Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Why doesn't he just say what he thinks?

Blimey - getta loada this.

Here's a quote:

Tunku Adnan, Malaysia's tourism minister, told a media conference, 'All bloggers are liars, they cheat people using all kinds of methods. From my understanding, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.' Bloggers, said Adnan, spread rumours, disrupt social harmony and 'many bloggers are slanderous and are cheating people with their blogs.'

Thanks to Frank at Books Inq for the link.

5 comments:

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

Debi, he said it in our newspapers a little while back but has long apologised and explained himself and cleared up the matter.
He meant only a particular Indon journalist but was either misquoted or misunderstood.
The waters are calm now.

Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...

Sorry Debi,

I'd like to add on that it was one specific Chinese daily in Kuala Lumpur which 'recorded' this statement.

Of course, at the time it happened there was an uproar. But being in Kuala Lumpur at the moment, I can vouch that Tengku Adnan did take pains to explain himself in his own clumsy way. In the end, people had to grudgingly (as I observed) accept this.

It was an emotional spur-of-the-moment outburst over his frustration at one lady journalist cum blogger & even at the every worst, as I decided a while back, just one individual's opinion that doesn't hold any weight in the bigger scheme of things.

I guess people will hold different opinions all the time. Some just a little more controversial & biting than others.

Debi said...

Hi Susan, This is an interesting view from how it went down 'over there'. Thanks.

I suppose my feeling is that as a politician he should choose his words with great care and not be surprised if his emotional outbursts result in a backlash.

But there - he's a politician after all. I waste no time sympathising with him if his own words cause him problems.

Anonymous said...

Malaysian officials have also said ugly things about Jews and had political opponents jailed on trumped-up sodomy charges. I suppose they could explain that,too, albeit in a controversial and biting way. Just different opinions, one guesses.

Modo said...

Hell's teeth, I must have met that man... Trumped up sodomy? That sounds like you might need an alcohol based lubricant.