Interview with Blogger Lester Chan

By The Pakistani Spectator • Apr 21st, 2008 • Category: Interviews • (2,400 views) • No Responses

Would you please tell us something about you and your site?

I’m an ethnic Chinese, a Malaysian citizen and an engineer by profession. My blog at lesterchan.wordpress.com is focussed on Malaysian politics. I was exposed to politics at a very early stage in life. Seventeen years ago, at the age of 20, I was a member of the leading Chinese-based opposition party called the Democratic Action Party and was serving as a political aid to a prominent Malaysian opposition parliamentarian. Several years later, I left the party, disillusioned and changed course in life. My past association with politics and politicians is what led me to blog about Malaysian politics, a subject that never cease to intrigue me.Do you feel that you continue to grow in your writing the longer you write? Why is that important to you?
Oh, yes. I do believe persistence begets growth. I’m not a professional writer and I’m using my blog as an excuse to improve my writing skills. In my country, the mainstream media is tightly controlled by our government. As an alternative, I read blogs to gain access to unexpurgated news. By writing my own blog, it is a small way for me to contribute back to the Malaysian blogging community.I’m wondering what some of your memorable experiences are with blogging?

To me, every moment in blogging is a memorable experience. But I was very proud of the fact that blogging, blogs an bloggers played a major role in bringing about an end to racial politicking in my country, one and a half months ago. Nothing can beat that feeling of contentment for many years to come. What do you do in order to keep up your communication with other bloggers?
I do not censor comments left by my readers, except for comments that are racist in nature, contains defamatory remarks or comments that intend to stir trouble. I make every effort to reply to comments, as often as I could. I’m waiting for the formal establishment of blogging associations and I may eventually join one if my participation could bring benefit to the community of bloggers in my country.What do you think is the most exciting or most innovative use of technology in politics right now?
Good question. In the recently concluded general elections in my country, the use of blogs and Internet news portals gave the opposition parties an alternative method to reach out to the people, bearing in mind that our mainstream media is completely beyond their access. The people turned to this alternative media to read what the opposition has to say. And I believe technology played a big role in the people’s effort to deny the government of the hegemonic two thirds parliamentary majority it possessed since Malaysia’s independence from British rule. Remnant government leaders are now beginning to see the potent side of the Internet and they too became bloggers, one by one. I don’t think they have a choice, it’s either they embrace technology or sink into political oblivion.

Do you think that these new technologies are effective in making people more responsive?
Of course it does. Just take a look at the TV box. A decade ago, programs were broadcasted. Today they are streamed to us via satellite technology or digital cables. In the past you wait for programs to go on air before you watch. Today you tell the setup-box what you want to watch. Likewise the Internet and blogs in particular, are creating a reactive audience, where communication goes two way instead of merely one. You say to others what you want them to give before taking. Yes, it makes people more responsive.

What do you think sets Your site apart from others?
In fact none. My blog is only four months only and I’m still a “baby” blogger compared to other established bloggers in my country. But as a means for me to give back to my blogging community, it is my intention to keep my blog as a non-profit instrument, free from targeted advertisements and banners.If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?
Not a characteristic but God. Without Him, I’d probably won’t even be alive today to grant this interview.What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life

?
At one time, I almost ceased to exist after making some bad investment moves in the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange. I literally lost everything. That was the worst period that life took me through. A year later, after that incident, my son was born. The smile on my face came back.Do you think [the use of Twitter and other social networking tools by politicians] is bandwagon jumping or what?

Yes, I think so. But bandwagon jumping is nothing new. It exist as far back as we do. Technology-based networking tools are merely the modern approach towards tendencies of bandwagon jumping.If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s
paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
United Kingdom, Egypt and Palestine.What is your favorite book and why?

The Bible. It is where I draw my strength from.What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
What they are up to next.Is there anyone from your past that once told you you couldn’t write?

Yes, a business associate of mine once told me exactly that.How bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
I guess most of them are dependent on media companies like Google Ads. In my country, some of the top blogging earners can be quite impressive; we have one who writes nothing but rubbish and he could actually afford to go into full time blogging if he wants to.Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?

In a way, yes. To get started, you need time in order to blog. Without time, it can be less permissive. But once you get the hang of it, one could achieve similar blogging results in a day with less hours than what he original did when started blogging. So, it really depends. After a while, persistence could also produce enough speed to overcome time constraints, to a certain extent.What are your thoughts on corporate blogs and what do you think the biggest advantages and disadvantages are?
As far as I can see, corporate blogging promotes excellent transparency to any organization in itself. It adds a human touch to corporate companies, allowing others to see through the brick walls fencing a company, and empowers cells like network marketing or sales units to proliferate more easily.

What role can bloggers of the world play to make this world more friendlier and less hostile?
As nations of the world, we need to understand what originally separated us from each other. And it started with our different languages. Economic interests, greed and uneven wealth displacement are the key factors that draws a nation to bludgeon another. Other issues such as hatred, religion or differing political ideologies are secondary factors. Bloggers can help bring about changes by promoting better social understanding and knowledge-base on these issues.Who are your top five favourite bloggers?

Raja Petra Kamarudin, Jeff Ooi, Ahirudin Attan, Anil Netto and Kenny Sia.Is there one observation or column or post that has gotten the most powerful reaction from people?
I noticed that people tend react without hesitation when you made a mistake or blogged about somebody who made a mistake, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In short, scandal sells.What is your perception about Pakistan and its people?

In general, Pakistanis here in my country are known to be hardworking and they complain very little. As for Pakistan the country, I believe there’s still a lot of room for growth in areas like democracy and respect for human rights.Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger?
Yes. Kenny Sia. This is the guy who talks all kinds of rubbish in his blog and yet statistics show he’s at the forefront compared to any other socially perceived, prominent bloggers in Malaysia.

What is the most striking difference between a developed country and a developing country?
The level of education of its society and the number of cancer patients in its hospitals. Developed countries tend to have a greater ratio of cancer patients in its populace compared to a developing nation. And I’m not joking.

What is the future of blogging?
It is the hereafter of today’s printed media. Already Internet news portals are sites siting on “blogging” type technology in the back engines and servers.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
Initially, when I started, I was doing something like four to five hours daily. Today I only spend about an hour or two a day blogging. I’m still working like how I use to, serving my clients and helping my company meet sales targets. But blogging did open up a new chapter for me; it pushed me to be more socially responsible and disciplined.

What are your future plans?
Write a book, direct a movie and start a company to provide free broadband access to all. The latter is the most difficult to achieve but it is not impossible.Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?

In the quest for true freedom, one has to first defeat his own capitalistic thinking. The rest of the social issues are merely the penumbra and not the core. Capitalism breeds systematic deficiency in every nations’ economy, eventually leading it to war. The concept works on the simple basis of taking before giving back. And with human greed, the giving seldom proceeds after the taking, thus causing the rampant social imbalance we witness today, not just in Pakistan but every where else in the world.