Bloggers urged to unite despite opposing views

(The Star) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called on the blogger community to come together regardless of their political views.

“Try to also engage those who are highly critical or even against the government,” he told bloggers who attended the 1st Asean Regional Bloggers Conference here yesterday.

He said a union that included those “on the other side” would reduce the polarisation among bloggers and allow a free flow of discussion.

The Prime Minister said this during a question and answer session after delivering his keynote address at the conference.

To another question, Najib said he believed that the perception of bloggers and other Internet users towards the Government had improved compared with the situation before the previous general election in 1998.

“The people may be pro-government on some issues and against the government on other issues. I believe the flow of opinions on cyberspace today are more balanced compared with how it was previously,” he said.

To a question on what could be done to ensure that the people did not fall for lies and half-truths found on the Internet, Najib said education was the key.

“In order for democracy to function well, we need to have a population that is discerning,” he said adding that education would give the people the ability to decide on what was the truth and what was not.

“It is a journey. As we become more developed and more people have access to tertiary education, I believe we will be able to close this gap,” he said.

He also addressed a question on the boundaries of freedom and regulation on the Internet.

“If you stick on the path of telling the truth, you can’t go wrong. But if you try to manipulate the cyberspace for your own political gains, you will be exposing yourself to all the ramifications and consequences,” he said.