My Anthem

Monday, May 21, 2007

The National Alliance of Bloggers and bum2007 Do Differentiated

Desi did NOT surf other Blogs for almost two weeks preceding the bum2007 Bloggers Gathering held on May 19, 2007. Meanwhile, I just caught up with some "back-reading" and the following is "An Issue of Concern" as far as I am concerned as Chairman of the Organising Committee of the recent one-off event, spied at sloone.wordpress.com.

I advise my ER to surf to the Original Blog run by Susan Loone to understand the Issue in context so as not to confuse yourself.

My points are summarised thus, with Typos, warts and all as I responded to part of Susan's comments, viz:

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May 21st, 2007 at 8:45 pm
ylchong

Susan:
I am “bending” my decision NOT to engage in your Blog anymore after one previous incident, but this part of your “false claims” need to be corrected, viz:
“i was also not too happy with the tone of the event. for example, look at this:
http://bum2007.wordpress.com/2007/04/06/hello-world/What to expectEach panellist will share their thoughts based on their field of activity, expertise and experience, for 8 to 10 minutes each.
They will spend the last 2-3 minutes of their speech on stating if they agree OR disagree with the followingstatement:
That the media environment under the present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration is more open and liberal compared to the previous administration under Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Special speaker Rocky will speak on the National Alliance of Bloggers.”


DESI: I was Chairman of the just ended bujm2007 Bloggers Gathering, leading a self-appointed 7-member Committe. It was clearly stated at the website created to opearte during the One-off Event duration that we were NOT organising it on behalf of the National Alliance of Bloggers (NB) which Rockybru heads.
I developed the Brief to the Speakers, which was general to enable the SIX speakers lots of leeway to speak within the limited time frame. I also developed the Sub-topic “That the media environment under the present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration is more open and liberal compared to the previous administration under Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” as it asked the speakers WHETHER they agreed OR disagreed, or it did noit prejudice either the current or previous administrations.
Rockybru’s function that evening was DIFFERENT from the other Panel members (6) — just to talk about the TWO-MONTH-OILD baby called the NAB.
I raise three questions here:
(1) For heaven’s sakes — at 2X 30 days timeline and you people are already fologging it like it was a five-year-old dead horse. Then the question arises: WHY EVEN BOTHER?
(2) Who appointed you Susan, or Monsterball, to speak as IF at this moment you know the criteria for membership OR that Rockybru already has an Agenda? When you two asked all the individual members of NAB to speak up, there will be dissenting voices as this juncture because the Constitution is not even finalised, as Elizabeth has duly informed here.
(3) SO what’s all these premature pronouncements about?NAB wants to work towards a registered ENTITY to promote two primary objectives as spely out at this stage that Rockybru also elaborated on May 19, 2007 night at Lake View Club.And I believe that’s where the TWO general objectives and let’s not “kill” the baby on your own wild, and ungrounded allegations of “What IF”. — Desi


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AS for the other commenter Monsterball's views, partially reprised here, also caused concern for Desi, viz:
"May 21st, 2007 at 8:22 am
monsterball
Again go to Rocky’s site and read the names of bloggers that went there. 85% are all his side kicks and machai…plus few from other blogs…like RPK..birds of the same feather flock together..yet brave 15% are there to see and observed…not easily influenced. Why I say they are his machai? Go read all other posts he put out..few bloggers names are frequently mentioned with love from him..yet these are identified by Sheih as bloggers to disunite others. So he respect those bloggers more than Sheih…yet Sheih is his elected All blog committee member…those he respect are not.Now is that not trying to disunite bloggers…led by Rocky?"

DESI: I believe his conclusions/observations by Monsterball, quote: "Again go to Rocky’s site and read the names of bloggers that went there. 85% are all his side kicks and machai…plus few from other blogs…like RPK..birds of the same feather flock together..yet brave 15% are there to see and observed…not easily influenced.were without any grounds." ...HAD NO BASIS AT ALL. I hope Bloggers/Commenters who were not even present would not make wild claims as to their self-claimed expert knowledge of the profiles/make-ups of the diverse Blogger-personalities present. Also, many attendees were NOT even Bloggers! -- Desi

PS: I hope others who were there at the bum 2007 Bloggers Gathering on May 19, 2007 at Lake View Club will lend their views here wrt Susan's and Monsterball's post and comments. Thank you.

