“I’M waiting for someone to call me a pendatang!” says Datin Mina Cheah-Foong. “I never thought to question my right to be here or my role as a Malaysian in the context of where my family came from.” Indeed, why would she need to? Nation building runs in the family. Cheah-Foong may not be planting [...]

TO its credit, the government is trying to introduce sex education in schools. From mid-2009 till end of 2011, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and the Education Ministry are implementing a pilot project targeting 16- and 17-year-olds in five schools. “The ministry hopes to use the outcome from the project to advocate for [...]

HIV/AIDS is a global pandemic affecting millions of lives every day. Each year, the infection rate of HIV grows exponentially, especially in underdeveloped and developing nations. In Malaysia, 13 persons get infected daily. To date, 87,000 Malaysians have developed AIDS, of which 13,000 have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing [...]

THE stage, like any other forum, can be used to discuss issues that affect humankind, even though not all forms of theatre are interactive. Often there is a clear divide between the stage and the seats, which creates a sometimes necessary distance between audience and performer. This tends to work in favour of both actor [...]

Needle and syringe exchange kit used as part of a programme aimed at drug users, who comprise about 75% of those detected with HIV/AIDS in Malaysia TWENTY-three years after the first HIV infection was detected in Malaysia and 11,400 deaths from AIDS later, health workers are still facing obstacles from the authorities in preventing the [...]

KOTA BARU, 26 Oct 2009: The Kelantan state assembly was today told that the sexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the state was worrisome among teenagers and adults. Women, Family and Health state committee chairperson, Wan Ubaidah Omar, said Kelantan now has 749 HIV cases, an increase from previously. She said for [...]