Archive for
April 6th, 2009
Stories
Malaysia’s new Prime Minister is a blogger and twitterer
Malaysia’s new Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, is a blogger and a twitterer. Najib is Malaysia’s 6th Prime Minister.
He uses his personal website to reach out to his constituents. The website features links to his Flickr, YouTube and Twitter accounts. He also uploads his speeches and schedule for the day on the website.
The text of his inauguration speech was instantly uploaded on the website while he was delivering it
The website’s design was conceptualized by Najib himself. He also reviews the comments left by visitors:
Q: Does Dato’ Sri Najib participate in the site? Can I interact with him?
A: Dato’ Sri participates fully in the website, predominantly through blogs and video messages. He also reviews the comments. The site is the brainchild of Dato’ Sri Najib and he had personally conceptualized the website’s look and content, with the support of a dedicated team.
Before his oath taking, Najib assures visitors that he will maximize the website to inform the public about his daily activities.
In a matter of hours, before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, I will make the same commitment to Malaysia as my esteemed predecessors. I am fully committed to the responsibilities and challenges inherent in that oath. I will accept it with utmost humility and will meet them to the best of my abilities. Together, we will ensure that Malaysia emerges a stronger, more unified, and prosperous nation.
I will share this momentous occasion with all of you through my website with periodic updates on the day's proceedings. These exclusive ‘behind-the-scenes' photos and videos will include my morning preparations, the ceremony, and the official handover at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya.
Personal website of Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak
Amethyst News Flash reviews the website:
A visit by this blogger was greeted with a “welcome to 1 Malaysia - Najib Razak” front page. Pressing “enter” took a long time to load, and this must be TM's fault, so Najib, get cracking so that people will not be turned off by your loading time.
After some time, finally it loaded. The design is beautiful and there are news, blog, speeches, and other non-imporatnat things.
It is certainly more flashy than many blogs around. Menus were easy to use and the latest updates are on the front page.
Now, he really (is) into new technology. Just who did all these for him, well, of course not him. Where got time ar?
Wait, wasn't it him who banned six online media from covering UMNO general assembly? Maybe Najib should walk the talk and embrace free press and freedom of speech.
audie61 appreciates that Najib has recognized the need to use alternative media:
Well all the talks of Blogger being a thorn to any ruling government should be disregarded and dispelled. The No.1 Man in the country newly installed Prime Minister Najib keeps the nation updated in his blog.
Najib realises in order to keep tabs with the alternative media he needs to embrace this new media tool.
Zuiyanhong notes that two of Malaysia’s top leaders have created personal blogs:
Today in Malaysia if you are not a blogger, it seems that you are outdated. I am not boasting because the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the present Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak both of them are bloggers.
Via Twitter, the reactions of Malaysians on Najib’s website:
wordsmanifest : najib's website looks like it was designed by a 16 year old tumblr addict
redsheep: Any thoughts on http://www.1malaysia.com.my? Could use some cleaner design?
redsheep: Not touching 1Malaysia's website in a long time. Just not liking the site. Really old school in a lot of areas.
Iran: The New Year Starts With a Message From Obama
This year, the Iranian new year started with a surprising message from the US President Barak Obama, directed to the Iranian people and, for the first time, to the Islamic Republic leaders, in which he called for a new start between the two countries. Several bloggers have reacted to this message, and some see a new era beyond the 30 years of hassles and haggles between the two States.
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, former Iranian vice president, considers Obama's message very important and says:
using the title of Islamic republic of Iran, also congratulation to the Iran's nation and leaders. Undoubtedly it is a historical opportunity. We can not ignore the importance of USA for Iran's current situation. Undoubtedly we can not ignore trace of US leaders in all of Iran's dossiers also at least in economical aspect by embargos which have imposed to Iran's nation. Sending message for congratulation can be the most important political, economical and historical opportunity, today and after changing American government. Also ignoring that can make a situation for us more dangerous than Bush's term because Obama can mobilize political leaders and public opinion against Iran.
