Because of the strict control exercised by the Government over the printed official media and the limited public space available for informed and critical discourse on vital national matters, the CPI has developed two websites – one in English and the other in Chinese – to help improve public access to information on vital political and socio-economic developments and to provide critical analysis on key reform issues.
Today, five months after the official launch of the website, we are happy to mark another milestone in the progress of our young organization. This is the launch of a section of our website devoted to articles and opinion pieces in our national language, Bahasa Malaysia. Our hope is that this particular column will facilitate the CPI to reach out through the internet to the vernacular literate public, especially Bumiputra, on vital issues of freedom and rights pertaining to a more vibrant and stronger democratic society and in this way help to foster a more open and multi-ethnic discourse.
Members of the public accessing this column may be interested in knowing that we intend to include the translated work of some of the most prominent Malaysian bloggers on current developments affecting civil liberties, media freedom and controls, freedom of information, the independence of the judiciary, electoral reform, etc. Almost all of these writings, hitherto, have been available in English only and hence are not accessible to the Bahasa Malaysia literate public.
It is hoped that the selection and translation of these pieces will generate to fruitful discourse and analysis on alternative ideas of reform and change in Malaysian society in the key segment of our public less conversant with the English language.