YOURSAY ‘I applaud the principle of an open forum - for all points of view.’

 

Publish and be damned in Malaysiakini

Anonymous #33227154: Comments are part of history and must be recorded for our future generations. I hope for the most liberal policy regarding comments.

 

Foul language, hate speech and others which the editors of Malaysiakini regard as unsuitable can be shown in a different section or even a different forum, and let the subscribers of Malaysiakini choose to view them or not with a button.

                                                           

Chipmunk: Dear Malaysiakini , first and foremost, thank you for being there for those who cry out for true justice.

 

What we all need is that our voices be heard (collectively) and that a change be made, especially for Malaysians and those staying in Malaysia. We want Malaysia to be ‘Truly Asia’.

 

By the way, why are we not able to view our previous comments? I hope this matter could be easily rectified. (Editor’s note: We are in the midst of fixing some of bugs that appeared due to the server migration.)

 

Odin Tajué: Of all the people, the writer obviously thinks ought to be banned from commenting, only three should be barred henceforth.

 

They are, in alphabetical order, Abasir, Odin Tajué and Vijay47. These commenters are totally devoid of the ability to comment in a tone that is solemn, sombre like those found in mourners tagging along a hearse on the way to a graveyard.

 

Abasir: Oh, how I hate it when it is in alphabetical order, Odin. Always been a problem - first to be called out in class, first to be 'volunteered' by scheming friends and now this?

 

Will Zabasir get me off the hook? In any case, both Vijay47 and you have always been, in my estimation, 'Il miglior fabbro' (the fine craftmen).

 

Vijay47: Abasir, not much order when it is three men in a tub, knaves all three. And 'Il miglior fabbro'? I thought the man hopes no Bahasa in English? Must be that infernal fire.

 

Stig: All I can say is that I used to love reading the comments section, sometimes even more so than the article themselves. I certainly found many comments that were thought-provoking, highly relevant and made by knowledgeable people.

 

Nowadays, when I start reading the comments and I come across postings by the cybertroopers in c**p English and BM regurgitating the same filth over and over again, I will just close the page and move on to the next article.

 

Do I feel like the comments section has been ruined somewhat? Definitely.

 

Sinan Belawan: We live in a nation with laws, codes and enforcement agencies policing freedoms of thought and expression. Malaysiakini should indeed refrain from joining the ranks of ‘thought police’.

 

Mr KJ John: I subscribe to these excellent ideas. Order is needed to avoid chaos; and unfettered abuse by comments of 'camouflaged anonymous individuals' does not help columnists like me.

 

They hide while I remain in the open; and every so often am abused. Authenticity of comments requires honest transparency.

 

Headhunter: I agree the comment section should not be a free-for-all, meaning that anything can be written and published. A comment must be relevant to the subject of the article but should allow opposing views.

 

Having said that, we still do see a lot of nonsensical comments which has no relevance to the subject matter and I do think that Malaysiakini allowed them so that it will not be accused of being biased or anti-government.

 

As for the so-called cybertroopers, one can spot them a mile off with their horrendous English and their comments often come in at the same time. And they are supposed to be graduates? It makes non-tertiary educated commentators like us a bit proud, doesn't it?

   

Streetfighter: Malaysiakini is cheating his own subscribers when my comments was banned few times before just because I raised up good questions. Malaysiakini + pakatan geng is hipocrites. Malaysiakini penakut kebenaran!

 

Just like any others media who worked for politicians. They all on cheating business and will continue doing so forever to serve their master. We as a readers are requires not to trust them!

 

Anonymous_1400076912: I agree, especially when faced with a host of unreadable nonsensical English comments (see above), and to add salt to 'injury' (read: annoying pests) repeated ad nauseum.

 

Yes, you have the right as a paying subscriber but you cannot abuse that right to trample on the rights of others.

 

For those who fancy giving ridiculously 'syok sendiri' comments ad infinitum, may I suggest another special forum in Malaysiakini to cater to this group of experts.

 

Anonymous_1371479577: Dear Malaysiakini , I applaud the principle of an open forum - for all points of view. Some forums have a clear ‘code of conduct’ and even volunteer moderators to ‘gently’ enforce the rules. Would that work here?

 

The Analyser: Woo hoo... I've hit the big time! I would disagree on point 1 on the basis that it’s often the longest, best thought through comments that are the ones most worthy of notice.

 

I appreciate that this suggestion might be a response to the masses of cybertrooper comments in certain reports. However, the abiding rule should be that every paying member has the right to say what he thinks (or is told to think), that is what free press is about.

 

Any astute reader can tell the difference and not read those postings. As far as language is concerned, it’s my opinion that, as host, it’s Malaysiakini's right to choose the language of communication.

 

The reality is that English is the language of the future, the language of educated Malaysians and the language of productive Malaysians.

 

On item three, if Malaysiakini is so generous with its money I would much prefer to see some free memberships offered to university students, provided they use them. The voice of young Malaysia is sorely missing from these pages.

 

Jiminy Qrikert: And we call ourselves Malaysians but we want to keep our national language from being used in a forum for Malaysians. What the hell is the meaning of 'national language' if we can bar it from being used because we are uncomfortable with it?

 

If you do not want to read a Malay comment, then don't. Just skip it. But do not reject it, belittle it or discriminate against it.

 

Those who have been out of the country often enough will appreciate our ability to speak in Malay with other Malaysians while in the company of other foreigners whom we do not want to hear what we say.

 

It is so very sad that only when we are outside of Malaysia are we proud to be called Malaysians instead of Chinese, Malays or Indians. And comfortable writing and speaking in Malay because others can't listen in or read what we write, except for Indonesians.

 

SteveOh: The only rule change I recommend is that subscribers use their real name when commenting.

 

Ferdtan: I agree with the writer except for item No 3. It is not necessary to reward the subscribers for their comments. Nor is it necessary to have a year-end poll for the most popular commenters.

 

Indeed we consider it (the commenting) as a privilege, an additional pride if our pieces were to be selected as representative of the views expressed for each article appearing in Malaysiakini .

 

I look at it this way: by right we owe to the portal for the opportunity to let us express our views freely.

 

Malaysiakini has a million unique visitors a month, and that means our views reach at least a million readers. They are then shared multiple times through social media.

 

That is overwhelming if you care to reflect on it. That itself is a reward. We are actually self-paid ‘mind shapers’ - we try to influence others to our line of thinking, to contribute in a small way to the cause of the country as best we can.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.