E Contrario

The defamation lawsuit by the New Straits Times against bloggers was heard in chamber today. The trial was heard in the Civil Court in Wisma Denmark. Whenever I attend cases here, I always thought of Hemlet’s “something is rotten in the State of Denmark”. The phrase aptly reflects the state of judiciary system in our country.

Today case was for Ahirudin Attan @ Rocky’s Bru. This was convenient for me to come to show my solidarity to the bloggers as I was attending the APCET civil suit in the next room. It was nice to see the court corridor was filled with supporters—many who are bloggers.

The defamation against Rocky’s Bru and Jeff Ooi was a blessing in disguise. It raised a new awareness among otherwise a rather individualistic community. Now people started to appreciate collective action, and come together to support each other.

At 14:30hr the lawyers of both sides were entered the chamber with the judge. NST amended its charges to make its claims more specific. The event was short. The date for actual trial was then fixed on 2 April.

It was also the one-month anniversary of Bloggers United. Some one brought a cake to celebrate. A small tea party was held in the court canteen, and I too got to share a piece of cake.

Best wishes to all bloggers. Keep the spirit high!