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11 comments:

mob1900 said...

First I must declared myself as ex-committee for BUM2007(disbanded after the great event) and are responsible for the posters/banners/backdrop.

My question to susan, monty and 'ideas incredible' is:

Why now?
Why all the sudden barrage of 'interest' at BUM2007 and ALL BLOGS, especialy on alleged 'hidden agendas' and etc?

BUM2007 is a one-off event and try not to associate is with the on going ALL BLOGS initiative. The only similarity or mutual aim I can witness on these two is:
Promote Blogging

As far as I know, ALL BLOGS is an acronym for national ALLiance of BLOGgerS not as in a claim to represent every blogger in Malaysia. Everyone of the pro-tem committee are volunteers chosen respectively on the first NAB meet. It was done relatively simple based on the attendence of blogger/non-bloggers who were there and despite the confusion some blogger(yes, there's only blogger's confused about it) who thought it's an attempt to 'register' bloggers on behalf of the authorities. Susan was there despite being late and its objectives are plain and simple:
1. To promote blogging
2. To protect bloggers
ALL BLOGS is still in its infancy stage and its constitution is still being drafted by pro-tem committee(i think that's why it's called pro-tem committee). I'm not a member as ALL BLOGS as it is not an organisation legally. The only minor 'misnomer' I see from all the ruckus(intended?) is missing is a temporary ALL BLOGS website which the Pro-tem committee could utilise to answer all your questions.

BUM2007 was an event. ALL BLOGS is an initiative(WIP). See the difference?

Please hear BOTH side of the story, especialy from 'reliable' sources, do not 'crusade' against something which is not even there.

P/s to Desi,
I had a great time with the organising of the event led by Desi which resulted a great BUM2007 meet. His wealth of experience and dedication to the BUM2007 committee is a blessing to us newbies.heheheh.

Embrace and Engage.

Anonymous said...

Wei, mostly good comments as far as I can read around the blogs. Lagipun, this is only one-off event. So aiya, get over it lah, chairman! After so much embrace and engage, like Hokkien say: suah, suah kee..lor.

Anonymous said...

hey desi :) i heard the event was rockin'! sorry i couldn't be there. i was at Eastin hotel for my cousin's wedding reception, and the cousins were all together from overseas and we all got to drinking and... well, you can guess the rest of the story LOL.

As far as NAB is concerned, I will admit that I harbour some scepticism, which I hope will be proven to be unfounded. All I can say is we should be careful about what we allow people to say for us and on our behalf.

As for the involved "parties" mentioned.. i think the less said the better, especially since I'm not directly involved... hehehhe.. my mum always say "got nothing good to say then don't say oredi!" or the school-time favourite "dunno dun say!" LOL

congrats on a successful event :)

Anonymous said...

I have one question for mr monsterball-- you are all over everybody's blog-site. But thats ok ! Like me, you don't even have a blog-site of your own. Still that is ok !

BUT WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GETTING SO INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING ? sTOP YOUR POLITICISING !! STOP YOU 'CONPIRACY THEORIES !!

IN OTHER WORDS ---STOPPIT !!--until you start your own blogsite.
And I challenged you to start one---or else forever keep your silence.

Let only those who are fully 'qualified' say their piece on sensitive issues.

Shanghai Fish said...

Hey Desi,
I was there for the gathering...and hey why are you getting so worked up by that old frustrated SS Goh(monster without balls !) ? He has no balls to even go by his own name and he has to be a
parasite (virus) and take pot-shots at anyone who does'nt agree to his bullshit.Forget that old bugger lah...he is all washed-up and lonely and if you give him a little space he will cling to you like the parasite he is and even elect you to be president !You know old man...lonely and insecured about who his friends are ..I heard he had a party on the same day as the bloggers do and only ONE turned up for his birthday party heh...heh....NO a party is more then one ...he had a company of one for his birthday !!!How sad ??? Now you know why I think he is a bucket of shit ?
Just ignore the idiot !eventually he'll go away !

KTemoc said...

Uncle Chong,

Congratulations on a well organised BUM nite, from what I heard – my apologies for my inability to attend due to work – some of us have toon weekends ;-).

I would have loved to meet up with all of you. I am sure we bloggers, regardless of our persuasion, affiliations, inclinations and indeed age ;-) have a lot to discuss, exchange, network or just gossip (omong kosong).

