KUALA LUMPUR – Bloggers got a royal dressing down from the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, who said the new media is tainted with slander, lies and distortion of facts.

Expressing his disappointment, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin: “All parties involved must realise that no religion condones such actions.

“We urge them to cease committing these irresponsible acts.

“At the same time, the authorities must take stern actions against those involved,” he said in his Royal Address at the opening of the third session of the 12th Parliament on Monday.

MPs too, be warned

The King also rebuked parliamentarians who used the excuse of 'freedom of speech' to demean others, to the extent of inflaming conflict and inciting racial sentiments.

He said in the last two sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, he had reminded all MPs that good conduct was paramount in the House.

“Unfortunately, there are still members who display manners and deeds unbecoming of elected representatives.

“Please bear in mind that all of you are constantly being watched by the people.

“Members should debate constructively and not dwell on trivial issues that may tarnish their personal image and dignity as well as the sanctity of this august House,” he added.

The poor still gets help

On another matter, Tuanku Mizan said the giving of subsidies will be restructured and reduced in stages.

He added, however, target groups, like the poor, would continue to receive aid to ensure that they were not burdened.

Currently subsidies were enjoyed not only by the target groups but also those who were not eligible, like the high-income earners and foreigners, he said, adding that the government had spent a lot on subsidies to ease the people's burden.

"In 2009 alone, RM24.5bil was spent for this purpose."

The King also said he was thankful that the country's economy was recovering from the impact of the global economic downturn, with the Gross Domestic Product for the third quarter registering positive growth of 4.5%, which was better than the 3% projected.

This encouraging development was due, among others, to the implementation of two economic stimulus packages worth RM67bil and the strong domestic and foreign demand.

He said the economic downturn had a silver lining because it pushed all parties to strive to fully utilise the available resources and opportunities to take the country out of the difficult situation.

Transforming  the nation

He was happy that the governemnt, under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, had used it as an opportunity to transform the country towards a better future.

Tuanku Mizan also said that in a globalised competitive era, Malaysia needed human capital with knowledge, creativity, integrity and strong competive and entrepreneurial spirit to ensure the country's success in future.

In view of this, he welcomed the effort to extend access to pre-school education, enhance literacy and numeracy command of students and develop high-performance schools.

"We welcome the move by government linked companies to adopt certain schools to raise their performance."

Tuanku Mizan also said that the new education policy which prioritised Bahasa Malaysia, strengthened the command of English and enhanced the use of information communication technology, would further reinforce the country's education system.

He hoped that the talent and potential of the youth would would be mobilised and wanted them to change their way of thinking and be prepared to shoulder a bigger responsibility.  — Malaysian Mirror