The Misuse of Blogs on the Rise

According to Jassmine Shadige's article, she wrote regarding a 28-year old blogger who posted an allegedly insulting comment on his blog following the demise of the late Sultan of Johor. This has created an uproar of dissatisfaction from the public as well as the government where his post received more than 1000 comments of anger. Reports to the police were lodged and he was soon arrested.


This form of freedom of speech has been growing in Malaysia as well as internationally. However, this sort of blogging is foul and insulting which leads to defamation. Law, E. (2008), said that "In civil cases of defamation, when a private person sues another private person for defamation, the Defamation Act 1957 is applicable." However, "In criminal cases of defamation, when the state prosecutes a private person for defamation, Section 499 to Section 502 of the Penal Code is applicable." From this, we can clearly see the seriousness in the offense of misusing blogs as a form of freedom of speech.


With the introduction of blogs as a new media of expressing yourself online, the public is able to write and share stories with readers globally. From this, we start to have bloggers who use blogs as alternative media to touch on political issues which are kept confidential from the public. Regardless of the truth contained in the blogs, it is still considered a crime when their blogs are connected to defamation. For example, in Malaysia the cases of Jeff Ooi and Raja Petra Kamaruddin have been spread widely in the news.


This is why with the advancement of technology and access to blogs, writers and bloggers should keep a clean etiquette and restrain from touching on issues which could cause an upset or issue arising. Regardless of what is said, it is understandable that the public deserves to know the truth. This is why in my opinion the government should not cover up stories and allow different articles and blogs coming out stating the opposite.


Reference


Law, E. 2008, "Defamation Law in Malaysia", [Online], LawEddie.com, viewed 14 November 2010, (http://www.laweddie.com/wordpress/defamation-law-in-malaysia/)