KUALA LUMPUR - THE defamation suit by the New Straits Times (NST) against two top bloggers has raised deep concerns in the online community, even as an age-old debate rages over freedom of speech versus the right to redress.
The suit against Jeff Ooi and Ahirudin Attan is the first court case against bloggers in a country where the most widely read news portals and blogs are those that discuss political and governance issues.
Some see the suit as a test case for Malaysia's promise that it will never censor cyberspace, as conventional defamation laws are brought in by the litigants.
'This could be a litmus test for our digital media as they need to sort out conventional laws from our cyber laws,' said Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad, a former senior Member of Parliament. He has been a blogger for eight months.
NST is seeking an injunction against Ahirudin, a former employee who started his popular rockybru.blogspot.com after leaving the newspaper, and Ooi, a pioneering blogger who runs jeffooi.com
The suit seeks unspecified damages from the pair, and pointed out instances of alleged defamation in articles by Ooi and Ahirudin.
Many bloggers are worried about how this could affect future comments on issues of public interest.
A recent survey by Microsoft MSN found that two-thirds of Malaysian bloggers are women aged below 25, and their blogs are primarily about themselves.
Only 3 per cent of the respondents engage in 'citizen journalism'. But this tiny percentage, which includes Ooi and Ahirudin, is visible and the sites are widely followed.
Some of the bloggers have become so trusted that on more than one occasion, the blogs had broken news stories that were later followed up on by the mainstream newspapers.
Only yesterday, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi had to deny that the government is seeking a US$50 billion (S$77 billion) loan by using private companies to fund its development plan.
The report on the alleged loan was made by news portal malaysia-today.net
It is because of such stories that some officials want local cyberspace to be policed.
Among them is Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, who has said that malicious rumours spread by websites could harm the country.
Still, the suit by NST - which is indirectly controlled by the ruling Umno party - is seen as worrying.
'There must be space on the blogosphere for free and fair comment, which is anathema in the mainstream media where important national issues and prominent personalities are concerned,' said opposition chief Lim Kit Siang.
Several bloggers have banded together to protest against the court action under the banner 'Bloggers United, No Fear.'
'The healthy, mature and democratic growth for free speech and expression in our midst is at stake,' a statement from the group said.
The good news is that there is widespread agreement on responsible reporting and allowing the right of reply to those who feel they have been attacked.
'Once a person sends his reply, it is incumbent on the originating webmaster to publish it,' said Ooi when contacted yesterday.
Still, being in cyberspace is no protection from the law.
'In general, writing in a blog does not give you immunity from being sued,' said Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, a top lawyer and MP.
'There must be space on the blogosphere for free and fair comment, which is anathema in the mainstream media where important national issues and prominent personalities are concerned.' OPPOSITION CHIEF LIM KIT SIANG
LITMUS TEST FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
'This could be a litmus test for our digital media as they need to sort out conventional laws from our cyber laws.' DATUK RUHANIE AHMAD, a former senior Member of Parliament and blogger of eight months
