Blogswagon Interruptus -- Some Awakening...

Desiderata has been somewhat concerned, and seemed to be caught in a whirlwind of confusion and a form of paralysis in blogging -- yet educational on reflection -- that affects me personally in an emotional way because I do interact with some of the key players on the stage I call Blogswagon. In some ways the Players demonstrated by certain events in the infant world of Malaysian Bloggers show signs of parallelism with the world of Politics and Politicians quite often regarded with contempt (as revealed in a recent survey which in gist listed Politicians as deemed to be the "most corrupt" group in society and hence to be least trusted among the various "professions/professionals in the community...). I have indeed arrived at the conclusion that as in politics, the dictum that "There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics, only permanent interests" holds true also in blogosphere in a "general" way. (Personally, I deem to have acquired some companions I deem as "friends" along the four-year-old Blogging journey.)

Today I am second time interrupting my much "postponed" two or three-parters on fromer Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the first "concerned" post a week ago, but the current one is more hopeful that I term an "awakening" among Malaysian bloggers that some measure of maturity has set in in the very public exchanges that have been "rocking" the cyberspace in NegaraKu showing the schisms dividing the Socio-political (SoPo) Bloggers into basically two main camps -- pro-UMNO led by Sdr Ahirudin Attan aka Rockybru and anti-Barisan Nasional or anti-Establishment led by Raja Petra Kamarudin aka popularly just called RPK.

Things came to a boil so much so my experience as Organising Committee chairman of the May 16 BUM2009 tells me that because Rockybru was the BUM2009 OC Co-chair, many of the RPK disciples stayed away from the "third" annual gathering of Malaysian SoPo Bloggers. I would have expected the Issues covered at BUM2009 relevant to Blogging and the esteemd Speakers taking part should be the focus, and the fact that even Desiderata has his own coterie of detractors should not factor in decisin-making in attending the BUM2009. The absence of RPK was completely for a different reason -- please note that there was an "automatic" invite to him to speak should he helicopter in (as in the previous two BUM gatherings...), but he was on self-exile from Selangor and the Lake View Club falls within this state of affairs.

Having painted the Blogospheric backdrop, I am reprising a composite picture from a current post by Rockybru which gives a good collation of the key Players/Issues of what essentially capture the Blogospheric splintering into the two camps, but I beleive there is also a "maturing" process going on which speaks well of both sides of the divide. Maybe Bloggers can learn to behave differently from Politicians to show that we can discern the trees from the forest and not let "extraneous" factors spoil the bloggers universe whcih can live with diverse citizens from different schools of thought and holding differing classes of viewpoints, still allowed, whether in writing or thinking aloud.


I end with a dictum I have often promoted in sometimes not so a humble way: "I may disagree with what you say but I will defend, to the death, your right to say it." ~~ Voltaire


***************** From rockybru.blogspot.com:


Monday, June 08, 2009

Something rotten in our blogosphere

With updates, 1pm June 9:
RPK's My apology to Rusdi.Original posting:"When they threaten your family ....".
There's a very sickening trend in Malaysian blogosphere, where some socio-political bloggers are exposing bloggers who are Anons or who use nicknames, especially if they are not politically like-minded.In the most recent attempt at exposing their enemies, some pro-Anwar bloggers, led by the self-exiled Raja Petra Kamaruddin himself, have published in their blogs the picture of a Najib aide whom they believe to be the provocative pro-Najib blogger, Pasquale.

RPK's Malaysia Today even published a photograph (see screenshot) of Rusdi Mustapha (the Najib aide) with his wife and only daughter, thus inviting hate comments against all three even in Rusdi's blog, Seri Menanti.Both Rusdi and Pasquale are on my blogroll: Rusdi's under Special Interest category and Pasquale under the Politics Anonymous category.Rusdi may or may not be Pasquale. But if Rusdi was, do you have to drag his family in?

Blogger Sakmongkol, who attempted to expose a couple of pro-Umno bloggers the other day, said Rusdi is Pasquale and Pasquale is Rusdi. But the two ladies in the photograph are not Pasquale. They are Rusdi's wife and daughter and they are not related to Pasquale at all.I thought we were all grown-ups who should understand where to draw the line, to separate the personal and the politics, and what should be kept private and made public.

Obvioulsy, some of us are still two-year olds.Now please read Rusdi Mustapha's "When they threaten your family, it's time to shut the blog" here. Rusdi told me he will keep it there for a few days, after which Seri Menanti will be accessible only to his friends and family members.p.s. Let me put on record here that when RPK's son was in the news, neither Pasquale not Rusdi Mustapha put up a post on the matter. I didn't to, either. That's his personal/family affair, man.Read also Big Dog's take here."Bloggers yang tak bertanggung-jawab", di sini.