Malaysia censors the Internet. While Asian countries are battling each other for Google's attention because Google wants to build a multi-billion dollar data centre, we are telling Google to go and fly kite elsewhere.
The MCMC might as well tell Google and those investors that they are NOT welcomed in Malaysia. Its decision to censor Malaysia Today (mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/) in effect breaks Malaysia's promise to the world that the Government of this country will not censor the Internet.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Google, Go Away!
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Merdeka...? Merdeka...? Merdeka...?
ReplyDeleteNo Google lah...we just OGLE at Vietnam or others getting the center.
ReplyDeleteKebajikan dan masa depan negara ni dah tak penting bagi mereka. Yang penting mereka tetap berkuasa. Biar sampai tinggal kandang kambing, kerbau, lembu je kat Malaysia pun tak ape, yang penting KUASA TETAP ADA di tangan mereka.
you have the less tha intelligent syed albar running the show, what do you expect? didnt he lose the island? coupled with the carefree PM, this is real disaster, boy oh boy.
ReplyDeletedont be surprise if our neighbour gets the google deal. at times, i wonder if there is a conspiracy to enrich our neighbour. remember also the recent Maybank deal which cost us RM480 milion after an abortion?
YYY
and this kind of censor action can only be performed by world class morons in UMNO ....
ReplyDeleteMCMC if you got nothing to do.... go bug the ISP to give us the bandwidth they promise lar ... that is something worth more and practical ... dont be a moron like UMNO lar
You can get into Malaysia Today...through.."http//mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/
ReplyDeleteUMNO is in desperate mood.
I wonder what will be Tun Mahathir comment on this after all he initiated apanama... Multi Media Takdak Corridor..
ReplyDeleteLooks like after 50 years Merdeka, there are those who still think they are in the shell. It's time for us to look outward and start competing globally instead of competing amongst ourselves.
ReplyDeletePak Rocky,
ReplyDeleteI suspect if gov. can censor your briliant brain, they will do it without understand the onsequences.
-makangaji
If RPK has done something wrote or slandered someone, that person should seek justice at the courts. Using state power to defeat people will not help anyone. Tell us which part (specific part) that was inciting and take action on that part. Jokes will no longer work with us. Poorah!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThat is the extend of intelligence our so called leaders possess. Perhaps they are expecting google to kowtow to them and grease their dirty palms. Again that is the extend of umno culture. The stink of BN government starts with umno, corrupted beyond words.
Teruskan usaha kamu untuk menjahanamkan Malaysia! Ya, teruskanlah! Anak cucu kamu yang akan merasa akibatnya.
ReplyDeleteBru
ReplyDeleteSee video of Anwar bersumpah at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/Frontpage/20080828103233/Article/index_html
Quinn
Dr Mahathir will not be too happy about this as he had pledged as the then Prime Minister that the government shall never censor internet while launching MSC.
ReplyDeleteThis is a dumb move by the authorities. And ineffective too, for Malaysia Today is still up-and-running at an alternate site.
ReplyDeleteI don't really like RPK's manner and MT's `reporting' - that's why I don't go there regularly. However, now that it's banned, I have gone out of my way to read what's available at the alternate site.
If you folks don't know it already, it's at http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/
may be the word "globalization " is too foreign to us, or may be we can be self-sustainable for another 50 years, or even may be we dont need google at all, because we are silently building our "tuggul", malaysia's very own search engine.
ReplyDeletemalaysia boleh
Isn't this another one of their fork-tongue speak?
ReplyDeleteThey just cannot seem to engage.
They always want it their way except the truth and what is right. To smoothen out every bump, rough surface and zit they can only see using a hammer for the job.
When will they ever learn?
Hold on a second...before we get riled up on this matter, what exactly was it that actually prompted MCMC to instruct the ISPs to block access to Malaysia Today's news portal?
ReplyDeleteI mean, come on, at least look at it from both sides of the story yeah....
stupid.plain stupid.
