When you want to move to a third world country...

You know that you've been disillusioned when you start to think that life in a third world country (in this case, Indonesia), may be better than life in a not-third world country (in this case, Malaysia).

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz has been quoted as saying the following in answer to the question of whether he reads blogs:

" I don’t. I don’t waste my time. The few pieces that people print for me are just rubbish.

I’d rather spend my time to do things that are constructive; that go down directly to the people who are really in need of the help of the government.

Our bloggers are really not up to standard. When they put up something, it’s not something that they want to discuss in a very intellectual way.

It’s more because of their anger - the language they use. Why should I read all this rubbish? "

On the other hand, the Information and Communications Minister of Indonesia, Muhammed Nuh, on National Bloggers' Day at Pesta Blogger declared the following:

“I can see today the Indonesian blogger community is developing the use of IT facilities and filling information gaps in the country with blogging,” the former rector of East Java’s November 10 Institute of Technology said.

He said the gathering and blogging were both “revolutionary” and deserved support.
“Blogs can be educational, empowering and enlightening. That’s why I can guarantee you curbing blogs will never happen in this country,” said Nuh.

References: MageP, Unspun, Asiamedia.

FYI: The Prime Minister's Department is actually a ministry. It's called the Prime Minister's Department because it was decided that "the Prime Minister's Ministry" and "the Minister of the Prime Minister's Ministry" would sound dumb.