Blogging is the new medium through which thousands of people are expressing their views over one issue or the other. In a way, bloggers are the new age journalists and I must say most of them are doing their job well. After the conflict between journalists and bloggers that surfaced in China, things are not going well for Malaysian bloggers. The government of this Southeast Asian country is threatening to make use of tough anti-terrorism laws to restrict bloggers whom it feels are attacking the nation’s king and the very existence of Islam. In short, the bloggers are being given a clear term, ‘threat to security’.

The current government has alleged that the editor, Mr. Raja Peter Kamarudin, of a top political website of Malaysia known as Malaysia Today has ‘mocked Islam and threatened racial harmony.’ The website is quite famous in bloggers and also a favorite of Malaysians. As per the statistics, it attracts almost 250,000 visitors per day. Why the ruling party is against it, we have the reason quite clear as the website is well known for its criticisms of various political figures, especially of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the current Prime Minister.

Kamarudin on the issue said that he will make sure that they have a tough time and will do everything possible to counter them. ‘Many people, especially thenon-Malays in this country, do not have a forum to air their views,’ and that the country ’should not deny these people a chance to vent their feelings,’ he said. Where freedom of communication should no doubt, go on, the bloggers should also take care about the fact that whatever they write must have a strong basis to support. The governments should also be clear that everyone in the world has the right to speak and criticize on the basis of truth.

Source: Profy