'Social media scandal' rocks Malaysia tourism ministry

As we gathered for the World Bloggers and Social Media Summit at the Putra World Trade Center, two big news items have rocked Malaysia's cyberspace and the country's government.

First was the reported hacking of a number of Malaysian government websites. But that's really nothing new as many government websites across the world continue to be prone to such attacks due to (in)security issues. In the Philippines, for instance, we have become inured to news of fugly government websites getting defaced or taken down by hacktivists.

The Malaysian and Philippine governments have both waved the national security card to justify the enlistment of top national and intelligence officials in cracking down on hacktivism and hactivists. How these officials intend to solve hacking, we do not know. What is certain is that hacking could be stamped out with the right choice of code and platform for websites.

The bigger and more sensational news is the Malaysian Tourism Ministry's decision to spend 1.8 million Ringgit for a social media campaign for at least six tourism festivals. Malaysiakini.com, the flagship anti-establishment online news service, played up the issue and put Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen in the defensive.First off, it is admirable that the Tourism Ministry has discovered the value of social media and Facebook in spurring domestic tourism in Malaysia, and has marshalled resources towards this goal.

In a dinner with the minister, her son and two associates, we were informed that the 1.8 million Ringgit is a small portion of the ministry's 300 million advertising budget, and that they were surprised and shocked why Malaysiakini.com and the political opposition are making a big issue out of it.For more about the social media reactions to the issue, read Jon Russel's excellent and timely roundup.

But I think the minister and perhaps many in the ruling Malaysian government cannot expect citizens and especially the opposition to just wave off the 1.8 million Ringgit budget for social media. Taxpayer money must be accounted for; it is the duty of the government to show, and the right of citizens to demand, a full and fair account of how their taxes are spent.

The minister has forcefully spoken about the social media budget and she complains that it is not being picked up as widely as the criticisms that simmer and boil in Malaysiakini.com. That is not Malaysiakini.com's fault. It is an indication that the ruling government has long neglected social media and ceded it to the opposition. Now, the tourism minister finds few online friends to support its causeandnbsp; which should not be surprising because the government is not as interactive in the online sphere as the opposition.

Malaysiakini.com has gone far ahead as a bulwark of anti-establishment and pro-opposition news and views. It is well within its rights to declare its editorial policy and its political bias, while adhering to the fundamental tenets of fairness and accuracy. The ruling party would be mistaken if it responds to Malaysiakini.com's criticisms through prior restraint, censorship and the dreaded Internal Security Act. Perhaps the proper response from the tourism ministry is to furnish the public with all official documents and contracts covering the social media campaign, open dialogues with the public, and to deprive the opposition of any valid reasons to criticize it further.

This brouhaha is less about social media or its perceived value. It is more about how a government responds to demands for transparency and accountability whether from the political opposition or from an online news outlet identified with the opposition. There would have been no issue or criticisms minimized had the ministry first consulted with Malaysia's leading social media practitioners and bloggers, and other interested taxpayers, among others. This is all about politicsandnbsp; and government is angry because it is losing voter support because of the issue.

While I understand the minister's frustration, the criticisms appear to be valid and part of what social media has to offer: a very engaged and articulate online citizenry. All is not lost for this social media campaign, as what fellow speakers at the Kuala Lumpur summit respectfully advised the minister.

Everything now depends on how the ministry and the government would react further to the ensuing issue. Political acumen is needed, and a better understanding of and interaction with Malaysians who have made the internet their bully pulpit to help reshape public policy. A crackdown or a retreat from social media would be a victory for the opposition, and would further isolate the government from its online citizens.

Source = asiancorrespondent