Blogger and journalist Masih Alinejad writes [fa] about why Iranian National TV did not broadcast Obama’s message. She adds:
if Obama had talked as Bush and considered Iran a threat, Iranian National TV would broadcast several times. The blogger reminds that Bush’s famous speech when he called Iran a member of axis of evil was broadcasted several times in National TV.
Zandegieh Sagi calls [fa] Obama’s message very positive and something that the Iranian people deserve. The blogger says that the first thing the Iranian government can do is to use appropriate political language.
In View from Iran, we read:
There are a lot of measures that the US government can take to build trust. Not all of those have to do with the Iranian government’s willingness to start dialogue with the US. I see Obama’s New Year message as positive, but we need more than that.
Mmoeeni writes [fa] that while the Iranian TV did not broadcast the news about Obama's message, the Iranian president was able to insult the American leaders in the USA. The blogger adds, with a pinch of irony, that Ahmadinejad then says there is absolute freedom in Iran.
New Year Holidays
Iranians celebrated Norouz (Nowruz) on the first day of spring as the traditional Iranian new year holidays. On this occasion, some Iranians throw flowers on the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the first Persian Empire in Pasargad (photo above). The Save Pasargad website says [fa] that the Islamic Republic authorities did not provide any comfort for visitors in this historic place, but in recent years more people have come to celebrate the new year in Pasargad.
Taiwan: Preserving memories of Losheng
The Losheng Sanatorium was built in 1929 by Japanese government when Japan colonized Taiwan. It was originally named Rakusei Sanatorium for Lepers of Governor-General of Taiwan (台灣總督府癩病療養樂生院）. During the Japanese colonial period, leprosy patients were forced to live in the sanatorium for quarantine and treatment. Ironically, it has become their only home after all these years of isolation. However, due to the construction of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transportation, many buildings in the sanatorium were forced to be removed, and the residents dislocated.
The action of saving the Losheng Sanatorium has not been as successful as many people hoped. Many buildings in the sanatorium have been and are still being torn down. Yet, many still try very hard to keep the Losheng community together and preserve their memory of their dear home. Masao Okabe's frottage workshop is one of the initiatives.
The demolished Losheng Sanatorium. Photo courtesy of Chyng.
The Japanese frottage artist, Masao Okabe (岡部昌生; ヴェネチア・ビエンナーレ) heard the story about the Losheng Sanatorium, and he decided to hold a frottage workshop to help people preserve their memory of Losheng. The frottage workshop was held on 3/22, for the sanatorium residents and their supporters. There are a number of carry-on discussions about the workshop.
about_fish talked about what she thinks about frottage.
「你跟土地最近的距離，有多遠？」
這是我看到日本拓繪家岡部昌生創作過程的照片後，最想問自己的話。
This is the question I want to ask myself most after watching the photos that present how Japanese frottage artist, Masao Okabe, rubbing a crayon over a piece of paper.
「拓繪」是種把紙覆蓋在物質表面上，擷取歷史痕跡的藝術，要擷取土地的記憶，必須要趴下或跪下或蹲下，跟土地達到零距離的接觸，持續一段時間才能完成。整個過程，宛似宗教的虔誠，越是抱著對歷史和土地的敬意，越能吸取彼此之間的對話。
Masao Okabe demonstrated the making of frottage art. Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
In a forum held in the National Taiwan University, Masao Okabe and his fellow Japanese artist, Chihiro Minato (港千尋; みなと ちひろ), talked about why they held the frottage workshop in the Losheng Sanatorium. Chihiro Minato said it is about we losing the memory of our past:
這次應邀來台，主要是為樂生院。我也想到，如果樂生院的建築都消失了，將來怎麼辦？我們社會目前記憶消失的問題很嚴重。
Masao Okabe talked about why he chooses frottage as the medium to preserve our memory:
城市宛如巨大的板木，人的生活、歷史和痕跡都在城市裡，所以想用紙張把城市的記憶拓下來。 …我對拓繪藝術最深刻的體會就是拓繪過程本身，在拓繪道路時，好像把城市的皮膚撿拾起來，藉以傳達那個城市的變化。
Annpo shared her experience of this frottage workshop.
