Kapitan Cyber Troopers Snipe All Opposition At Will

By Megat Jittendran

It’s so easy to undermine the credibility of laymen, politicians, villagers, journalists or media organisations. Ask DAP cyber troopers. They have the skills, organisation and knowledge on how to do it.

Currently these cyber troopers operate from Levels 28 and 52 of Komtar, which houses the Chief Minister Kapitan Lim Guan Eng and his side-kick Indian chief mandore DCM 2 P Ramasamy.

What they do? They monitor the mainstream media and cyber space daily without fail on any stories deemed critical against the pro-capitalist Kapitan Lim’s government. Once they spot one, hell will break loose in the cyber space. Like a tiger leaping over its prey, they will pounce immediately on such article, story, comment or whatever.

Their family motto is ‘defend Kapitan’s government at all costs.’

When they sense that they cannot defend Kapitan’s iron fist rule with correct facts, they will spin the issue raised with lies, misinformation, misrepresenting facts, smearing campaigns, character assassination and underhand tactics.

Their easy targets in their blog spots and comments would be the interviewer and interviewee.

For instance, if Hindraf were to criticise Kapitan for misreading, mishandling and mismanaging the High Chaparral fiasco, the cyber troopers would first attempt to defend their boss with facts. When they realised that they were bankrupt of ideas leaving Kapitan open helplessly for substantiated attacks, they resorted to dirty tactics to snipe at Hindraf and its leaders. They carried out smearing campaigns to undermine Hindraf with lies, misrepresentation of facts and misinformation. They raised irrelevant issues to attack Hindraf. They also hit journalists hard by undermining the interviewer’s credibility by raising unscrupulous and unsubstantiated allegations of biasness, irresponsibility and having hidden agendas.

But if the journalist produced a story favouring Kapitan Lim, he or she would not be attacked at all. How could such a journalist escape any criticisms from DAP cyber troopers this time? One automatically retains his or her credibility if one were to write something favourable to the Kapitan.

Kapitan Lim and Co also use their cyber troopers to lodge malicious unsubstantiated complaints to editors on journalists perceived as hostile to his government. The complaints would be lodged by his cyber troopers either using their official capacity or fake names. But the strangest part is, certain editors are influenced by these poison pen complainants and put truthful and hardworking journalists under unnecessary pressure to avert these ‘flying’ complaints.

If the cyber troopers have the balls, they should expose their true identity, such as their real name, IC no, corresponding address and contact numbers.

Media bosses, who entertain such complaints, should first demand this transparency from the complainants, who cowardly hide behind a false identity. Only then can the affected journalists defend themselves legally. Otherwise, journalists have every right to decline clarifications on issues raised in the poison pen letters posted by certain anonymous characters.

Who are these Kapitan troopers anyway? Don’t be shocked if these troopers include even elected representatives. Prior to the last general election, DAP party leaders, including Kapitan Lim himself, comprised these troopers. But now since DAP has the financial capacity and political clout, Kapitan’s government can easily hire full time cyber troopers, under the guise of personal aides, to do the dirty job for him.

These cyber troopers may well include elected representatives, special assistants and political secretaries to state executive councilors. So be cautious when talking to these aides next time. They may well be checking on you to snipe in cyberspace.

Kapitan Lim had also adopted another tactic of divide and rule. He tells something to the Chinese press to maintain the Chinese support to his government, while telling something else on the same subject to other media channels. He does not care about other communities’ support so long as the Chinese’s blind support is with him. He spins, lies and spreads false stories to portray himself as the champion of the poor, the marginalised, needy and for all communities. But truth is, although he represents a party advocating socialism, Kapitan Lim heavily champions the capitalists cause.

If a professional journalist were to highlight this, he or she would be crucified in cyberspace by the Kapitan troopers.

Kapitan Lim also imposes unofficial bans on certain journalists and media groups from his functions and press conferences by not releasing any statements or invitations to them. This understandably prevents the journalists or media groups from writing his side of the stories on any subject. Through this underhanded tactic, he prepares ammunition for the Kapitan troopers to fire at certain journalists and media groups of being biased and having hidden agendas.

This tactic is also extended and expanded to other people, such as individual activists, human rights organisations, politicians, political parties and businessmen. One has go down memory lane to recall and review how the former DCM 1 Fairus Khairuddin was ousted from his office.

Of late, Kapitan has stopped having press conferences to avoid media scrutiny over his mismanagement and misrule when he finally realised that his honeymoon with journalists was over, especially after the Kampung Buah Pala debacle. Even the once Kapitan-friendly Chinese journalists have begun to question his acts and deeds. Prior to this, he was holding at least three press conferences daily to highlight even petty issues.

His press conferences were so regular that he earned the nickname ‘PC King’ within months of assuming the top executive position of Penang government. Even a DAP legislator once lamented that the Kapitan was living in a myth that he could run his state government through press conferences. Compared with his three predecessors, Kapitan Lim holds the world record for having the highest number of press conferences within a short period of time.

Kapitan’s version of press freedom is freedom for his troopers to blast at full force against anyone perceived critical against his autocratic style of governance. But little does he realise that what goes around comes around as well. If the people can vote him in, they will also vote him out one day. Either Kapitan is arrogantly stupid or stupidly arrogant for not realising this reality. Remember, no Penang Chief Minister has ever left office undefeated. Even the once mighty Lim Chong Eu bit the dust finally, ironically, in the hands of Guan Eng’s father – Lim Kit Siang. One has serious doubts as to whether Kapitan Lim would be an exception to this rule especially when realising that he has made more enemies among journalists and media groups than any of his predecessors in such a short period of time.

If the Chinese’s blind support to him comes to an abrupt end, Kapitan Lim could just be a one term wonder.