Zam Attacked Mahathir ?

Zam attacked Mahathir? Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin attacked theSun for a second time today (Sept 3, 2007), he also attacked internet bloggers and newspapers which treat bloggers as a source of information.

"I don't understand why some newspapers want to project some of these websites as being crucial and claim that they are read by six million people.”

"Who are these six million? Foreigners? Are they read by people who determine the political power in this country?" he asked.

The attacked seems to be directed toward Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

On the other hand, Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad April 19, 2007 emerged as an unlikely champion for the country's bloggers, arguing they provide a valuable source of news. Mahathir, who in recent months has complained he was being censored by mainstream media, said people were turning to blogs and online news journals because of Malaysia’s tightly controlled media.”There is no doubt that bloggers have provided us with an alternative source of news. By and large, they have been responsible,” Mahathir said after speaking at a conference on the media and national development.

"At the moment, with the atmosphere prevailing in the country, many people are turning to the bloggers for news," he said.

Recently (15 August 2007), Mahathir said bloggers are the only hope left to express the views about all the problems in Malaysia now. Read the story reported by Malaysiakini.

As Umno musters its forces against the emergence of bloggers, the party’s former president Dr Mahathir Mohamad is urging online dissidents to keep up the pressure on the government.

At a special meeting with bloggers today, Mahathir described bloggers as the “only hope” left to speak out on problems in the country.

“Umno has become completely paralysed. It cannot do anything (to correct itself). The only hope left is with the bloggers,” said Mahathir during a two-and-a-half hour speech to some 100 bloggers at the Perdana Leadership Foundation headquarters in Putrajaya.

Mahathir was speaking on the perceived intolerance of Umno’s leadership towards criticism on allegations of corruption, cronyism and nepotism.

He has been over the past two years attacking number of party leaders, in particular his handpicked successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his powerful son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who is Umno Youth deputy chief.

Up until now, Mahathir had only been expressing tacit support for online dissidents, although he had once dubbed malaysiakini as “traitors to the country” when he was in power.