bloggers – the _

[1558] Of putting bloggers into public office

Are you tired of politicians bad-mouthing us bloggers? Are you tired of our Information Minister calling us bloggers with unfaltering names? Or the son-in-law of an ineffective Prime Minister calling us monkeys?

I am. I have enough of that. Too long have I been patient, enduring insults from these politicians. I am angry and I want to get back at them.

The election is just around the corner and we bloggers have a rare opportunity to flex our muscle and show those folks that we are serious about in getting back at them. No, I am not talking about we — as they say — bashing these folks on our blogs. No. Instead, I am talking about bashing these folks in the Parliament as well as in various state assemblies.

Imagine, bloggers in the Parliament! These folks panic whenever we talk about them. I bet they will piss in their pants if bloggers challenge them in live debates! Enough of proxy wars. It is time to get out of the trenches, overcome the standoff and take the war to them. We are coming for them!

Remembers, these folks want to curtail our freedom of expression. They want to impose licenses on us, they have voiced suggestion to force us to register before we could blog. They want to control us!

The crucial battle for our freedom will be in the legislature. With bloggers in these halls, we could kill any ominous intention to rob us of our liberty before it could even gain momentum.

But first, we need to elect bloggers into the legislative halls. There are several bloggers running for office and they need our help. They need us to spread words of their candidacy. For our own sake, we must help them out and this is the game plan.

In the next few days, emails and messages will fly across the blogosphere, urging bloggers to blog about a blogger candidate on a particular day. With enough participants, we will create enough buzz for the candidate and with effort and a little bit of luck, see the effect spills into the real world. One candidate in one day.

These message could be anything, be it a one liner like “Vote Blogger X” or an endless epic essay on Blogger X. In the end, what we want is an endorsement of blogger candidates from as many bloggers as possible. Remember also to link to the Blogger X.

Here are the blogger candidates that I have identified for this initiative. Date of action is listed in the corresponding parenthesis.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Friday, February 29)
Tony Pua (Saturday, March 1)
Elizabeth Wong (Sunday, March 2)
Jeff Ooi (Monday, March 3)
che’GuBard (Tuesday, March 4)

Is there any other blogger candidate? Do propose but remember, we are highlighting bloggers whom are running for offices, bloggers that identify with the blogosphere, not candidates with blogs set up just for the election. Bloggers whom are bloggers before they’ are politicians!

So, are you in or are you out? Netroot arise !

[1553] Of Malaysian netroot, arise

You know, in the US, there is this fraction among the Democrats called the netroot. While small in size, they are extremely vocal. How vocal?

Let just say that when the Daily Kos organized their annual convention not long ago at the beginning of nomination race for the Democrat candidate for the President of the United States, almost all Democrat candidates decided to show up to appeal to the netroot.^[1]

The Malaysian netroot has yet to play a large role for any election but the upcoming election provide a golden opportunity for them to do so. Judging by frequent mentions of the local blogosphere — specifically, the uniquely Malaysian term: “sopo“; the socio-political bloggers — by several ministers over the mainstream media in the recent past, the netroot is certainly commanding some influence over public opinion. In fact, I will venture to say that the Malaysian netroot’s influence is at its greatest peak yet and is showing no sign of retreat.

This is a disadvantage to BN which controls the mainstream media. BN’s tendency to demonize the netroot has virtually (no pun intended) guaranteed hostility between BN and the netroot. In fact, BN has pushed the netroot so hard that many in the netroot, of whom in real life are mostly urban or young Malaysians, suddenly they found themselves siding with DAP and PKR.

DAP has launched a good start with its videos and blogs spreading like wildfire over the local blogospere. PKR is expected to follow suit.

KUALA LUMPUR – THE opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) hopes to create voter buzz by fielding a batch of young and Internet-savvy candidates for the elections, as it tries to stamp out its image as a one-man show.

[…]

The party was almost wiped out in the 2004 general election. It lost four other Parliament seats and five seats in various state assemblies.

This time, it wants to field more fresh faces to appeal to young voters, and is using blogs, popular networking site Facebook and VCDs as campaigning tools.

Many of its young candidates are educated overseas, and all are avid bloggers.

British graduate Nik Nazmi, 26, is one such member the PKR is counting on. [Keadilan wants to revamp its image as a party dominated by Anwar Ibrahim. Straits Times. February 16 2008]

In many ways, this election will be the experiential exercise for the netroot and those whom seek the support of the netroot.

Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Some rights reserved

^[1] — CHICAGO – We’re at the second annual YearlyKos convention, where liberal bloggers have convened with excitement that almost all the Democratic presidential candidates are courting them in person on Saturday.

This was quite the coup, since a year ago at the first Kos convention, only one current Democratic presidential candidate, Bill Richardson, showed up. (Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, Gen. Wesley K. Clark, and Gov. Tom Vilsack — who were considered potential 2008 Democratic candidates at the time — were also in attendance.) [Clinton and the Bloggers. The Caucus. August 2 2007]^[â†©]