Losing faith

This blog is hosted by Blogger. It is free. I can use it to deride Blogger, try to start a war against it or the country it is based. I can post pictures of naked women and yes, cartoons. But Blogger still says go ahead, its yours for free. Use it.

Yes, I am still answerable to the laws of my country.

Blogger is but one of many dozens of free blog hosts out there that essentially believe a larger common good comes out of freedom and local control. Together with wikis, it believes in the individual as being a vital component to human society, not a digit. It believes that the more people exchange the more resolutions can be reached. It believes that through information dispersal people find their way, make their friends, turn on the lights and grow up.

It doesn’t promise instant paradise, rather baby steps and stumbles. It doesn’t believe in monoculture rather diversity of the richest kind imaginable.

That, to me, is faith.

Faith that the individual has a brain and collectively helps pave those treks we call culture. It is the believe that while lies, fraud, bigotry and chauvinism will continue to operate, they will be exposed and sublimated. And an individual empowered is worth more than having the title datuk by his name.

The Malaysian Cabinet met on Wednesday and decided unanimously that the Sarawak Tribune needed to be whipped bad for publishing those controversial caricatures. Apologies and an editor's resignation did not do enough. Pak Lah, prime minister and internal security minister today announced that the newspaper has been suspended indefinitely.

Pak Lah also “issued a blanket prohibition in the whole country starting today on the printing, import, production, circulation, distribution or possession of the Sarawak Tribune publication which undermine public order, security and national interest or which may disturb the minds of the people”, reports Bernama.

Now, that disturbs my mind. That basically means context of the article surrounding the cartoon shall remain undisclosed, not to be discussed. All we know is the headline: ‘Cartoon not much impact here’.

Of course the public is not privy to what was discussed in the meeting of our nation’s top honchos. Was it all over in a minute? Was there any debate? What was the real reason? Nope, not a single disclosure. Just a tsk-tsk-tsk from Deputy Information Minister Donald Lim saying here’s a warning, y’all.

The basic message: Why does the individual need to know? Don't get too smart. Don't dig too deep.

In muzzling the press, the cabinet has shown it is insecure and has no faith in the individual. Some government folks have begun to say the press has been sensationalizing issues to sell papers. Pardon me? It’s far, far easier to dig dirt and juicy details on local personalities than to take on non-issues with the government. The government must have so much dirty laundry that the few write-ups by our local Pravdas can cause its knees to shake or jerk. And why am I not surprised?

The Malaysian cabinet made a poor and reactionary judgment on Wednesday which echoed another stupid one barely a month ago with the forced resignation of two China Press editors. It has pulled one out from the old play-book of the Operation Lalang days, the only other time any local newspaper had been suspended.

One would wish such swift action in the many problems facing this country - corruption, police indignation and abuse, APs, transparency, lawatan sambil belajar - but alas, we are but digits.

Just about two years ago, our benign-looking PM said: Work with me, not for me.

I’m sorry Mr Prime Minister, but with such a message coming out of that harsh punishment, you fail to convince.