The last millennium, more so in its last two years, was so troubling, even traumatic, for many Malaysians. The time has come, I feel, for us to put these distressing experiences behind and try to make the best out of this new millennium.

If you care to look around for the primary sources of this painful past, you'd find that it had to be those marginal publications such as the Harakah , Detik , and the like. After all, aren't they the ones responsible for having created so many conflicting reports, controversies, so much confusion, indeed conundrum?

That's why the reiteration made by important government leaders, such as National Unity and Social Development Minister Siti Zaharah and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, to restrict the sales of the Harakah only to PAS members should be taken seriously. There were even voices in the government that had called for a total ban on the publication. In the name of national security, political stability, economic prosperity and, of course, intellectual tranquillity, I'd even go the whole hog: slap a ban against all these so-called alternative publications.

Of course, we will have to spell out reasons - as is normally demanded by our political culture - for calling on a total ban against these marginal, and yet irritating, publications.

Firstly, such publications as Harakah present views that are diametrically different from that of the government's. There are serious implications here: for one thing, these opposing views can promote anti-national or unpatriotic feelings among the Malaysian people, which in turn could pose problems to the effort of forging a bangsa Malaysia.

Another, these negative opinions can lead to people losing faith in the government, particularly the political leaders. We must avoid views and news that could mislead people into thinking that political leaders can succumb to corruption, nepotism, and cronyism. They might even be suspected of having interfered with the judicial process. Even worse, people might suspect that certain leaders can be incurable philanderers who have no qualms about deflowering innocent girls.

Secondly, the existence of these marginal publications can promote a diversity of opinions which could easily confuse a lot of people. Granted that Malaysia has achieved independence for the last 42 years, but that shouldn't erase the fact that many Malaysians have minds that are so dense that they would take anything as gospel truth.

If anything, a plethora of views could actually make, as recent general elections had shown, Malaysians, particularly the Malays, terribly emotional and, consequently, be easily persuaded to vote for the Opposition.

In the case of the controversy surrounding the Japanese Encephalitis, or popularly known as JE, the epidemic could have been solved faster and more efficiently had the general public accepted fully the explanation provided by the Ministry of Health. It was quite unfortunate that some of the people were distracted by other medical opinions presented via marginal publications.

Come to think of it, the remedial measures could have been implemented most effectively if someone in the ministry were to suggest - and dutifully carried by the mainstream media - that the JE was a foreign agent designed to destroy our jealously guarded economy.

If spices in life are what many Malaysians are seeking, then it would be sufficient enough for us to have - as we already do - many mainstream newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations that transmit similar viewpoints and news, not conveying contesting views and reports. Indeed, there shouldn't be a place for other thoughts in our beloved society.

Thirdly, Harakah and others dangerously promote dissent, which clearly is inimical to the government's determination to promote political stability and economic prosperity. Our multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious society, to be sure, can fall prey to intense politicking. Besides, too much political debating can be too time-consuming and therefore slows down the vital process of socio-economic development.

That's why it helps to have the mainstream media steer us away from unprofitable queries regarding, for instance, the government's mega projects, the constitutionality of the current Parliament, our foreign gold reserve, the Hulu Selangor dam project, and the independence of the Election Commission.

Fourthly, the alternative publications can help encourage Malaysians, particularly the young, to be inquisitive and more politically conscious. This is certainly not good for the country's future because our younger generation might develop the penchant for going to the streets rather than the classrooms, voting for the Opposition and not the Barisan Nasional. No efforts should be spared to protect these impressionable minds from being poisoned by critical publications.

In this regard, the (mainstream) newspaper-in-classroom project is one of the good measures to instill in the students a mental discipline to accept whatever that is transmitted via the education system as the Absolute Truth.

Finally, these critical publications would help promote a Western-style democracy, which is incongruent with our local culture, and of course runs counter to our notion of democracy, Malaysian-style. We should always bear in mind that foreigners are often jealous of our achievements, including our political attainments. So be weary of certain endeavours to inject foreign ideas into our culture via these marginal publications.

Only after surmounting these problems of opinion differences, a variety of views, and dissent can we be united in our collective resolve, purpose and hope to climb, literally and metaphorically, greater heights in future. Equally important, we could all then face future challenges with much confidence and zest.

Thus, armed with this collective composure, we as a nation should be able to handle, for instance, the case of some people peddling crocodile penises in our midst - as highlighted recently by our mainstream media, a kind of reporting that is not solely determined by a human interest news value, but also out of the media's concern for the national interest.

As patriotic Malaysian citizens, we shouldn't discount the probability of these reptilian organs being brought in from abroad for the sole purpose of harming our population. To put it rather crudely, these ugly-looking organs may well be used by our foreign enemies as weapons against us.