed countries right now, even at countrysides, the spread of the (Internet and its benefits) has been so fast.”

As far as the state government was concerned, Taib added, it would continue to make high-speed Internet available at more rural areas, particularly schools. Taib said the state government did not view the Internet as a threat.

If anything, Taib said Sarawak needed more social media savvy citizens.

“We are actually handicapped by a shortage. We need your (social media enthusiasts’) advice and support. Sure, the free flow of information has achieved some good, some not so good; societies have been disrupted.

“Yet, on the other hand, (because of the Internet) this generation is the best generation that is able to practise life-long learning. Books had their restrictions.”

Going back to the Government’s move to liberalise policies, the Chief Minister praised the Prime Minister for having an open and “agile” way of thinking. “He (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) might be the first Prime Minister to understand you (social media enthusiasts) better.”

Posted by James Joshua on April 29th, 2012

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Don’t get carried away by intra-party differences, Najib tells Sarawak BN leaders

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KUCHING, April 27 (Bernama) — The leaders of Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties were today reminded not to get carried away by intra-party frictions as this could affect their decisions to put up winnable candidates for the coming general election (GE).

BN chairman and Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said party presidents should set aside differences that they may have with others leaders within their parties to pick the right persons who could deliver victory in the election.

“I don’t want your favourite persons to become candidates as all I want is winnable candidates,” he said during a dinner hosted by Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the latter’s official residence here.

Apart from Taib, who is Sarawak BN chairman and Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president, the dinner was also attended by presidents of the Sarawak United People’s Party, Datuk Seri Peter Chin; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party, Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom and Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s Tan Sri Dr James Masing.

Najib said differences in opinions were bound to happen in a coalition with a long history such as the BN but he believed they could be sorted out in the family spirit. He said the long history had also put some people in BN to be losing sight of the very reason of the coalition’s existence, which was to serve the people well.

“By serving the people (well), they will have confidence to vote for us,” he said.

The Prime Minister said support from Sarawak was crucial in order for the BN to form the government after the coming election and thus enable the development agenda for the state to continue.

He said the opposition had yet to show that they were able to measure themselves up to what the BN had done all this while for the state.

“We want to do more for Sarawak but what we need is the mandate of the people (in the state in this coming election),” he added. Meanwhile, Taib who spoke earlier, told the state BN leaders to focus on highlighting the success of Sarawak under BN, rather than to be dragged into arguing about the opposition’s propaganda.

Being a person who had been long in politics and administering the state, he said the present opposition had failed to prove themselves as a better alternative for the people to manage the nation.

“I am old in this game and I believe none of the people in the opposition can chart out a common strategy for the (good of the) people,” he said. — BERNAMA

Posted by James Joshua on April 27th, 2012

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Social media group to submit resolution to Najib

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KUCHING: A 10-point resolution focusing on unity among social media activists in Sarawak will be presented to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at the Social Media Convention tomorrow.

Sarawak Social Media Association (SSMA) president Wan Abdillah Edruce Wan Abdul Rahman said more than 600 participants from urban and rural areas attending the event would discuss at length the proposed 10 resolutions before presenting them to the premier in the afternoon.

“The theme for our event is Connect and Engage,” Wan Abdillah said when contacted yesterday.

“One of the proposed resolutions is social media activists’ pledge to support the government of the day and promote unity among the people which is in line with the association’s slogan, One Voice, One Love,” Abdillah said it was an honour to have Najib and Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud attend the convention, stressing that it was a golden opportunity for all to better interact with the country’s leaders.

“It is a great opportunity of a life time among social media activists. We’ll have the chance to know our premier and there will be a question and answer session open to the floor.”

Established nearly a year ago, Abdillah said, SSMA aimed at engaging the people through the cyber world and helping the government disseminate its policies and programmes.

“Instead of slamming each other in the cyber world, let’s work together in giving out accurate information to the people.”

Prior to attending the Social Media Convention at Hilton Hotel at 1pm, Najib, in Sarawak for a three-day working visit, will have a walkabout at the Matang Jaya farmers market at 8.30am before attending the “Jelajah Janji Di Tepati” programme at the carpark of Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Petra Jaya at 10am.

The “Jelajah Janji Di Tepati” is a meet-the-people programme during which the premier will also be handing out Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M).

He will also visit the Cities and Corridors Lab open day at the old state legislative assembly building which is adjacent to Wisma Bapa Malaysia.

Najib is expected to fly back to Kuala Lumpur at around 2.30pm.

Source: Star Sarawak

Posted by James Joshua on April 27th, 2012

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BN’s chances in Mas Gading still good, says SPDP chief

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Source: Star Sarawak
Thursday, 19th April 2012

KUCHING: SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan believes the political dust in Mas Gading will settle once the Prime Minister has chosen the candidate for the constituency.

He said the contention now was who was to be nominated. He said things looked dusty because of the Group of Five’s (G5) continued expression of discontent to win their battle.

Mawan, who is Social Development Minister, said the G5 had even claimed that some 1,000 had resigned from SPDP.

“They have fabricated things, trying to leverage over the other and trying to make us look like losing our support.

“At the same time they (G5) claimed themselves to be Barisan supporters, yet go against us although we are also in Barisan,” he said.

He said as far as SPDP was concerned, Barisan’s chances in Mas Gading were still good. The G5 could say anything they wanted, but SPDP was more focused on winning the war for Barisan.

“Right now, it’s just a tussle so I don’t want to quarrel with anybody.”

He also reiterated that except for Mas Gading, SPDP would retain all its incumbents.

He said it was either Anthony Nogeh or Henry Harry Jinep in Mas Gading.

When told that PRS secretary-general Datuk Wilfred Nissom had attended and spoken at a function organised by the G5 at Redeems Centre last Saturday, Mawan said it was not an uncommon sight.

“It is something that had happened from day one since the Group of Five had gone against me.

“In fact, when reporters asked me if PRS had interfered directly in SPDP’s affair by pulling the five to PRS headquarters here and PRS office in Kapit, I told the reporters that the PRS president is my friend and he might be helping me to solve my problem.

“Now, you see this thing happening again,” he said.

Posted by James Joshua on April 19th, 2012

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SPDP Has Two Potential Candidates For Mas Gading Seat

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KUCHING, April 18 (Bernama) — The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) has two potential candidates for the Mas Gading parliamentary seat in the coming general election.

Its president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom who dislosed this here Wednesday, said it was up to the Barisan Nasional (BN) top leadership to select one of the two names proposed to contest the seat.

“Each BN component party is given two weeks to submit its list of candidates, and it is up to the prime minister to decide on this but there will not be much change for the other (SPDP) seats,” he said when met at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, here.

Mawan said SPDP was not perturbed by the issue of 1,000 members quitting the party recently as they would still support BN in the coming 13th general election.

In the last general election in 2008, SPDP won four of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak, namely Mas Gading, Saratok, Bintulu and Baram.

– BERNAMA

Posted by James Joshua on April 18th, 2012

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