Were It Not For Blogs...Part 1

I asked myself over the last two days whether it is we bloggers are the ones that brought some of the interesting things that we speak online / blogs to the attention of the prime media and as well as some of the government people.

I don't have a good answer to explain this but the prime media and the government took cue from us to report the news to the other people who do not have computers at all.

Here's one or two examples:

Scenario 1:

Raja Petra Kamaruddin (Malaysia Today) posted a series of blogs which forms part of the series: "The Corridors of Power", in June. Part 1 of the story: All Roads Lead To Putrajaya, dated June 3 has some interesting revelations which was shared today.

Today's Star paper article: Top anti-vice cops moved out

An interesting extract from the article refers to RPK's article:

Sources said that one of the kingpins in the state is a self-proclaimed Tengku involved in gambling and prostitution.

They said the local police had been unable to shut down his operations as he was well connected and protected.

“His syndicate has also warned policemen that they will be removed if they tried to interfere in his operations,” sources said.

Sources said that Bukit Aman tried to shut down his operations during a major operation against his gambling network in March when they raided two houses in Taman Sentosa and Taman Puteri in Kulai.

“In the simultaneous raids, special teams from police headquarters arrested 17 people and recovered more than two dozen fax machines taking in bets amounting to millions of ringgit,” the source said, adding that despite this, the “Tengku” is back in business.

The self-proclaimed Tengku is known as the underworld kingpin of the southern state of Johor. Please read the first article - "All Roads..." for the better elaboration of RPK's commentary of that.

Part 2 of the series: The Roaches Are Scurrying and The Rats Are Hurrying dated June 9 actually points out of IGP Musa Hassan's allegation that he has establish connections with the Chinese underworld.

However the response of the article came in three weeks later in the wake of the increase rate of crime in the southern state of Johor. Yesterday, the article written by RPK reached the attention of the DPM Najib Razak.

Quote from The Star dated yesterday, July 1:

The Deputy Prime Minister’s office will find out more details on allegations that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan accepted bribes and of his alleged involvement with underworld figures.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he was not aware of the postings on a website involving the country’s top police officer.

“I don’t know about the allegations. Let me check,” he told reporters after attending the ground-breaking ceremony of the Universiti Malaysia Pahang’s permanent campus in Kuala Pahang, near here, yesterday.

On Saturday, Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharom was quoted by a local Malay daily as having said that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) was free to investigate Musa over the allegations.

RPK's article in Part 2 writes that Deputy Internal Minister Johari Baharum was a sacrificial lamb or being blame boy of receiving $5.5 million in bribes in pressuring the release of three suspected underworld figures held under the Emergency Ordinance Act.

I asked myself a few times whether it is we that should deserve the credibility and acknowledgment for doing our part to report truthfully, tactfully and more importantly accurately about things that people should know. Maybe it is time for the government to recognize the importance of blogging. I still asked myself whether there will be that bullshit recurring again - referring to the blogger classification thing that Uncle ZAM said before.

Next: The SMS Spam