ReplyDeletebroadband in Japan 100Mbps only cost 30USD a month whereas here at home it costs same amount(almost RM100) for ONLY 1MBps.
MCMC should be censoring the ISPs from ripping off the public from charging 100x for a basic necessity today.instead they waste time with censoring the internet,asininely degrading the mental capacity of a politically maturing population.
stupid.plain stupid.
yours truly,
"deepthoughts"
All those advisers of the MSC like Bill Gate should be alerted.
ReplyDeletePut it this way. To them, losing power is much more terrifying than losing a data center.
ReplyDeletebut...they are already starting the development of google data center in Enstek City....
ReplyDeletebut they're already started developing the GOOGLE DATA CENTER in Enstek City....
ReplyDeletexyz
desperate situasion calls for desperate measures, eh?
ReplyDeleteforeign investors goes away...all in the name of globalization
rakyat biasa
COuntry going backwards.....
ReplyDeletewe just spoke to TM on setting up our data centre in cyberjaya and they trying to selling their product using Google as example. Now if this is how the stupid gov going to control, its leave us not much option then considering our neighbours as our RDC. They are far more ahead in everything...lossers for stupid reason
When will this BN administration going to stop this high handedness tactics...simply being silly!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame bro.. Is this my COUNTRY?
ReplyDeleteOr someone else's (AAB, Sons and co) country?
wonder why porn sites are not block but Malaysia today website is block funny ..
ReplyDeletePreviouosly the whole BN engines is attacking on anwar , they lost badly ..
Now the whole BN engine attack on Raja Petra , a big loss again , it makes people love PR more ...
Seriously speaking, what do we call leaders who refuse to listen and understand the sensitivity of their people?
ReplyDelete"Real imbecilic herds of no use to humanity"
suresh
everyone! spread the news fast! embed this thing at ur website or blog to take back our web!
ReplyDeletetake back our web
p/s: if you have better ideas, please contact me.
Monsterball
ReplyDeleteKau tak mahu salahkan Dr Mahathir ke?
Aku nak salahkan DAP dan PKR.
Guys,
ReplyDeleteMOre reasons now to vote Barisan Nasional out. They, together with the MSM, REPEATED what they exactly did before and during the GE in Permatang Pauh.
You should have seen NST, Utusan and Berota Harian competing against each other to outdo ass-licking.
Let us all make sure BN is buried in a landslide the next time.
Democrat
i think its very sad! all this ministers are all a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteTechnically speaking the whole of west coast of Malaysia didn't elect this morons to speak for us. This idiots don't even know how to use email or even facebook but go on banning websites.
Dont be like China!! I am so embrassed to my foreign friends now! Merdeka!!
rocky,
ReplyDeleteis this blocking/censoring really happening or is everyone just repeating what they hear without really checking if the site is really unaccessible?
i ask because i have not had any problem accessing the site at all, even while and right after the PP by-election. how come?
there is of course this notice at the site:
"Want to post comments? Malaysia Today is being blocked by TMNet. To access Malaysia Today please go here http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/2008/"
but going there yields a mirror site!
so how exactly was the blocking/censoring executed? people are not allowed to post? some articles are blocked? edited? or how?
i detest the ridiculous and bullying actions of this government as much as any other malaysian, but at the same time i certainly do not wish to be duped by disinformation from those out to discredit the government by any means for equally unreasonable or unscrupulous purpose. then, these detractors are just as low as those government goons.
missing Malaysia Today found here http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/
ReplyDeleteBuahBeluluk..
A very sad and pitiful pariah Malaysia. Now the whole world knows that the completely corrupted UMNO leaders are afraid of the real truth which have been exposed by Raja Petra Kamaruddin, a member of the Malaysian blogging fraternity. WTF where is the MSC charter that ensure no internet censorship ... Wali Kota
ReplyDeleteHey, why don't we just commission IJM or Gamuda to construct a giant coconut shell that would surround all of Malaysia? Nothing will get in and out.
