My briefing notes for the International Malaysian Law Conference 2012 (Sept 26-28) session on Sept 27 titled ‘Social media: Guilty! For updating your Facebook status and tweeting!’ hosted by the National Young Lawyers Committee and chaired by Lee Shih. Co-panelists were Art Harun and Marina Mahathir.
Where Do You Stand?
If you had RM500 would you spend it on yourself or save the money for yourself?
If you had RM3,000 with only two ways to spend the money, would you buy the latest iPhone 5 (although your iPhone 4 is still working well) or spend it on sponsoring a trip deep into the interior of Kelantan to empower the Orang Asli on their rights?
If you had two hours of free time, would you spend it tweeting your friends on frivolous things or writing a blawg post on human rights for the ONLY blawg?
‘The use of Twitter and Facebook was instrumental in mobilising people to attend the Bersih protest.’
‘Twitter and Facebook have been successful in mainstreaming activism among the youth.’
‘I actively tweet a lot about human rights. I am an activist.’
The #BigPicture
[The #BigPicture illustrations are reproduced from UndiMsia!’s ‘Activating Malaysians: The D-I-Y Toolkit’ #DIYToolkit, published by LoyarBaca (2012)]
‘Activist’ Media
As of June 2011, there are a total of 75 licensed newspapers in the Peninsular (44), Sabah (13) and Sarawak (18): 18 BM, 19 English, 29 Chinese, 9 Tamil (source: Malaysian Government’s affidavit in Malaysiakini’s permit case)
Who owns TV3, Utusan, The Star, NST etc?
The brilliance of HSE Lord Bobo – LoyarBurok and UndiMsia! – recruitment rate on the net.
Does the old media influence the people more or vice versa?
How do we the people influence the institutions?
Where is our voice?
Facilitative tool. Not an end but a means to an end.
The Section42 Movement #s42Movement
What does section 42 of the Legal Profession Act 1976 mean?
Usually, which income class do lawyers fall under?
What are lawyers trained to do?
We are at ‘war’. A war against injustice, oppression, discrimination, inequality and suffering.
What are our ‘weapons’ of war?
Direct Democracy
Who are the people and where is the power?
Can Twitter/Facebook organise, mobilise and convert the people?
‘Citizen Initiatives’ in Thailand and the Philippines
Twitter/Facebook legally-binding petitions?
Tweet #IPledge2
… be a Social Change Agent
… conduct GameShops
… be a Reformer
… draft new laws
… be a Rebel
… mobilise and organise people for non-violent, direct action #198Actions
#UndiMsiaTip
The world is not a given reality. We are here to shape it – not to be shaped by it.
If one thinks voting periodically once in five years to deal with issues citizens face 365 days a year is a democracy, think again.
Complaining and whining is not a mark of a hallmark citizen. Ask instead: What can I do? And do it!
Capture. Connect. Convert. Cultivate.
Take ACTION now for otherwise our freedom, rights and justice cannot protect themselves.
There is no such thing as ‘no time’. MAKE time if you care enough.
Life's a sufferance. Lawyering a bore. As Edmund continues various escape techniques to be rid of Lord Bobo’s influence, he crusades with UndiMsia! movers to build strange youth love movements around the country. And so he tweets @edmundbon and practises the black magic art of advocacy at www.BONadvocates.com
Posted on 27 September 2012. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
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