“I’M waiting for someone to call me a pendatang!” says Datin Mina Cheah-Foong. “I never thought to question my right to be here or my role as a Malaysian in the context of where my family came from.” Indeed, why would she need to? Nation building runs in the family. Cheah-Foong may not be planting […]
Archives for March 2011
Objecting to development projects
OBJECTION hearings are part and parcel of the development process. If a new building or development is planned, it is only natural to expect that those living in the vicinity should have their views heard. But some would argue that this right is only limited to those within a very close proximity to the project. […]
Understanding the Dewan Rakyat: The book launch and public forum (Updated 29 March)
(Updated 9:30pm, 29 March 2011) IN January 2010, The Nut Graph embarked on an ambitious project: to ask all 222 Members of Parliament (MPs) their views on various issues of national interest. MPs were asked, among others, their opinions on the Internal Security Act, whether Malaysia should be an Islamic or secular state, and what […]
1Malaysia greetings: Spam or privacy violation?
IT’S not every day that one gets a personal greeting from the prime minister via e-mail or SMS. But when Datuk Seri Najib Razak did just that to over five million Malaysians for Chinese New Year in February 2011, he got flak from the DAP in Parliament for imprudent use of taxpayers’ dollars. Another DAP […]
Taking on the MRT
Touted as the new “backbone” of public transport in Klang Valley, the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) has been the talk of the town since its first line of its overall scheme was revealed on 13 Feb 2011. An estimated 51km long, the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line will have 35 proposed stations. Total construction cost will only […]
Umno’s tangle over “Allah”
YET again, in the tussle over “Allah” and Malay-language Bibles, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government shows how unclear it is about what it means to respect the religious rights of non-Muslims.
Understanding the Dewan Rakyat
PETALING JAYA, 21 March 2011: How does Parliament work? How well do you know your Members of Parliament (MPs) and what they stand for? And what is the state of democracy in Malaysia? Answers to these questions will soon be out in a new book, Understanding the Dewan Rakyat, by The Nut Graph in collaboration […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The return of BN?
THE Barisan Nasional (BN) has recently emerged triumphant from two by-election victories in Kerdau and Merlimau, its fourth and fifth consecutive victories so far. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has said the wins showed the people’s growing support for the BN. Can these BN achievements be interpreted as such? And what does this mean […]
The EC’s folly
WHAT will it take for the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia to be independent? Or at the very least, to be seen as trying to be independent even if it can’t really be so, according to the EC’s own explanation? At a Bersih 2.0 public forum on 21 Feb 2011 in Petaling Jaya, what was […]
Paramount View development: Where are the answers?
Datuk Bandar MBPJ OSC chair[person] RE: Approval of Paramount View Development by Petaling Jaya City Council OSC Committee I have written to you back on 8 Nov 2010 on the matter of the Paramount View development, raising several important issues on the validity and legality of the actions that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) […]