ReplyDeleteThat way, we can be safe from the big bad world and the Evil Internets, and we can also proclaim ourselves the One And Only Champions in this Universe of The Tempurung.
Nothing to be scared of Malaysia Today aka Raja Petra. What is it to be scared off? Reputation?Power? Raja Petra is only a HUMAN like ANWAR IBRAHIM. Only those who do wrong will feel scared otherwise hey man be cool !. A man in an office ask his collegue 'What up!. his colleague answer 'Celling'. Hey what up bro. see no evil fear no evil. BN should sensor themselselves from talking lies and bulshit and also for non consistent statement like the oil prices not senso blogger neither am internet. We are moving forward not backward man!
ReplyDeletebro,
ReplyDeletewajarkah kita mempertahankan blog MT yg menghina junjungan besar Nabi Muhammad SAW sehina-hinanya???
kepada para peminat taksub RPK, kalaupun nak sokong, berpada-padalah!!!!!
-spike-
yOU CAN TRY THIS SEARCH ENGINE
ReplyDeleteTell a friend (and earn more money!)
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CARI MAKAN
Pada saya perlu di laksanakan akta ini sebab jika satu hari jika ditakdir PR yang berkuasa mungkin KJ dan gang akan guna cara Raja Petra tu. Pada saya Raya Petra tu bukan berdarah Melayu Bugis tetapi berdarah Kacukan , Dia yang marah tu sebab Tok dia punya Syarikat Gutrie di rampas balik oleh Khalid Ibrahim. Kita perlu sokong tidakan ini untuk kemudahan PR nanti
ReplyDelete@mekyam 11:04 PM
ReplyDeleteThat's because you're accessing it from outside Malaysia. As far as I know, MCMC does not have any power to order foreign ISP's to block their users from visiting MT :-)
@Rifdee 7:56 PM
what exactly was it that actually prompted MCMC to instruct the ISPs to block access to Malaysia Today's news portal?
Err, what exactly was it?
Had thought you were going to provide the answer:-)
BTW, I had read the MCMC's `reasons'. Despite my distaste for some of RPK's writings and manner, these (the ones from MCMC) aren't good enough reasons to block his site.
And worse, it goes against the "No censorship" as was stated by the government when the MSC was launched. It's true that it was Dr. Mahathir who was the PM then, but this makes no difference to the principle and pledge.
Okay, charge him and sue him; BUT NOT censor him out.
i ask because i have not had any problem accessing the site at all, even while and right after the PP by-election. how come?
Internet is a wild world with good, bad and ugly.
ReplyDeleteThe topic of censorship has arisen not only in Malaysia but everywhere, including US where they brought it up to censor certain child pornographic websites. (Infact now there is talk of affirmative action for blacks in US too.. Read the latest issue of TIME magazine)
There is an article published in the International Herald Tribune about the "cowardly anonymous posts"
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/america/letter.php
As for Google,
It is not going to choose any favorite, it will decide whats best for it and where does it have money. As long as business is well for Google it hell not bothered about any local laws.
Google China is a living example of this. Google China has censored all websites deemed harmful for the communist regime. Not only it censors it also helps the chinese to track websites against the establishment, and even invade privacy of Chinese Google users.
So Chinese Google users, beware.. The Chinese govt is watching your every move, every email you send and everything you read.
Yahoo China infact had even helped the Chinese government to track and apprehend a Yahoo user in China who had sent emails using his Yahoo Email account to foreign news media about certain classified information. The Guy was caught jailed and beaten up into broken bones.
In the event that MCMC decides to further implement a full blocking of websites or blogs perceived as not friendly, the followings can be used as an effective way to circumvent internet censorship:
ReplyDelete1. Accessing a mirror site
2. Using a non-censoring DNS-server
3. Using a non-censoring proxy server
1. Access a mirror site
For instance, Malaysia Today can still be accessed at this moment at http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com . Using mirror sites may not be effective as they may start blocking these sites too.
