MARGINALISED to the edges of society, the homeless and urban poor have virtually no rights. The longstanding problems of poverty and homelessness in Malaysia will be highlighted in Homelessness, a photo exhibition presented by Amnesty International (AI) Malaysia. Above are selections from the exhibition. Homelessness is part of Write Up 4 Rights, a two-day letter-writing […]
Archives for December 2009
The truth about secrets
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(Pic by Kriss Szkurlatowski / sxc.hu) TWO weeks ago, I could not help feeling that there was little difference between the Catholic Church and the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led federal government. Both these powerful institutions have one thing in common — both have cultivated a long-standing culture of secrets. With the church, the damage has been […]
Horror movie does not reflect Christmas message
By the Christian Federation of MalaysiaTHE Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) strongly objects to the recent showing of the movie The Exorcist III by NTV7 on 5 Dec 2009 at 11pm, which was promoted by the network as a “Christmas Special”. The CFM, which represents the Christian community in Malaysia, views with disdain the decision of the network to broadcast […]
Protests against Danish Text at COP15
By Gan Pei LingCOPENHAGEN, 9 Dec 2009: Over 60 African youths demonstrated at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) yesterday in response to a leaked draft climate agreement that the Danish government was expected to put forward. “We’re very disappointed [with the draft] …They’re bringing it to the table to force African heads of government to […]
Semuanya aman di Bukit Aman
Oleh Fahmi FadzilTidak pernah dan tidak akan muncul di kedai buku berdekatan TANGGAL 16 Nov 2009. Sudah lebih dua minggu kejadian percubaan mendapatkan saya membayar rasuah kepada S (nama samaran anggota polis trafik) berlaku, tapi saya masih gementar untuk melaporkan kejadian. Maklumlah, persepsi orang ramai terhadap Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) belumlah mencapai tahap memuaskan sejak akhir-akhir ini, […]
BTN’s flaws beyond racism
By Wong Chin HuatTHE Biro Tata Negara (BTN) saga has taken yet another twist. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has called former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad “bloody racist” for defending the BTN training modules. Most right-thinking members of the public would agree with Nazri that the BTN is ethnic-centric. However, would […]
Wayang ways
By Nick ChooWayang Rakyat at The Curve, 2007 (© Khoo Eng Yow) THE Malay word for “theatre” is “wayang”. But say the word “wayang” and the first thing many of us would associate it with is “kulit”. Small-scale, community-focused, traditional; of yellow lights and opaque screens; tinny voices, dalang and gamelan. Funny how the multifaceted nature of […]
Peristiwa di balai polis
Oleh Fahmi FadzilTidak pernah dan tidak akan muncul di kedai buku berdekatan LEBIH kurang dua minggu sebelum Hari Raya Aidilfitri tahun ini, saya telah terlibat dalam satu kemalangan jalan raya. Waktu itu, seperti hari-hari yang kita alami sekarang, hujan kerap turun. Di Bangsar, akibat jalan yang licin dan kecuaian memandu (awas bila hari hujan, kalian!), kereta saya […]
What’s in a name?
By Deborah LohIs Malaysia an Islamic or secular state? IF there is one enduring debate in Malaysia, it is whether this country is an Islamic or secular state. No less because successive prime ministers keep making declarations that it is an Islamic state to much public confusion. Islam is the official religion of the federation. But what […]
Why Fatine can’t come home
By Ding Jo-AnnTHE Malaysian authorities are being discriminatory and ignorant in their treatment of transsexual woman Fatine, who is facing visa problems in the United Kingdom. Instead of assisting Fatine in negotiating with the UK authorities, the Immigration director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman has instead threatened her with stern action for overstaying in the UK. Abdul Rahman […]