HER grandfather was Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the first president of the MCA who worked hand-in-hand with Umno President Tunku Abdul Rahman and MIC president Tun VT Sambanthan to fight for Malaya’s independence. Her father was Tun Tan Siew Sin, also a former president of the MCA, and the country’s longest-serving finance minister (1959-1974). A […]
Archives for January 2010
Stay or go?
By Deborah Loh(Pic by dljt / sxc.hu)THERE seems little to look forward to, having just come out of 2009, which ended with religious tension that’s spilling over into the New Year. All over what to call God. The dispute over “Allah” dates back to the 1980s. But last year, it was just one event in a string […]
Losing the BTN plot
By Shanon ShahHOW have Malaysians been discussing the recent controversy over the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) programmes? Let us count the ways. There are those who defend the BTN courses, such as Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. Then there are the critics. Some, like de facto Law Minister […]
“Qur’an: Muslims and Christians worship same God”
By Ding Jo-Ann(Pic by Lorna / Dreamstime) PETALING JAYA, 6 Jan 2010: An American-based Islamic society has commended the 31 Dec 2009 High Court judgement that lifted the ban on the use of “Allah” by Catholic paper Herald. The Islamic Society of North America (Isna) said the Qur’an was explicit that Muslims worshipped the same God as […]
Bonuses in peril
By Wong Chin HuatDESPITE all the madness in 2009, it was a year in which Malaysians saw positive changes on two important fronts: ethnic relations and good governance. A good example, notwithstanding the initial flip-flopping, is the federal government’s decision to revamp the racist and fascist content of the Biro Tata Negara courses after being forced to by […]
Responding to “Allah” differently
By Ding Jo-Ann(Pic by Adrian Van Leen / sxc.hu) PREDICTABLE. This best sums up the reactions by some Muslim groups and the government to the High Court’s 31 Dec 2009 decision to lift the ban on the use of “Allah” by Catholic paper Herald. Malaysians were probably able to anticipate the newspaper headlines and ensuing comments, given […]
The weakness of COP15
By Gan Pei Ling(Pic by Dez Pain / sxc.hu (Corrected at 7:55pm, 20 Jan 2010) FROM Hopenhagen to Dopenhagen to Brokenhagen, a series of puns has emerged from the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) held in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Those who were hopeful about a strong deal at the beginning of COP15 were left […]
How rude!
By Nick Choo(Pic by LinusB4 / sxc.hu) RECENTLY, during a visit to the cinema, I encountered the infamous subset of Malaysians who seem to enjoy ruining the viewing experiences of others by being inconsiderate. You know the kind: those who let their mobile phone ring during the movie, or check their SMSes and distract you with the […]
The new social contract
By Chan Kheng HoeMALAYSIANS are constantly reminded of our social contract. As the story goes, some time before 1957, founding leaders from three communities (only three, no others) signed up to this arrangement on how we ought to live together in this land previously known as Tanah Melayu. The terms of the arrangement were simple enough: Malays get […]
Achievable resolutions
By Yasmin Masidi(Pic by Elvinstar / Dreamstime) HERE we are, just past the cusp of 2010, when parts of the world that observe 1 Jan list New Year hopes both fanciful and pragmatic. It’s always a useful exercise to do both, and to think about just why it is that one writes off a wish as “unrealistic”. […]