2. Using a non-censoring DNS-server
Change your DNS to OpenDNS server 208.67.222.222 or 208.67.220.220 .
Click http://www.opendns.com for more info on how to set DNS.
3. Using a non-censoring proxy server
(i) Proxy Sites
More effectively, this blocking can be circumvented by surfing through a proxy sites, such as:
http://proxychina.org
http://proxy4china.com
There are many proxy sites available, just google for them.
(ii) Proxy Tunnelling Software
Another better and most effective way to circumvent internet censor is by using Ultrasurf. It is developed by the people against internet censorship in China. It enables users inside countries with heavy Internet censorship to visit any public web sites in the world safely and freely while it automatically searches the highest speed proxy servers in the background.
Download Ultrasurf software from:
http://www.ultrareach.com
http://www.wujie.net/downloads/ultrasurf/u.zip
Then extract the file and run, that's it.
If you are using browser other than IE, then you have to manually change your proxy IP address to 127.0.0.1 with port :9666 .
(iii) TOR and TOR based browsers
For those who are more IT savvy, they can try TOR. TOR based browsers are also available, such as xb Browser and OperaTor. But TOR solution tends to give slower internet surfing experience.
Say NO to internet censorship.
regards,
drsd1665 @ http://malaysian-today-net.blogspot.com
hello rifdee ... there is no side to look at it ... when it comes to the internet its about freedom of expression and information ... there is no other way to look at it.
ReplyDeleteif you dont like the site, then dont go there. its that simple. its the INTERNET ... you dont waste resources where tax money are being paid to start banning sites ... this is ridiculous ... how many bloody sites can you ban...
rocky,
ReplyDeletejust read this at ena's jl sudin:
“Because we found that some of the comments on the website were insensitive bordering on incitement," -- Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission chief operating officer Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi.
and they found this only just now?
guess the current gomen is being a SORE LOSER again after all!
Bro,I used to visit Malaysia Today site as it used to be OK, but somehow it lost its way and its balance, it has now become a place where people insult other people and a source for so much half truths and outright lie all in the name of freedom in cyberspace? I don't visit Malaysia Today anymore,so if the Government close it down even, I and many other moderate peace loving Malaysian would not miss it.
ReplyDeleteGoogle is a huge multibillion dollar business, I do not think by the Government just closing down a couple of "hate filled" site such as Malaysia Today will negatively affect Google's decision to invest in Malaysia. There are other considerations also, as Malaysia offers relatively cheap land,very skilled and moderately paid managers/workers, good ready infrastructure and Government incentives/support/tax break etc.etc.
Stupid moves by MCMC. It is indeed a sad day for Malaysia. A government that breaks promise has lost its moral right to seek investors in ICT sector.
ReplyDelete- JS Wong
MCMC is really a dud. Their action is ineffective and only makes people laugh at their level of internet savvy. Like using peashooter against an advancing army. Now they look bad for not knowing how internet works and even worse because they look repressive. w9
ReplyDeleteIts not like the end of the world guys. its just that old senile RPK's blog. It wouldn't affect anyone's life anyway.In time, he'll find a way to manipulate the system and u'll get to read his blog again soon.
ReplyDeleteGood point. LGE started this charge that UMNO/BN politics is driving away foreign investors. More to get people mad when they are struggling to cope with their lives...
ReplyDeleteRocky, why block when they say MT is all BS? Moving backwards, aren't we? So communist.
ReplyDeleteFrom,
Malaysians Blogger.
I don't think google are really bothered by that fact. The thing is even United States barred their ISP's from entering certain websites or webhosting. Whether it is China, US or Malaysia it's the same thing. Only different masters in Malaysia it is the political Masters while in the US it is the Big Corporations from the entertainment industry.
ReplyDeletekota raksaksa...Tiap2 pahal nak salakan Mahathir ke?
