SINCE the watershed March 2008 elections, intra-party spats and power struggles have become the norm in Malaysia. These problems seem to be an equal opportunity malaise, affecting both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Do our political parties take and share power democratically? (© sanja gjenero | sxc.hu)It could just be that these [...]

PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali is an intriguing character, to say the least. Here is a man who rose from being a minister’s special officer to becoming a Member of Parliament (MP) and vice-president of an emerging opposition party. In Malaysian political culture, loyalty is often, though not always, rewarded. But Azmin’s loyalty [...]

What principles are being defended on Elizabeth Wong’s behalf? OVER the past few weeks of intense political developments from Perak to Selangor, and the resulting flurry of news-making, one thing remains clear. We are a nation of leaders short on principles. Whether upcoming or high-ranking, whether from the Pakatan Rakyat or the Barisan Nasional, whether [...]

IN recent interviews, Umno Youth-chief hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin has condemned party-hopping, and has been arguing strenuously for reform of Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN). However, after the recent BN takeover of the Perak government by defections from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) camp, Khairy apparently made an about-face. When addressing a crowd of Umno Youth [...]