The Penang government has launched 30 WiFi hotspots in Seberang Perai, which include state seats held by Barisan Nasional assemblypersons within the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency.

The seats are held by state opposition leader Azhar Ibrahim (Penaga), Zabariah Abdul Wahab (Bertam) and Roslan Saidin (Pinang Tunggal).

NONE "Everyone, regardless of whether they support Pakatan Rakyat or BN should enjoy free WiFi connectivity in Penang,” said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng ( right in photo ) said.

He urged the federal government to emulate Pakatan’s initiatives which benefit the rakyat.

“If this state government can do it, I am sure the federal government can do the same,” he quipped.

The event - part of the Pakatan Rakyat’s election pledges before winning the state in 2008 - was part of Phase II of the Penang Free WiFi Initiaitive launched in various areas such as Bayan Baru and Komtar, before arriving in Kepala Batas.

It follows the state’s inking of a RM8.5 million deal last year with Redtone to provide 1,500 hotspots for Penangites to enjoy free WiFi.

However, public criticisms still continue on the performance of WiFi in several areas and the provider has urged that complaints be directed to the company so that it can address the problems.

NONE Meanwhile, the DAP secretary-general said the Internet has encouraged “critical thinking” among the people.

The English and Malay dailies have experienced a drop in sales, he added, with the hike in subscriptions to online news portals.

Lim lamented that he had been unfairly hurled with various accusations and allegations such as being anti-Malay for allegedly cancelling the Maulidur procession in 2009.

He added that his detractors have not spared even his 15-year-old son and accused him of molesting a classmate, which turned out to be a lie as the alleged student had publicly denied the matter.

More people using Internet

“If this was 20 years ago, it would have caused havoc. But now people do not simply believe everything they hear, they check the information on the Internet,” he added.

Lim, who is Bagan MP, is all for Internet despite being ocassionally maligned by pro-government bloggers, saying it is useful in helping the public interpret daily news.

With the growing Internet penetration in Malaysia, the public have been comparing the news they read in the mainstream dailies and those which are published in the Internet.

“Recently, the public have been engaging with online newsportals and websites on the Internet to affirm the news they have read in the newspapers,” Lim noted.

“When people read news, they analyse it and see if it is true or not.

“They then learn to differentiate what is right information and what is wrong, to know what is real news and what is merely slander,” he added.