Internet Blackout Day on 14 Aug 2012

A message from the Centre for Independent Journalism of Malaysia:

Internet Blackout Day on 14 August gaining momentum

Kuala Lumpur — Malaysian civil society’s latest effort in campaigning against the newly introduced Section 114A to the Evidence Act 1950 — Internet Blackout Day – is gaining momentum and has received more endorsements from prominent websites, Netizens and politicians.

Bar Council has confirmed taking down their website (http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/) to support this while the Democratic Action Party (DAP) is shutting down all websites administered by them and will not be updating their Facebook and Twitter accounts all day on 14^th August, 2012. Tech-savvy DAP politician Lim Kit Siang and lawyer/avid Twitter user Edmund Bon have both vowed to go offline for 24hours.

Bloggers who have pledged to support a pop-up to promote the Stop 114A campaign include Marina Mahathir, Hishamuddin Rais (Tukar Tiub), Uppercaise, Nat Tan, Niki Cheong, Anil Netto, Juana Jaafar, Sarawak Bloggers, Fahmi Fadzil, myasylum etc.

Internet Blackout Day pop-up is also being supported by news sites Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini, Digital News Asia, The Nut Graph, bfm, Merdeka Review, and party organ news sites Harakah Daily and Keadilan Daily. Supporters from commercial/entrepreneurial sector include lelong.com.my, entrepreneurs.my, nexusmediaworks and MOL. From the online resources & community sector, cari.com.my, anixekai.com, LoyarBurok, mobile88, jbtalks and edu.joshuatly.com

The pop-up will also appear on these civil society organisation websites: SUARAM, Women’s Aid Organisation, ALIRAN,Kajian Politik untuk Perubahan (KPRU), Research for Social Advancement, Relevant Facts, Sparkling Analysis (REFSA),Sinar Project, SEACeM, Tindak Malaysia, Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), Lawyers for Liberty, Perak Women for Women, Empower, Women’s Centre For Change, All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Sisters in Islam (SIS) and more.

On Twitterverse, the campaign is also supported by @sultanmuzaffar – who has 248,119 followers and @klubkiddkl with 223,105 followers.

The Blackout Day has also received international attention — highlighted in tweets by popular whistle-blower WikiLeaks and global digital freedom NGO Access Now.

Scheduled for 14th August, the Internet Blackout Day initiative is aimed to create awareness among Internet users about the negative impact of the amendment on online expression. Malaysia’s first Internet Blackout Day takes its cue from similar efforts in the United States and New Zealand in support of internet

On 14th August, internet users who visit participating websites will see a pop-up window which contains the message of the campaign. In addition, Netizens can change their profile pictures/avatar on Twitter and Facebook to black or use downloadable images provided by CIJ.

Section 114A, otherwise known as Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012, was passed by Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara in April this year and was gazetted on 31st July by de facto law Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The amendment has raised concerns from many parties such as lawyers, activists and Internet-based businesses. Under Section 114A, an Internet user is deemed the publisher of any online content unless proven otherwise. It also makes individuals and those who administer, operate or provide spaces for online community forums, blogging and hosting services, liable for content published through its services. This presumption of guilt goes against a fundamental principle of justice – innocent until proven guilty – and disproportionately burdens the average person who may not have the resources to defend himself in court.

The amendment’s wide reach will affect all internet users, websites which provide space for online comments, and any business premises which give free Wi-Fi access to their customers.

In addition, the new amendment was passed despite the fact that existing laws — including the Computer Crimes Act 1997, Sedition Act 1948, Defamation Act 1957, and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 — have been used to arrest and charge in court those who commit defamation, criminal defamation, fraud and sedition online.

For more information about the Internet Blackout Day and to take part in the campaign please visit:

1. the official blog at stop114a.wordpress.com

2. the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/evidenceamendmentact.

3. Stop 114A’s Twibbon page for Twitter: http://twibbon.com/join/Stop-114A

4. Stop 114A’s Twibbon page for Facebook: http://twibbon.com/cause/Stop-114A/facebook

For additional information, please contact CIJ via e-mail at cijmalaysia@gmail.com or call us at 03-4023 0772.

