Blogging in Malaysia

Just fancy to read from Malaysian newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, that there are 500,000 active bloggers in Malaysia. For a small population of 26 million, the blogging community certainly does create an impact on the thoughts of the average Malaysian. Politics is the most popular category.

All for a change

At the end of a grueling campaign , many would least expect the agony of defeat. Much less a tsunami. It was a day that shocked most politicians and the entire population. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition government took a big tumble in the 12th General Elections. It was their worst performance ever in Malaysian history.



Though many expected some winds of change, nobody expected this outcome. Overnight , many top leaders were ousted, leaving huge vacuum in the cabinet and parliament. With top echelon leaders defeated, their political parties were now left in shambles. A case of many overconfident politicians eating humble pies. In many constituencies the winners were young political unknowns, quite a number of bloggers.



Even though the ruling coalition government managed to secure a simple majority in the parliament, the formidable opposition alliance was unprecedented. In five states of Penang, Kelantan, Perak, Kedah and Selangor , the opposition alliance of DAP, PKR and PAS parties had taken over. The Malaysian voter wanted a change !