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Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Net?
Another reason why the Malaysian PM may have called snap elections
By ERIC ELLIS
November 11, 1999
Web posted at 1 a.m. Hong Kong time, 12 p.m. EDT
So, the phantom campaign is over, the real Malaysian election has begun. For clues on how it's going, the grassroots issues and who's ahead, look beyond the headlines and log onto the Net.
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Want to get the lowdown on Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad? Try his homepage. Having trouble making sense of who's who in the opposition Barisan Alternatif? Log in here and click through the links. Puzzled about allegations of cronyism? Download this and see who's got what.
Already, there's a clamor for hearts, minds and clicks on the Malaysian Internet. Indeed, just as Malaysia's 73-year-old prime minister moved yesterday to request a dissolution of Parliament in Kuala Lumpur-a sure sign of snap elections-the news immediately buzzed around cyberspace. Which is understandable, given Dr. M.'s frequent imploring of Malaysians to embrace information technology and "the knowledge economy."
The prime minister's grand words on IT have been backed up by grand deeds-and grand spending. Billions have been spent on the Multimedia Super Corridor outside K.L. to prevent it becoming more than a pastel-hued white elephant.
In San Francisco in 1997, I heard Dr. M. the Schmoozemeister stroking valley luminaries in describing the MMSC as "a gift to the world" and "a bridge to the Information Age." Censorship on the Net? Perish the thought, said Mahathir, who reminded anyone who'd listen that he was the first Asian leader (and one of the world's first) with a homepage. It was almost enough to make Netscape's Jim Clark want to pack up and move to "Cyberjaya."
But that was pre-crisis. The enthusiasm has been rather more muted in recent years, and particularly so this year as the tenor of opposition voices have risen in unison to confront his ruling Barisan Nasional, which faces the most serious threat to its power monopoly since Mahathir ascended to the PM slot in 1981.
Once an unequivocal advocate of the Net-and the openness and free expression that goes with it-the politically beleaguered Mahathir now sees it as a tool for plotters against him. He reversed an earlier pledge not to censor the Web, reportedly requiring cybercafes to register users and provide logs to authorities. Netizens hate that.
The rise of the Malaysian Net may have even been a factor in Mahathir's decision to call a snap poll. The Malaysian parliament's five-year term does not expire until next year, but an expected economic recovery has countered the outrage which rose from the jailing of Mahathir's former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, who was extremely popular with younger Malaysians. Malaysia has about one million Internet users, and many of them are new voters who are expected to join the voter rolls early next year.
More alarming for Mahathir is that this Net-friendly generation is able to read in gripping detail the often embarrassing news and information not normally found in the government-friendly local press. It's another compelling reason why the wily Dr. M. has moved with the haste he has.
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