And I agree with you that BUM is separate from All-blogs, though you must forgive us if we perceive the two overlapping in the way things had happened. However, I had been assured by Howsy that BUM is just an informal get-together to exchange views and network

Having said that, I wonder why you developed the statement for panellists to respond to, namely “That the media environment under the present Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration is more open and liberal compared to the previous administration under Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” as it asked the speakers WHETHER they agreed OR disagreed”

Many of us have wondered whether that was far too provocatively political? Please educate us – what was your objective?

Would it have advanced the cause of bloggers? We believe that the now and the future would have been more important to our desired freedom of expression rather than to assess the openness of past administration. But I await your experienced views.

I was also taken aback by your acidic “Who appointed you Susan, or Monsterball, to speak as IF at this moment you know the criteria for membership OR that Rockybru already has an Agenda?”

Were you saying that Susan and monsterball as bloggers have no right to discuss a proposed NAB that they might be interested in or even play an important role as a committee member? Why this intolerance?

I note of late that with certain issues like all-blogs there has been a regrettable lack of tolerance and openness, as if there was a fevered impatience to dismiss other views.

The deafening elegant silence from the pro-tem committee has not helped ameliorate the all-blogs controversy which has now reached, I believe, a stage of acrimonious divisiveness among bloggers.

Elegant silence is a symptom of non transparency. Can we now say we still hold the hi-moral grounds to tell the AAB government to be transparent when we bloggers can’t even demonstrate that among ourselves?

The silence, evasiveness, tap dancing have been unfortunate, and reflects badly on the perpetrators, someof whom we had rallied around when they were under siege. There is a regrettable perception that non-chosen are not welcome to submit their views. So be it – the selected should proceed but excuse us if we don’t comply or submit ourselves.

However, the pro-tem committee should now do the decent thing (no, not sepukku) and stick to the original title of the proposed organisation, namely National Alliance of Bloggers, instead of unjustiably assuming All-blogs.

That would be presumptuous, arrogant and … I really hate to use this word, and indeed I won’t, so I’ll just say .. not reflecting the true status of the organisation’s representation.

Rockybru said...

Hi Desi,

Congratulations, Bum2007 was a great success. I did say in my posting the organisation was excellent. Not easy to pull something like that off. Hats off the rest of the committee members, esp Howsy, Lucia, Nat, Li Tsin, and Mob. I heard Jed had to pull out because of other commitments.

I've heard people asking why we have Bum2007 as well as All-Blogs, or National Alliance of Bloggers. You have explained it well that evening and here, so there is no need for me to go there.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk a bit about All-Blogs that evening. It allowed me to explain how the alliance was set up and why - to protect bloggers and to promote blogging (thanks Mob for the explanation here).

I have also explained why we need to be non-partisan. All-Blogs meeting Anwar Ibrahim or Dr M or AAB does not mean we are not apolitical; it simply means we are prepared to meet anyone and we do not prejudice anybody. No issue there.

I also spoke about membership of All-Blogs, how the alliance plans to accept Anonymous bloggers, non-Sopo bloggers, bloggers who use nicknames, and bloggers who identify themselves.

The All-Blogs protem exco has met twice since we were formed early April. We'll be meeting for the third time end month or early June to finalise the constitution.

Thank you.

chong y l said...

an:

thanks for thy xxplanation on ALL-BLOGS, go claim a beer or 2 from rocky and jeff!:):)
I am a teatotaller, but dunmind a rut bir!

On other points, I am Ignoramus, will do ketchUP soon enuf, like at bum2008?:)

chong y l said...

anon:

Thanks for Advice; I will get over IT butt meanwhile there is some CONcern.
Hey, start Bloging-lah, ID your handsem or pretty face:(

chong y l said...

xpyre without d d!

hey, I wuz standing at the door to welcome thee with crookedchef's hug and lamb spit, butt you dared knot show!:(

SERIOUS, would have liked to ketchUP with howsy' nu'e matey. No wonder NSTman did not rtespond to myt call to karacroak LET IT BE with thee and Meeeee. Always sext dime,K!

chong y l said...

ktemoc:

Would have enjoyed thy company -- maybe next one under NAB's auspices.
Now move to Frontpage for a facial, with not=nyet shanghai-ed attendee, plus of course, special (nobrunch) speAker who rocks. Did not catch the Chair nap-ping.