ON 28 April 2012, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) will hold its third major demonstration in the city known as Bersih 3.0. Despite the government’s efforts at electoral reforms, the movement remains unsatisfied. What really is Bersih 3.0’s purpose?

TV personality and producer Joanne de Rozario has fond memories of the Malaysia she grew up in, and big hopes for the country she thinks it could be. She often wishes she could mark “human” when asked to tick her race in official forms.

THE Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill (Sosma), passed by the Dewan Rakyat on 18 April 2012, will repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) once it comes into effect. The ISA has long been criticised for allowing preventive detention for indefinite periods without trial. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the reform, including the rescinding […]

IT has been almost six months since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling declared it unconstitutional to prohibit university students from supporting or opposing political parties under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). On 9 April 2012, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin finally tabled amendments to the UUCA, Private Higher […]

IF we were to believe everything the Barisan Nasional (BN) is saying about Bersih 3.0, the movement for free and fair elections is indeed problematic in several ways. According to BN elected representatives, the planned 28 April 2012 sit-down protest at Dataran Merdeka, known as Bersih 3.0, is “unnecessary”. It has been hijacked by, or […]

TIDAK memahami sesuatu tidak bermakna benda itu salah. Mungkin cara pandang kita yang perlu diubah dan beralih sedikit agar dapat melihat kedudukan perkara dari perspektif yang berbeza. Baru-baru ini, satu kumpulan balet asing tidak dibenarkan membuat pertunjukan. Walaupun Menteri Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan berkata dia sendiri gemar menonton balet, namun dikatakan mengikut pegawainya yang bertangunggjawab meluluskan […]