ReplyDeleteIni small matter!
Shaitan itu salah besar..nak bangsar2 Malaysia disunited..dan curit wang rakyat... by the billions!
Itu la ...salakan yang besar.
Such an act comes under trait No.5 in "The traits of the Malaysian Politicians"
ReplyDeleteLink: kttp://www.kingsmary.blogspot.com/
Allah Praise Be To Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent, Lord of the Worlds and Hereafter; the Holy Month of Ramadan is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteLet us refrain from talking fitnah, nonsense and garbage not only during the Holy Month but also thereafter such as promoted by RPK. It’s good that finally RPK’s blog has been censored by the Malaysian authorities. Whoever is responsible for censuring Malaysia Today deserves a pat on the back. For those die hard RPK and DSAI supporters, Malaysia Today remains accessible through its mirror website.
It was reported in the Star 29/8/08, pg W32, the following;
“Muslims embrace economic globalization as long as it doesn’t mean western influences will snuff out their cultural identity, the head of a US-based and polling group said on Wednesday; Steve Kull, head of the World Pubic Opinion”
I am most certain censuring Malaysia Today is an endorsement of the goal of keeping unhealthy western values out of our rich culture.
Our government and leaders such action is an insult to the rakyat's intelligent mind.
ReplyDeleteCan someone plan a real nation-wide boikot in response to this ?.
Can someone help teach our stupid malaysian leaders a real hard lesson ?.
To hell with Barisan Najis Government.
well, if you are the radical opposition like RPK, the government must used other resources like ISA!
ReplyDeletezamri, sunway
mekyam, if u are out of msia u still can access malaysia today.net but it will straight direct u mt.harapan.
ReplyDeletewhats going on?
ReplyDeleteshit LAH!
batuputih.
Now the whole mechanism seemed to be set up to protect Najib after all the fiasco.
ReplyDeleteMCMC need to look at itself if indeed that is the biggest challenge in our country. It has ultimately failed in spearheading the IT advancement in our country and that is a lot of work to catch up. Instead, it waste its time sending instruction to 21 ISP and getting itself into politics and ethics. If indeed RPK has done wrong, then let the court decide.
Syed hamid has embarassed the nation enough. It is time for him to go.
What do they care abt investments n stuff, Rocky? They are just out to pillage the nation's coffers.
ReplyDeletePower, to them, is more important than progress.
Utter morons, these folks.
I rarely go to RPK blog as I consider him as just pure thrash. But he is still a colourful character. Someone to amuse you when there are no good news about the country's economy and when prices of everything have gone up.
ReplyDeleteThere are powerful hidden hands. MCMC would not have acted if not pressured by the political masters. MCMC and the Government has lost its credibility by barring Malaysia Today.
I think the government has most probably overlooked the Multimedia Super Corridor Bill of Guarantees which has promised no censorship of website and too desperate to implement this without thinking much about the effectiveness, impact and consequences. No matter what, with the information technology, the website still can be assessed via the mirror site at http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com/. Therefore, it is a silly waste of time to block a website. You will only discourage investors to invest in Multimedia Super Corridor and encourage more people to this website.
ReplyDeletePak lah
ReplyDeleteEveryday plant vegetable.
Your civilisation is pathetic.
I wonder Pak Lak knows how to use a computer or not.
Thats the result of our education.
Pathethic bull****
Why not all dont buy computer.
Multimedia Stupid Corridor
No more Malaysian Chinese
Call me proud Malaysian.
I wonder how stupid the UMNO leaders is since now Malaysia Today can still be viewed and if stupid Albar gonna ban it again still there will be a new website for Malaysia Today, they just can't stop it.They don't have idea at all that anything is possible on the net.
ReplyDeleteSdra,
ReplyDeleteMCMC just made RPK a martyr? The policy seems simple - if you can't turn them over, bash them! Good luck.
