(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
important following the collapse of the credibility of printed
media and traditional electronics. The situation has made us
to accept digital medium an alternative media, and a
channel for disclosing our opinion. It is also equally
important as it signal the influx of young readers. (Utusan
Online, 2008)
The increase of blogs has created a term known as Blogsphere which was initiated by William
Quick in Desember 2001. Blogsphere phenomena existed in Malaysia because of the following
factors:
a) Factor of Legal Prohibitions
b) Factor of Political Awareness
c) Factor of Current Trend
DISCUSSIONS O SENSITIVE ISSUES IN THE BLOG HAVE BROUGHT THE
HEGEMONY FRACTURE IN MALAYSIA
Eversince the taking over the seat of administration, Abdullah Badawi had adapted an
approach that was different from what being practiced by his predecessor Mahathir Mohammad.
This was more conspicuous in his attempt to regain support and trust from the publilc following
the incident in 1998. The approach which he undertook had borne a great success following a
landslide victory of the National Front in 2004 election. Through out the period of governing the
nation from 2003 – 2009, Abdullah administration was not spared from critics especially those
relating to his policy.
According to Sivamurugan (2007), Abdullah administration initially was on the right track
and positive scale where the machinery of administration and UMNO in particular still continued
the tradition of its former administrator and did not affect much change in its policy. Abdullah’s
administration was more open in nature and emphasised more on co-operation and also nonconfrontational
which in the end backfired on him. As Ooi asserts:
Abdullah’s tactic of silence has paradoxically allowed other
“vessel” empthy or not – to make more noise. This has
further harmed public confidence in the ability,
profesionalism, and thinking ability of the people in power,
and the Abdullah administration as a whole
Since 1995 until 2008 we saw the entire domination of politic by the National Front
through the consolidation of the political hegemony which was more solid and substantial.
Nevertheless the result of the 12 th general election had changed the actual status and witnessed the
cracks in the hegemony of the government headed by Abdullah Badawi. Hegemony is a concept
introduced by Antonio Gramsci (1891 – 1937) through his famous write up known as Prison Note
Book. It refered to a situation where dominant group implemented their policy through the
coalition of element by coercion on subordinate classes in order to maintain their power over the
economic, political and cultural direction of the nation (Sullivan, 1983:102).
Beginning from the said discussion, Gramsci had expanded it to the role of state where he
was depicted as an element of force and cruelty through use of police and army in such territory.
Neverless the situation was different during Abdullah administration where the concept of
hegemony as practised in Malaysia was slowly eroded following the action of the public which
openly prosted the administration which they felt not compatible with the current situation. As a
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