IN the lead-up to the Sarawak elections, the prime minister and his deputy went all out to convince voters that Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud would step down after the state election because he was “ready”. But what does “after” and “ready” really mean? Is it “someday” as the deputy prime minister has stated or in “two to three years” as Taib has claimed? Clearly, vague rhetoric is useful for politicians to keep their options open especially now that the Barisan Nasional has again secured its two-thirds majority in the state assembly.

*Updated 4 April 2011 GOOD journalism involves asking the right questions. Asking who, what, when, where, why and how is part and parcel of any journalist’s toolkit. But how effectively did the traditional* print media apply these tools when reporting on the recent Government Transformation Programme (GTP) first year celebrations? Were there some questions, perhaps, [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 April 2009: Member of Parliament (MP) for Puchong Gobind Singh Deo filed an originating summons at the High Court here today seeking a declaration that his suspension as an MP is null and void. In his summons filed at the High Corut registry through Messrs Karpal Singh & Co, he claimed tht [...]

LEST we allow our new prime minister to get away with a slick public relations exercise, here are some cold hard statistics about previous prime ministers and the Internal Security Act (ISA). In July 1981, two weeks into office as prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad released 21 ISA detainees. As he himself candidly admitted [...]

(al-Quran image by Crystalina @ Flickr; gavel image by mrbill @ Flickr; Najib image source: cidb.gov.my) NEW Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak begins his administration with significant negative perception, as compared with previous power transitions. He realises this, and seems to be taking steps to counteract it, making symbolic gestures and speaking the [...]

(Najib image source: cidb.gov.my) WHILE there was some effort to stall the inevitable, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has resigned, and Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now prime minister. His ascension coincides with troubled times. Najib appears to be viewing the challenges he will face in office as an opportunity. Malaysia’s sixth prime minister encourages [...]