Salam Ramadhan
Dear Rocky
ReplyDeleteWhere can I buy a Pak Lah and Jean laptop? I read about it recently...is it for real?
And where is PI Bala and Dr Osman? Is he back at work at pusrawi?
Jedi night
As some people mention, Google deals with countries with strict censorship laws so your claim, that investors won't come here because our government breaks its own laws, is weak.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were the case! That's where this discussion needs to take place to make a difference: On the international level.
Because online censorship is taking away our ability to be well-informed.
The MCMC said as much in admitting that very few people nowadays get their news from traditional media.
Dr Mahathir's latest blog post at 12.52PM today. He's also against the MCMC order to the ISPs - the MSC was one of his pet projects, after all. I'll paste it here in full:
ReplyDelete[Cut & Paste of http://test.chedet.com/che_det/2008/08/snippets-4.html]
Blocking Blogs
1. When a Government makes a promise to the country and then reneges on its promise, then not only will the Government lose credibility but also any respect that the public may have for it.
2. I do not often agree with Malaysia-Today.net and Raja Petra Kamaruddin. He had been sometimes quite irresponsible. But court action had already been taken against him. He is not above the law and if he is found guilty there are already adequate punishment that can be passed against.
3. But to break a promise and to openly show that you can meddle with the security of the internet is to expose a degree of oppressive arrogance worthy of a totalitarian state.
4. I had once before written to a Government Minister that Malaysia has become a police state because the Government instructed the police to call up people who invited me to give talks and coerce them into withdrawing their invitation. The police is not supposed to do that. When the Government makes use of the police for extralegal work then the Government is guilty of abuse of power.
5. The Minister simply replied that I had retired and it was better for me to literally shut up.
6. Now this blockage of the blog is another evidence that this has become an authoritarian state, elections notwithstanding.
7. Where are we heading? The censorship of news in the mainstream media is known to the public. Certainly I know of the blackout on me and the spins on any news about me. Now this.
8. I know that things have been engineered to ensure Khairy Jamaluddin will win as UMNO Youth leader and Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi as President. Democracy in UMNO is dead. And when democracy dies in UMNO, the party itself will die.
9. I would like to say this to the Prime Minister and his minions. You may have the power now. But as in five States, you may lose power some day. And this will certainly happen because of your obsession to block all contrary opinion from being heard. It will blind you to the reality of the situation so that you will continue to do wrong things and the people will reject you totally.
cancan 9:50am ...
ReplyDeleteCan you please stop spamming blogs with your tedious and repetitive comment?
"Such an act comes under trait No.5 in "The traits of the Malaysian Politicians"
This is THE MOST BORING SENTENCE I've read this week! ENOUGH!!
Bro,
ReplyDeleteThe world is 24/7 racing up to be listed on google and other search engines so that they are easily accessible by billion of surfers. but malaysia takes the reverse step. amazing!
congrats to our circus politicians.
Good! Good!
ReplyDeleteNow that Malaysia Today has changed URL, should ban the new URL as well.
That way, Google will definitely choose the Little Red Dot as the site for data centre.
That way, Singapore Supremacy in IT will be further strengthened.
Muhahahahahahahaha
....
Rocky,
ReplyDeleteIts time Raja Petra comes out with guns, stone, brick and bats to defend himself..... expose everything that he has on all he has written in the past, then the world will know THE TRUTH, that is if he has what he's been claiming.
It doesnt take a genious to figure out that MCMC n Tarmizi royally got their buns burned lol
Lets wait for a few weeks than these "kampung warriors" will reverse their decisions, especially when they realise that FDI and investors might have concerns, it happened with MSC/MDC in 2004... well, thats another matter.
pleasant week Malaysia and Sept 16 was the date Malaysia was born not Aug 31st, we have been hood winked the last 51 years or did peninsular politikus couldnt be bothered with our cousins feelings in East Malaysia and steamrolled strangled them to accepting Independence Day.....