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We urge the Malaysian Government to announce its policy on its intention to restrict Internet and the ways to healthy development of the virtual world.
Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman and MP for Kepong on the Malaysian Government action against Internet portals such as Malaysiakini and those who disseminate information through Internet. 16.3.2001.

 
Malaysia has Multimedia Super Corridor, MSC, as part of the efforts to leapfrog into the modern world. Then, the increasing use of Internet allows users to access information about which the Government finds uncomfortable. What does she intend to do?

Internet is part of information and communications technology, ICT. ICT and globalizaion are supposed to be borderless. Like all technologies, there are advantages and disadvantages. Truly, is the virtual world frontierless?

Recently, there is rumour on Malaysiakini, the Internet newspaper, as being financed by George Soros, the international currency speculator.
Malaysiakini has denied it. The Government is keeping an eye on the
newspaper. Then, the police has made a report at the District Police
Headquarters, Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah, against Opposition, Barisan
Alternatif, leaders for saying, mostly through web sites, that the police
had not given the true number of deaths in the Kampung Medan, Petaling Jaya, clashes on 8 March, 2001. It may use the Sedition Act.

FEEDOM OF THE MEDIA

We hope that Internet will develop healthily and that users can avoid
undesirables such as obscenity, extremism and Nazi memorabilia. We want freedom

of the media. Hence, the Malaysian Government has to explain to the people how it intends to control Internet within Malaysian frontier, act against those who abuse it and maintain media freedom.

The governments of China, France, Germany, Italy and USA try to impose borders on Internet and to ferret out what they consider as undesirable users.

For example, last year the French could view Yahoo web site's online
auctions on Nazi memorabilia. But, Jean-Jaques Gomez, a French judge,
ordered Yahoo to prevent the French from doing so. Also, German and Italian judges declared that just as the physical world, the virtual world has national borders.

We would like to know the Malaysian Government's policy on the virtual
world. Is it really borderless? How far will the Government go to curtail
the use of Internet?

GEOLOCATION TECHNOLOGY

Scientists are developing technology to determine the exact location of a
surfer. No doubt, it is a matter of time before such a technology is
available. By that time, national governments will be able to apprehend
people surfing web sites considered taboo. Then, some governments may render the virtual world no longer borderless.

Dr Tan Seng Giaw

 

 
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