Unspun

What’s fascinating about the articles Michael Backman, the columnist for the Australian Newspaper The Age, writes about Malaysia is not so much the content, but the reaction of Malaysians to them.

About two weeks ago he wrote a piece critical about Malaysia. see  There was really nothing very new about it. Most of the information in the article was already out in the blogs. Yet the reaction from Malaysia was out of proportion. There were dozens of comments on the postings in Malaysian blogs.

Today, Backman wrote another article to Malaysia, partly to respond to Rafidah Aziz’s poo poohing of his opinions in a what-does-the-foreigner-know soundbite.

In his e-mail to readers, including Unspun, Backman says:

MY LAST column on wasteful government spending in Malaysia (Business, 15/11) generated a furore. I received more than 600 emails from readers, mostly Malaysians (both expatriate and in Malaysia) and nearly all supportive.
 
The column was the most emailed item on The Age’s website for six days straight and it was replicated in dozens of blogs worldwide.
 
My personal website received more than 50,000 hits. A Malaysian Government minister criticised the column publicly. And the Malaysian Opposition Leader issued a news release in its support.

This reaction raises interesting questions, namely:

• What does this say about Malaysians?
• What does this say about the Malaysian Press?
• What does this say about Malaysian bloggers?

Perhaps one of the most interesting and telling reactions is by Blueheeler who actually misses Mahathir. He wasn’t always right but he could be counted on for giving as good as he got. I think even among the most ardent of mahathir’s critics then could not have helped feeling some pride in that there was this Malaysian refusing to let the white man dictate terms to him and how he should run his country.

So is the reaction to Backman’s articles  an indictment of the kinder, gentler and  wimpy regime of  Pak Lah?