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Dec 022007
Nov 292007
This is a piece I wrote for Asia Times about Media Prima’s intention to plunge into the Internet in a big way, ostensibly to diversify its revenue base and tap into on-line advertising revenue. Telekom Malaysia is spending billions to prepare the ground with high-speed broadband around the country. Though the main focus of Media Prima – which owns TV3, ntv7, 8TV and TV9; yes all the private stations! – appears to be entertainment, it also recognises that news is going to be crucial. Will the combined resources of Harian Metro (the country’s top selling newspaper), Berita Harian and New Straits Times prove more than a match for independent websites such as Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini? Malaysian media giant grasps for Internet By Anil Netto PENANG – The media battle for Malaysian hearts and minds, pitting the government-controlled print and electronic media against critical Internet websites and blogs, is heating [Read more]
Nov 292007
The Aliran Singers re-united and in full flow! Aliran turns 30: A heart-warming celebration of justice It was all so different from the official Merdeka celebrations, monopolised and dominated by members of the ruling coalition, recalls Anil Netto, of a night to remember. Full article Why not support the cause of human rights and justice by subscribing to Aliran Monthly, Malaysia’s leading independent English-language current affairs journal.
Nov 252007
Two huge protest gatherings – or attempted gatherings – in the space of 15 days in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Amazing! But what does this tell us? A few things, actually: More and more Malaysians are casting off their fear of the repressive powers of the state. That was abundantly clear in the Bersih gathering calling for electoral reforms on 10 Nov, when 50,000 Malaysians converged in the heart of KL despite the warnings, the intimidation, the riot police and their water cannons…. and now 20,000-30,000 at the Hindraf demonstration. In both gatherings, it appears that the majority of those who were determined to show up were the disempowered and the disenfranchised and the marginalised. In other words, those left out from the development process. Positive GDP growth every year has not resulted in equitable development for all – rather, the wealth generated from economic growth has been concentrated [Read more]
Nov 212007
So the Asean leaders have signed a Charter in the wonderfully democratic nation of Singapore in the company of leaders from Burma’s rogue regime. (Check out this excellent documentary “Burma’s Secret War”.) Each member nation now has to take the Charter back to their home countries so that it can be ratified by their respective parliaments – which shouldn’t be much of a problem, considering how democratic Asean member nations are and how much their governments have the interests of the people at heart. Which leads to the question: why not a referendum as this is a hugely important document that affects the peoples of 10 nations? That will be the day… Civil society groups that lament that the charter is too state-centred rather than people-centred are missing the point. It was never meant to be people-centred – even though that is what most ordinary people would have wanted, had [Read more]