Lies, Half-Truths, Najib And Mahathir

Mr.Najib has warned Malaysian bloggers against spreading half-truths and lies. It is remarkable coming from a Prime Minister who presides over a mainstream media that spreads, precisely that. Utusan, not content with merely disseminating half-truths and lies, spreads racial hatred as well.

Not satisfied with issuing this warning, Mr.Najib then contradictorily proceeded to declare the Malaysian blogosphere as the most free one in the world. We do not know where he gets his statistics from, but there are few countries in the world where bloggers are as harrased as Malaysia's. Many have been arrested, some jailed and others, threatened with lawsuits.

No self-respecting Malaysian blogger would have been caught dead in a meeting run by Mr.Najib, and assisted by, of all people, Mr.Mahathir. Mr.Mahathir ran Malaysia with an iron fist where dissent was always quickly crushed. He now pretends to be a blogger, when he is in fact an untransparent propagandist, and often enough a racist one, of his own, and the government's views.

If Mr.Mahathir and Mr.Najib want to do something for freedom of speech, they may repeal the draconian Printing Presses and Publications Act, instead of making hypocritical speeches to a selected and tame audience.