.censorship is boxes on the vagina.

freedom of press in the malaysian context... WTF?

what exactly constitutes the rules of the malaysian context and who decides them. it is a very thin line and a very subjective opinion.

in all aspect, we must consider that Malaysia is a multi-racial country. Respect comes without a doubt and censorship comes with the responsibility of speech. Any speech.

In a free world where free speech is rampant, we cannot overlook the responsibilities that come with it. Not only in a newspaper, even in a blog.

There are blog patrols everywhere who decide what we write and help us spread the misgivings of our post. I am not saying they are wrong, but i am merely stating the obvious. Whatever we say, or worse, write must be thought, planned and analyzed before publication.

However, for our government to control the mass media shows lack of respect for not only the writers but also the readers.

Editorial integrity is a big issue, but whoever reports a malicious or misinformed story should be held responsible, not the whole coop of chickens.

Probably they are frustrated with the hot agenda that is being reported daily and with no end. For example, it was first the AP issue, and then the ear squat, bribery, Minister's insensitive remarks, back to the recent shaving incident. The government is getting enough fire from outside the country and handling economics is not exactly 1+1. Now, they have the issue coming internally, affecting not only the trust of the citizen but also tarnishing the image of the affected parties.

What do they expect? The media to cover them up? to support them in hard times and to enjoy the good times together?

Then, they are looking into it the wrong way. We are not condemning them for the fun of criticism. We live in this country, and who doesn't want a better system? who wants to find fault with the system? our own system?

We are criticizing them because we realize something is wrong and they don't. Their misuse of power is WRONG and unethical. If we don't help them change the system, communism is paving the way into this country.

Journalists need censorship but they don't need the government's interference.
The trials and tribulations of the system are a way forward, not a way down.

"the dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. as our case is new, so we must think anew, act anew. we must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."

- Abraham Lincoln

without knowing the problems, we can never find the solution.

Let free speech prevail

and

Censor because of responsibility, not fear.

as Dr. Loo said in jeffooi.com

good reporters self-censor for good reasons — to steer clear of defamation, to avoid misrepresenting the truth, to be fair, meticulous and solidly accurate. It only becomes a worry when self-censorship is habitual and unthinking, when it's committed more for personal rewards than for any ethical codes. Malaysian media history clearly shows that self-censorship committed out of learnt fear — in many cases, unjustifiable — only leads to legitimate issues being uninvestigated, the bigger picture compromised and the truth concealed.

"the probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."
- Abraham Lincoln

"Fuck the free world" - Eminem in 8 Mile