AS we welcome Peninsular Malaysia’s 55th year of independence this year, we celebrate once again the people who continue to inspire us and give us hope for a better Malaysia. Our awardees include Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat politicians, activists, environmentalists, a bookstore chain, the courts and many more. Find out who they are.

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 [...]

EVEN as the Health Ministry assures Malaysians that the 1Care healthcare reform plan is not yet finalised, its minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai responds defensively to critics. Even as the Election Commission (EC) agrees to use indelible ink and to relax postal voting restrictions, its chairperson wants to forbid non-taxpaying overseas Malaysians from voting. [...]

What exactly is Umno’s stand on Malay rights group Perkasa? At one time, Umno leaders appeared to lend Perkasa their tacit support. But recently, a few have sought to dissociate Umno from the group. Is there a real split in the party over Perkasa, or is Umno just weighing its rhetoric carefully? However it plays out, Perkasa seems to have caught Umno between a rock and a hard place.

SERDANG member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching came under attack recently for visiting and speaking inside the prayer area of a surau on 22 Aug 2010. Umno and Perkasa leaders have accused her of desecrating the surau and not respecting the sanctity of Muslim houses of worship. Is this merely politics? Just what does Islam say about allowing non-Muslims inside mosques and suraus?

THIS month has been a particularly significant one for The Nut Graph team. It is not only Ramadan and the month of Merdeka. It also marks our two-year anniversary and the month when we transform our operations into Plan B. While there’s constantly new beginnings to look forward to, these moments give us pause to [...]