Background to the Campaign

The Internet Blackout Day is part of a campaign to call for the withdrawal of the new Section 114A in the Evidence Act 1950, otherwise known as Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2012. It began on 31 May, 2012 when CIJ launched an online petition to call on the government to withdraw the Evidence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act. The petition, which received more than 3300 signatures, was handed over to the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department V.K. Liew in Parliament on 26 June, 2012.

CIJ also organized a public forum on 12 June, 2012, entitled ‘Section 114A Evidence Act: Crime-busting or Online Control?’ with a lawyer, an online activist and tech experts discussing about the repercussions of the amendment.

On Aug 11, 2012, CIJ, with National Young Lawyers Committee and Pusat Rakyat LoyarBurok co-hosted a discussion on legal implications of Section 114A with three lawyers and Member of Parliament and Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

The road to election is paved with good tar

The roads in my neighbourhood are being given a fresh coat of tar. A pleasant surprise indeed.

But moments like this make one wonder whether we are really nearing the general election. One can’t resist thinking this way because in the past not only were roads repaired but also bridges built, including certain parts of the country where these bridges were not so necessary. Perhaps certain politicians had taken the expression, building bridges (with the rakyat), quite literally — and rather desperately.

Rocked bottom

On a thosai-less Sunday, this old number is dedicated to those who have the incurable penchant for wriggling their tired, old bums.

Army Vets butt in the Bersih discourse

Apparently the 100 Plus drink is a no-no for Malays and Islam, but gyrating old bums seems kosher.

A washing day

It’s time to do the laundry. 

(Photo credit: http://outdoorplayhousesforkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/washing-machine.jpg)

We’re simply the best

In a world of superlatives, Malaysia is no stranger.

For a recent example, see below which is extracted from Malaysiakini.

Despite numerous complaints over the electoral roll, Election Commission chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof declared that Malaysia has the cleanest electoral roll in the world.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily published yesterday, Abdul Aziz repeatedly stressed that the existing electoral roll is clean and no country in the world has a cleaner one than ours.

A sacrifice named Shahrizat

Prime Minister Najib Razak commended Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil for having made — eventually — the decision to quit the Cabinet. (She’s not quitting now, though, but at the end of her senatorship on April 8, 2012.)

He added that this was her ‘sacrifice’ for the sake of the government and Umno.

Sacrifice? Isn’t quitting the job was what was expected of Shahrizat by many Malaysians ever since the NFC controversy erupted? If anything, the taxpayers are the ones who had ‘sacrificed’ their RM250 million (in the form of government loan) that had gone to many things that were unrelated to cattle-farming!

Which is why concerned Malaysians still want to see those responsible in this scandal be made accountable, notwithstanding Shahrizat’s quitting.

Democracy for Dummies

(Photo credit: funstoo.blogspot.com)

The above statement, although brief in nature, should be instructive for people who are incapable of understanding democracy, especially in a social context where politics gets stained quite easily.

Sniff-sniff! “We know who back the ‘anti-government blogs'”

Selangor Perkasa chairman Abdullah Mansor reportedly claims that they somehow ‘sense’ who fund the ‘anti-government blogs’ — although they haven’t got an iota of evidence so far and are still unable to pinpoint which of the many blogs are culpable.

He said that these blogs “are funded by either the United States or other foreign powers”.

This must be a conspiracy theory (and conspiracy theorists to boot) at its dizzying height.

Besides, surely being critical of the government isn’t, and shouldn’t be, tantamount to being unpatriotic to the country.

But more seriously, this is a crude reflection of a dense mind effortlessly insulting the intelligence of many conscientious Malaysians.

You’re simply the best

Former minister Rafidah Aziz recently claimed that there was no need for thorough reforms with existing government policies simply because they were instituted by an administrative system that could be rated as among “the best in the world”.

But then the BN government is not faultless after all in terms of governance as Rafidah would like us to believe. Even her party president and prime minister Najib Razak did admit that there had been mistakes committed by the federal government in the past.

Come to think of it. You don’t need to be a prime minister to point out what problems the Malaysian society has been facing over the years. Ordinary members of the public would tell you that corruption, violation of human rights, abuse of power, political arrogance, thuggery and rising costs of living are some of the things that are bothering the rakyat and hurting the economy.

So it does look like reform and meaningful change are very much needed.