A primary principle of democratic government that can and should be imported into the Muslim Ummah is self-regulation by means of opposition dialogue and political parties. Political opposition, accomplished through the right channel and by reasonable means, is NOT the same as “sedition”, therefore blogs and other forms of detraction from majority party views may not be labeled as “seditious”, as is the habit here in Malaysia.
“Sedition” is a weapons-based plan for the violent overthrow of the existing government, and this dictionary definition has been completely deformed in modern-day Malaysia. Indeed, the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) seems to rely on any meaning of “seditious” that the central government finds convenient for expressing its paranoia, whether or not it is reality-based. Read full post http://thereflectiveheart.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/opposition-key-to-control-of-community-leaders/