Columnists are talking about bloggers – the above as well as in The Star, NST and in the every-now-and-then articles which appear quoting ministers and government officials.

Raja Zarith Idris ( The Star , July 13) believes 'blog' is a four-letter word and takes to task the ‘so many socio-political bloggers inciting already excitable citizens to huff and puff at the unfairness of life’. She appears, like Rehman Rashid once did, to lump bloggers in a category of wanna-bes ‘who have been denied the right to write in the mainstream media’ and thus take to ventilating hot air on their self-started and free platforms.

Raja Zarith is candid enough to admit that as ‘part of the mainstream media’, she would prefer to take the word of traditional and conservative info sources ‘rather than trust bloggers’.

Tunku Abdul Aziz writing in NST (July 12) is more blunt; his column was headlined 'Liars hiding behind the cyber curtain'. To him, the number of responsible bloggers ‘can be counted on the fingers of one hand’.

He sees Malaysia's current political climate as a ripe breeding ground for the Web to ‘become a ghetto of sorts for a growing population of the socially maladjusted who make a virtue of distorting the truth’ as well as indulge in ‘a massive round of rumour-mongering and damning speculation of guilt’.

It's clear that the Raja and the Tunku, in their strongly-worded disparagement of blogs (my quotes plucked above but a mild sampling), are bowling for the traditional media; and their views in sync with Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal who pronounced that ‘a culture of lies spread via blogs and SMSes, if left unchecked, can destroy our civilisation and the country’ ( Bernama , July 12).

Just as the politicians on either side have been mudslinging each other, now it seems the Fourth and Fifth Estates are trading accusations of 'Liar, liar'. I'm not sure where Malaysiakini place yourselves in sympathy – between the 4th and 5th, at 4.5 perhaps? – but in my opinion, the rising crescendo of criticisms against blogosphere has to be given considered thought.

Basically, blogs provide us a picture of our society (admittedly more middle-class than not) with its strengths, shortcomings and all, along with 'nasties' complained about by the established writers. These are cyber realities needing to be dealt with. It's true enough that Malaysian blog content can be simply appalling especially those replete with racism and religious bigotry, while at the other end of the spectrum, the smooth inanities which proffer nothing to furthering productive discourse.

However, in the larger context of a beleaguered, backsliding country coping with increased inflation hitting hard, there's something supremely self-indulgent about a blogger going on strike, and especially offensive coming from Marina Mahathir's privileged perch talking about bypassing boutiques.

If anyone doesn't have constraints in writing – other than filial piety – it'd be Marina. And after all, Dr M is surely one who is willing to roll with the punches, giving as good, if not better than he gets. Yet as Helen Ang points out, Marina has copious 'blind spots' inbuilt into her public writing and posturing.

Many things can be said in blogs, short of defamation. What we see in blogs, even the so-called top ones, are a plethora of comments reduced to who can shout loudest or who is the opinion leader most buttered up. And just as much ... the Fifth Estate, if not more than the Fourth, takes sides and pushes agenda.

Marina, for instance, levied an accusation against her father's current nemesis Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with a line – which coming from her – is rich. She says of The Star report on Abdullah: ‘Okay, I've heard of people in denial but this is ridiculous!’

In her ‘Rantings’ blog on July 13, she headlined a post 'Is this for real?' - really nothing more than a bandwagon for her devoted following to take potshots, hurl insults and name-call the sitting PM and current administration.

And as blog moderator, she approved all the slurs against Abdullah (which I do not believe your publication would care to reprint even if I were to cite them in example), whereas there have been public complaints that she deletes negative comments against her father. But bloggers, Marina included, are ultimately judged by not by who they are daughters of but by what they write and how they conduct their forums.

The nay-sayers against blogs may have something when they admonish on dismal standards of rantings in popular blogs which are not subject to any other editorial oversight than the administrator's sense of public standing and the adulation of his/her fans.