MONDAY STARTERS
By SOO EWE JIN YOU’VE got to hand it to Alain Robert Philippe, the Spiderman from France, who finally conquered the Petronas Twin Towers last Tuesday, after two failed attempts in 1997 and 2007. A RM2,000 fine is peanuts compared with the global publicity he generated for himself, Petronas, and also Malaysia. He did not wave a French flag when he reached the pinnacle of one of the 88-storey towers, but the Jalur Gemilang. Which is rather apt since he accomplished his mission the day after Merdeka Day. Considering the slew of negative publicity we have been getting on the world media of late, we should thank Spidey for his exploit and wish him all the best as he heads to Dubai to conquer another building. In a global world, there is no such thing as localised news. Just Google “Kampung Buah Pala” or “Shah Alam” and you will see how far the news has travelled with regard to the happenings there. Such is the power of the Internet that we are instantly aware of both the good and bad things happening in our backyard and beyond. The downside is that we are overwhelmed by information overload. Some days, we get a stream of negative news and views to the point that we allow the occasional positive message to slip by us. An issue that really hit home recently was about the Penans in the interior of Sarawak facing a food crisis. After the news went from print to cyberspace, the response was instantaneous. It may not be possible for everyone to undertake the dangerous and painstaking four-day journey across steep mountain roads and deep valleys to get essential food to the hungry Penans living in the heartland of Kapit division.

But as the band of rugged and kind-hearted volunteers do their part, they must be encouraged that people from all over Malaysia and around the region, upon reading about the plight, were able to respond immediately. Individuals and companies nearby provided in kind while those further away were able to send money to the bank account of the coordinator so that the food items could be bought in Sarawak itself. It is testimony to the people’s generosity that the church coordinating the mission had utilised only 20% of the donations so far. The Lusong Laku Penan chief Jati Jarang said he and his people were grateful to God and to the people of Malaysia for answering their appeals for help. Now, that’s the real power of the Internet. Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin believes technology is neutral and that we should strive to use it for the good rather than for sinister purposes.

070909. The Star