和以往拍照不同，拓繪，是要去碰觸拓繪的物品…不可免地會細看物品，碰觸他，這個東西便和你產生了接觸的記憶關係，他便和你的生命連在一起了。而選擇拓的東西，必然是你對樂生感受深切的東西。
Chihiro Minato described how the sanatorium residents participated in the workshop.
今天下午我們到樂生院，跟樂生院民一起作拓繪。那裡的院民大部分都在樂生住了一輩子，對老人家來說，樂生幾乎就是他們的故鄉。…今天看到院民用蠟筆一起做拓繪，他們作過截肢的手其實不太方便，必須用失去手指的僅剩關節，小心夾住筆，再慢慢地摩擦拓繪。看到他們細心的動作，我非常感動…很像媽媽剛生小孩時，會對小孩輕輕撫摸的那種動作，這動作本身會 否激起院民們很原始的情感呢？
Masao Okabe talked about what he had learned from working with the sanatorium residents:
這些院民們面臨即將要失去他們故鄉的危機時，很容易了解我想要做的創作，帶著他們特有的情感去參與我的創作…我跟他們一起作拓繪，一邊聽他們講故事給我們聽，在物質之外，就會同時帶有過程中產生的新情感。
A sanatorium resident was watching the frottage art made in Losheng. Photo courtesy of Annpo.
In the workshop, the sanatorium residents shared their thoughts with other participants.
阿添伯細細地說，他非常仔細看了大家的作品，看大家眼中的樂生，大家拓下的記憶，不論是花草樹木石頭還是根，都和他的生命連在一起分不開了，他非常確認這是他的家，就算是剩下一顆小石頭，也是他的家。
A workshop participant, Annpo said her feelings were complicated because
這邊正在說明城市記憶的重要，如何以藝術記錄歷史，而傳進蓬萊舍的是轟隆隆的拆除工程聲音。
Uncle Lee chose the words he loves. Photo courtesy of loshengschool.
Gaea, another workshop participant, talked about how she was comforted by the frottage art created by Uncle Lee, a sanatorium residents:
我想起會長拓的「仁者無憂」。多讓人震驚與心疼。雖是控訴，但比起我們壓制不住的憤怒，他表現得如此寬容。
More photos about the frottage workshop are online.
Links for Mon, 2009-04
Belatedly, a link to a pre-election post from Moldova - at Moldovarious.
Cezar Maroti links to an iReport post on the post-election protests in Moldova and writes on Twitter: “Large protest organized via Twitter, Y! messenger, Facebook. 15.000 young people protested in Chisinau, Moldova against the election fraud.” Also, this: “In Moldova apparently almost 200.000 dead people voted for the Communists. The protesters were right to declare today a mourning day.” (via stefanionescu, via petro_rondiak)
Maila Baje at Nepali Netbook discusses about the recent talks in Nepali politics regarding restoration of the monarchy.
Ukrainiana posts pictures and video from the opening of a new season of “political tourism” in Ukraine: the Party of Regions' weekend rally in Kyiv.
Sri Lankan expatriate blog “Musings from Toronto” reports that the LTTE are using civilians as human shields.
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia writes about the 1919 revolution in her country and notes: “How can you unite millions of people across the country where no TVs or radios or internet or facebook or even real roads !! How can you send your message to all those millions across a country and most of those millions could not read or write !!??? I do not get how Saad Pasha had become the leader of the nation in such way with no media !!??”
‘The short story: what had been talked about nonstop for the past month as a “day of anger” with national outbreaks of protests all over the place completely fizzled out with a pathetic whimper. About 40 people were arrested, mostly in Kafr al-Sheikh, and security presence was slightly more massive than usual,' writes The Arabist, from Egypt, on a massive day of protest anticipated today.
“Ever found yourself trying to sort out a plant name you've elicited, not knowing any botany worth mentioning? Well, it turns out the botanists are a step ahead of the linguists on the digital libraries game,” asks Algerian linguist Lameen Souag.
“The Algerian presidential campaign is dominated by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, substantively and visually. So vigorous has been his campaign that Boutelfika skipped the Arab Summit in Doha, sending FM Medelci instead,” writes Algerian blogger The Moor Next Door.
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