Zam Zam Alakazam weaves fairy tale about bloggers...

...again. After talking about registering bloggers ala Singapore (the sudden enthusiasm of the administration to "learn" from Singapore is such a breakaway from tradition. How I wish they would also "learn" about things like how we can have better roads and cleaner streets) now he's talking about "classification" of bloggers into "professionals" and "non-professionals". Whatever happened to the original classification of bloggers as "liars, traitors, and unmarried housewives or frustrated ex-journalists"? Hangat-hangat tahi ayam I presume.

Anyway, from Malaysiakini 5 May:

Zam recommends labels for bloggers
May 5, 07 6:54pm

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin today suggested that bloggers be officially categorised as ‘professionals’ and ‘non-professionals’ as a ‘mechanism of control’.

“By right, there should be a mechanism to control this phenomenon, including classifying web bloggers as professionals and non-professionals,” Zainuddin was quoted as saying by Bernama today.

He said certain individuals and groups were misusing blogs for personal agendas, such as questioning constitutional religious matters and causing public uneasiness.

“This classification will facilitate (legal) action to be taken against those found to have violated the country’s laws [...] We have to control this. It is feared that these (blogs) will be misused by those who have an agenda to spread slander,” he added.

On what he considered ‘professional bloggers’, Zainuddin said they were more responsible in publishing ‘truthful’ content and were not rumour-mongers.

(for rest of article, click here)

Upon closer reading, the classification is just another attempt in a string of similar ones to vilify, threaten, harass, and ultimately control citizens of Malaysia who chose the internet to air their views which they have been most likely doing it in mamak stalls and kopitiams. Of course the impact and reach is different, even if one takes into consideration the fact that internet penetration (let's not talk broadband) is still considered low in Malaysia.

Other than the usual excuses of protecting national interests, or that bloggers will "bring an end to Malaysia as we know it" (if it means a better Malaysia, hey, I don't mind one bit!), Zam provides a new reason for the need to control bloggers, and I quote:

...He claimed that during a recent trip to France, Nice-Matin Press Group chief executive Michel Camboul had mentioned to him that the French government needs to classify bloggers.

According to Zainuddin, Camboul also expressed concern over blogs having an impact on newspaper circulation and advertising there.

Zainuddin also asserted that should blog sites be recognised as an ‘alternative press’, it would force newspapers out of business and that rural people who depended on newspaper be denied their right to information...

Wow! Now he's talking about the fear that bloggers will force the papers to lose advertisement revenue and eventually close shop! I am indeed flattered. Regardless of what some have postulated, I believe we will always have newspaper companies around. Yes, the internet seems to provide an easy and quick mean to gather information. But information must still be found first and then uploaded somewhere by someone. That someone will still need to do their digging around and research to put up credible and factual information. And very likely that someone, I believe, will still be an employed journalist or writer. I don't think the normal guy-in-the-street blogger who still need to put food on the table will have the time and resources required to produce good information so that they can be reused with confidence.

But then to Zam, it's just a convenient attempt to look more intelligent and concerned for the welfare of newspaper employees while trying to achieve his goal of whacking us bloggers silly. Oh, and throw in that bit about rural folks missing out on information (whatever happened to increasing internet broadband penetration to rural Malaysia using WiMAX?) should the papers disappear, we have a Propaganda Maestro portraying himself as the champion of the information-have-nots as well, never mind the fact that he has a hand in creating them in the first place.

Zam perhaps should just listen to Wong Chun Wai of The Star. It's time for Zam and gang to open up their dinosaur age mind and accept that the internet and bloggers are not going to go away, and it's better to trust the newspaper editors and journalists to do their job without threats and harassment. Perhaps then Malaysians would start to trust newspapers again.