Information Ministry parliamentary secretary Zainudin Maidin (aka Zam) might have sounded silly when he recently declared in a parliamentary debate that Malaysia is still "not developed yet". But once the guffaw over this gaffe subsides, one would realise that his sentiment may well be shared by many a politician in the government, now and then.

For such a 'contention', if you can call it that, is the one that has for many years served well the interests of the powers-that-be in their attempt to justify the state's control over broadcasting and print media, and also its imposition of certain restrictions on civil liberties.

In the years of yore, political leaders in a relatively newly independent country, such as Malaysia, often pointed out the importance of concentrating the people's attention and channelling the country's energy towards the coveted national project of 'development'.

'Excessive politicking', we were often warned, would only divert the people's attention away from the vital objectives of building the country.

While there might have been some virtue or validity in this precautionary measure in the crucial, initial years of nation-building, the successive years suggest that this move had not benefited the majority of the people in many ways.

If anything, the many years after independence have shown that the ruling elite has been prone to exploiting this rationale to protect its own interests by controlling mass media of communication and at the same time clamping down on criticism, debate and dissent.