Ministry of Truth?

In 1948, George Orwell wrote the fabulous book Nineteen Eighty-Four about a totalitarian regime in Oceania, one of the 3 super-states created after a global war. There are four ministries - Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, Ministry of Love and Ministry of Truth. The main character Winston Smith works in the last where his job entails rewriting history and changing facts to fit in with the Party's propaganda and manufacture news when required.

I thought about 1984 when I read about the new Communication Strategy Strengthening Committee, here in Malaysia. Its members are Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, Information Culture and Communication Minister Rais Yatim and Minister in PM's Dept Nazri Aziz, to prevent spread of false news!

How do you respond to things like these? Do they really think we are so incapable of free and independent thought?

And we taxpayers are expected to support this ? I wonder how much budget is allocated to this work, how many people will be tasked to the committee work and who will they report to? As we know, the Home Ministry already does this work. There are actually people who sit and read ALL the newspapers and just to be sure the "readers" are loyal to them, their work is counter checked by other people. Now, government is actually admitting that they take our money to pay someone who will report to the masters what we are not supposed to know.

I remembered also an announcement in 2008 the Pahang state government hired pensioners to monitor blogs that were supposedly writing stuff that were anti-government. I like Niamah's venting of it.

Anyway, this committee,which is supposed to meet every month, will discuss guidelines to be followed by the media, and then consider "Amendments to the law, quality training for investigation officers, witness protection and the definition of false information" (Source, NST)

Except that, we all know the only agenda is to stop any dissemination of information that would make the Barisan Nasional look bad. Period.

Are people aware of the countless guidelines and regulations that already govern the media, both offline and online? Here's a snapshot of it:

1. Content Code of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission that regulates the broadcasting, advertising and multimedia industry;
2. Guidelines for Publication of Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security
   
3. Code for advertisers
4. Printing Presses and Publications Act (regulations under 2 are sanctioned under the PPPA) (Gosh, where do we begin)
   
5. Sedition Act (hmm...the list is pretty long)
   
6. Defamation Act
7. Penal Code (many options for the creative authorities unfortunately)
8. Internal Security Act (Example of Suaram activist arrested under this act)
   
9. Communications and Multimedia Act
10. Film Censorship Act
    
11. and many others...

With the actions taken against Suara Keadilan, Rocket and Harakah, we really should reject these committees and any attempts to further control our right to expression and right to know.

In the meantime, if you haven't read 1984 or watched the movie, just watch Hishamuddin and gang's antics. Its as good, if not better that Orwell's fiction!