‘Okay to register bloggers’

Several bloggers are in favour of a proposal to register themselves with the authorities but cautions the government against new laws curbing free speech

PETALING JAYA: Several bloggers today came forward to support the government’s proposal for bloggers to identify themselves on their web portals.

Hishamuddin Rais, who runs the blog Tukartiub, said that it was time for bloggers to be responsible for the content they post on their portals.

“Bloggers should be responsible. As for me, I take responsibility for what I publish. It’s like driving a car. When I drive, I should be a responsible driver,” he said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that the government was studying proposals for bloggers to identify themselves in their portals.

He said that the measure would hold bloggers responsible for the contents they post and prevent the unscrupulous ones from spreading lies that could affect the nation’s harmony.

Hishamuddin said that while it is good to get bloggers to identify themselves, the government should not resort to trying to control them by curbing free speech.

“There shouldn’t be new laws to control free speech. However, I do agree with free speech, bloggers should be responsible for their posts,” he said.

Firdaus Abdullah, who runs the blog Apanama2020, echoed Hishamuddin’s sentiments and said it was a necessary step to curb the irresponsible ones from spreading lies.

Bloggers should register with MCMC

In the past, Firdaus added, there were some form of civility among bloggers but things have turned out differently in recent years.

“Many anonymous bloggers and Twitter users spew all sorts of nonsense and get away with it. If you say something favourable to Barisan Nasional, you are called a BN cybertrooper.

“And when you say something nice about Pakatan Rakyat, you are called the opposition’s cybertrooper,” he said.

However, Firdaus was not keen on bloggers to publish their biodata and pictures on their blogs.

Instead, he suggested that bloggers get themselves registered with the Malaysians Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) or any government bodies before starting a blog.

Firdaus also likened the matter to a car driver, where the individual can be traced using their car registration number by the authorities when needed.

“It’s not like the car driver has to put his picture on his vehicle. He can be identified using the plate number.

“Similarly, when a blogger posts something, the authorities will be able to trace the person using their registration,” he said.