UNTUK pertama kalinya saya menyambut Ramadan di Indonesia, negara yang mempunyai rakyat beragama Islam yang teramai di dunia. Lebih kurang 90% dari penduduknya yang seramai 270 juta orang ini beragama Islam. Namun, Indonesia tidak ada undang-undang menghukum orang yang makan dan minum di khalayak ramai semasa bulan puasa. Malah, kegiatan harian diteruskan seperti biasa. Konsert […]
Archives for August 2011
The Nut Graph’s Merdeka Awards 2011
By The Nut Graph team
2011 is going by in a flash, and yet it has felt long and intense. The political temperature has been kept on the high side, first with the Sarawak elections, then the Bersih 2.0 rally, endless speculation about the next general election, and most recently, inter-religious tensions involving allegations against Christians. Malaysians certainly have had […]
Eddin Khoo: Preserving the nation’s soul
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
IF Malaysia is a nation of converging ancestries and cultures, then Eddin Khoo Bu-Eng should be one of its poster boys. The former Sunday Star journalist, who set up cultural centre Pusaka nearly 10 years ago, is the eldest of three sons born of a Baba Chinese father and a mother of Sri Lankan Tamil […]
Nasihat tentang Aidilfitri
Secubit Garam Oleh Shanon Shah
MENJALANKAN ibadat puasa di London sekarang, saya terasa rindu yang amat terhadap keluarga dan kawan-kawan di Malaysia. Alangkah gembiranya saya apabila membaca nasihat terbaru daripada kolumnis pujaan ramai, Kak Nora, tentang “sensitiviti” Aidilfitri. Terubatlah juga rindu di hati. Salam sejahtera Kak Nora, Harap kak berada dalam keadaan yang sihat walafiat. (Er, adakah saya dibenarkan menggunakan […]
Taking cheap shots
By Koh Lay Chin
ANYONE familiar with the UK Riots and the Bersih rally would have been gobsmacked by Malaysian politicians comparing the two in gloating fashion recently. According to no less than our prime minister, the UK Riots apparently justify the Malaysian government’s actions in stopping the Bersih rally. Datuk Seri Najib Razak reportedly said the government wanted […]
Green voters hunting for green reps
As If Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
RUMOURS have been rife since late 2010 that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak might call for the 13th general election by this year before the economy takes a worse turn. As such, not just political parties but civil society has been gearing up for an impending election. Among the civil society groups are a group of […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Beyond the Jais raid
By Ding Jo-Ann
MORAL policing of Muslims is unfortunately hardly new in Malaysia. But on 3 Aug 2011, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) went a step further by entering the Petaling Jaya-based Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC), purportedly to investigate a complaint. Christian leaders and secular bodies such as the Bar Council and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) […]
Can MBPJ shut down DUMC?
Ampersand by KW Mak
THERE’s a rumour making the rounds that the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will close down the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya (PJ) because the premise was not approved for a church. For certain, the land that DUMC is located on is not designated for a “religious institution” that would permit the […]
The problem with the 8TV ads
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
WHY were the three 8TV Ramadan ads so offensive? “I don’t get it,” more than one person said on the social network they were on. “Chill guys,” 8TV executive director and Media Prima chief executive officer of Alt Media Ahmad Izham Omar told critics on Twitter. “Don’t overthink the ads. It’s written, produced and directed […]
Restricting the government’s choices?
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
IT was troubling to read Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s reasons for the release of eight immigration officers detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Hishammuddin said he decided to release the eight, detained “in connection” with human trafficking activities, because they showed “remorse” over their mistakes. He also considered their wishes […]
