The defamation suits filed against award winning blogger Jeff Ooi and veteran journalist Ahirudin Attan have forced Malaysians to think about where they are going.

With grand celebrations in the pipelines for their 50th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule, they may in fact have very little cause to celebrate.

Once one of the 'Asian Tigers', Malaysia is showing signs of sluggishness and stress. Voices of discontent which have not found a place in the conventional media have emerged with ferocity on the world wide web. The new media and its advocates find themselves in unchartered waters.

Bloggers United, a close-knit network of bloggers in the Malaysian blogsphere, seem to be taking on entrenched institutions and political machinery. Susan Loone headlines her blog with: 'may the truth save us all ... 50 years of nation building or nation breaking?'.

With elections predicted next year, Malaysian bloggers are indeed being taken seriously.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in his reaction to bloggers, said: "The law is the law. They cannot hide and hope to be protected under some kind of a cover or whatever they think that they have. And if you want freedom, what is freedom without responsibility? I don't agree with freedom without responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is anarchy. Actually, it is being irresponsible."

However the conundrum over free speech and responsibility is being examined in a much larger context by the rakyat . The defamation suits against Ooi and Ahirudin may have become the catalyst for transformation of not just blogging, but perhaps the political landscape as well.

Abdullah himself may have unleashed a force with his liberal style of governance. In a recent interview with the New Sunday Times , he voiced displeasure with critics whom he accused of unfairly smearing him: "I know there are people who are trying their best to ridicule me. They make a mountain out of a molehill. They just want to rubbish me."

While he did not single out anyone, he said bloggers and others were using websites "to create stories", and that this evidently a manifestation that online freedom is being manipulated.

The effect of these statements have had the opposite effect on bloggers. This virtual group is driven by solidarity and a sense of the oneness of purpose to change Malaysia.

The evolution is glaring, from the inception of the blog aggregator dubbed Project Petaling Street in 2003 to Bloggers United, representing a seasoned and responsive opposition voice.

Loone, who carries the Bloggers United Official Page (Regular Updates) in her blog, said the prime minister's comments were meant for bloggers in general.

Her take on his comments provides insight into the depth of camaraderie among bloggers: "In the interview:

1. He implies we have 'ridiculed' him; 'rubbished' him; and tried to 'distract' him from doing his work.

2. He said bloggers and other people were using web sites "to create stories" that underscore how online freedom has been manipulated;

3. He called bloggers liars, and said we were spreading lies - "lies after lies are being told".

4. He said we posted comments 'anonymously' (Am I a liar?)."

Differences bridged

The question is, will this new voice be able to influence the way decisions are made and implemented in such a complex country as Malaysia? Can it change entrenched race-based policies that lie at the heart of the undercurrent of discontent?

The storm thus far suggests that bloggers, who come from a broad cross-section of society, can indeed bridge their differences in terms of race, religion and socio-economic background on issues of national importance. For the moment at least, one unified voice of discontent is evident.

Blogs such as Ooi's Screenshots , Rocky's Bru and Aisehman can be seen as championing the causes of the silent majority. These hard-hitting posts on politics and anything newsworthy seem to reverberate with the public. No wonder there are always enough supporters to alert the bloggers to notable events.

The mainstream media is taking the cue from bloggers. Controversies over the alleged purchase of the Cobra Sultan yacht at an estimated cost of US$8 million by Abdullah (which he has denied) and purchase of an executive jet have gained some sympathy with the public.

Bloggers have also been alert in reproducing articles of interest published abroad. An interesting instance is the Michael Blackman article published by The Age of Australia, entitled, 'While Malaysia fiddles, its opportunities are running dry'.

It made a point about wastage in Malaysia and garnered so much support among readers in Malaysia that a cabinet minister had to respond to the allegations.

Another personality who is sending considerable ripples through the corridors of power is Sheih the 'Poster Boy'. His artistic lampooning of the prime minister and son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin ( photo ) in spoofs of Hollywood movie posters is really pushing the envelope. At one point, Sheih was suspected of being under immense pressure to cease his 'below-the-belt' attacks on the Abdullah and Khairy, after he posted an apology to both.

Sheih's posters are a novel approach in getting the point across and are becoming increasingly popular with the masses. In an act of defiance, he has stated, "Today I am declaring Cyber War on NSTP. Today I am engaging guerilla warfare on NSTP and their entire (body of) sympathiser(s)."

High stakes

So the stakes are high, not just for the two bloggers being sued but for all Malaysians. With less than seven months to independence day, Malaysians will find themselves in soul-searching mode, hoping to find some semblance of nationhood.

The coming days will see ever more intense blogging that seeks to find common ground on issues which divide the races and levels of society. Perhaps, some bloggers may be discouraged by the defamation suits, but it is conceivable that many others will take their place and enter the fray.

Marina Mahathir puts it succinctly in a topic entitled 'The Burden of Responsibility' in her blog, Rantings : "I think about so many stories these days which have originated on blogs which were then followed up by the mainstream papers, and I am curious about something. With their much larger resources, could it be possible that the mainstream papers would NOT have heard of the same thing?

"So if they did hear, then why not publish it? It's news that is important for society to hear so they have a responsibility to publish it,don't they? What does it mean when newspapers choose not to publish something? Does it or doesn't it serve society well?"

The blog has become something personal to people in that anyone can create one to express themselves freely.

To stop blogging now would be something unnatural and unacceptable for empowered citizens of Malaysia.

IMRAN IMTIAZ SHAH YACOB, a lawyer by training, is a broadcast journalist.