Across the causeway, couple of bloggers got into trouble by falsely criticizing Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, or so claims the Prime Minister himself. I would disagree to lawsuits to individuals, it almost seem like a bullying technique and if you’re that good a person, no one can actually defame you with just a bunch of unbased stories.
Abdullah slams ’stories’ by bloggers
KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has accused his critics of unfairly smearing his reputation, but pledged not to let them distract him from working to boost Malaysia’s economic progress, The New Sunday Times said yesterday.
“I know there are people who are trying their best to ridicule me,” Mr Abdullah said in an interview with the newspaper. “They make a mountain out of a molehill. They just want to rubbish me.”
Mr Abdullah did not specifically identify his critics, but said bloggers and other people were using websites “to create stories” that underscore how online freedom has been manipulated.
“Lies after lies are being told,” Mr Abdullah was quoted as saying. “They feel they are free, they cannot be disturbed and they can say whatever they wish to say.”
Mr Abdullah’s comments came after the pro-government New Straits Times (NST) sued two bloggers for defamation this month in Malaysia’s first lawsuits involving online journals. Both blogs feature commentaries that criticised the government and NST coverage. Mr Abdullah has backed the NST’s right to sue the bloggers, saying that blogs are not above the law. — AP
If you do defaming materials in a blog, the first thing you really should do is to contact the blogger to request the removal of the objected content. You don’t sue or get your lawyers to send cease-and-desist letter immediately. That’s just over reacting.
I think that blogs are a good way for youngsters to express themselves. I do not know what the objected material is about but if someone is actually blogging about politics in your country. It’s kind of a good thing. In Singapore, our government says the younger generation are not interested in politics. I think our government is an older generation and they forgot to check the internet.
[Note that Singapore has very strong libel laws, unlike in the US due to First Amendment giving protection to the freedom to express yourself.]
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