The Bersih 2.0 9 July 2011 march drew thousands of Malaysians onto Kuala Lumpur’s streets to call for clean and fair elections. But according to Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, the government-controlled press and the authorities, that’s not what the march was really about. In the aftermath of the Bersih march, The Nut Graph summarises some of the more popular theories by Bersih’s detractors of why it actually organised the march.
TNG wins environmental journalism award
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
PETALING JAYA, 25 July 2011: The Nut Graph columnist Gan Pei Ling has won a Special Prize in Penang’s inaugural Green Journalism Award for a column she wrote about the effectiveness of banning plastic. The piece, which won her one of two special prizes in the English language category, was entitled The plastic menace and […]
Wanted: Safe and eco-friendly cosmetics
As if Earth Matters By Gan Pei Ling
BODY wash, hair shampoo, soap, facial cleanser, toner — most of us use these personal care products on a daily basis regardless of gender. Women are likely to use cosmetics as well in addition to these products, but have you ever stopped and looked at the ingredients contained in the products? The ingredients should be […]
BN vs Bersih: Comparing 2007 and 2011
By Gan Pei Ling
IS Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a prime minister of reform as he’s been portrayed to be? Is he more respectful of human rights and dissenting views compared to his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? Is he less or more prone to strong-arm tactics? A comparison of how the government treated Bersih in 2007 and how it is treating Bersih 2.0 in 2011 gives Malaysians and the world an indication of whether things have gotten better under Najib or much worse.
Nasihat tentang Bersih
Secubit Garam oleh Shanon Shah
Bersih? Kotor? Haram? Untuk yang pening, marah, atau kompius, atau kesemuanya, ikutilah nasihat terbaru daripada kolumnis pujaan ramai, Kak Nora: Assalamualaikum wahai Kak Nora yang budiman, Diharapkan Kak Nora berada dalam keadaan sihat dan awesome. Kak, lets me just cuts to the chases and story you my problem, ok? Mesti akak tahu tentang kontroversi […]
Bersih: Whom does media serve?
By Ding Jo-Ann
IN 2001, after three years of investigations and interviewing hundreds of journalists, leading media practitioners Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel wrote The Elements of Journalism, now a reference point for what is good journalism. One of Kovach and Rosenstiel’s principles was that a journalist’s first loyalty is to citizens. Not its owners, advertisers or even […]
Bersih 2.0: “Illegal”, chaos-causing “communists”?
By Gan Pei Ling
Waging war against the king. In cahoots with foreign conspirators. Possible communists. Planning to overthrow the government. Illegal T-shirts. Bersih 2.0 seems to embody many evils to the authorities, who have arrested more than 100 in attempts to stop Bersih’s 9 July 2011 march. But have the authorities gone overboard in demonising the rally? What about Malaysians’ constitutional right to freedom of expression and right to peaceable assembly?
Bersih: It’s not about black or white
By Koh Lay Chin
TO go yellow or not to go yellow? This seems to be the question among Malaysians these days. In cyberspace, Malaysians of all backgrounds are writing, forwarding and sharing comments and articles about the planned 9 July Bersih 2.0 march. But what exactly are people saying about the ideas and principles behind the march itself? […]
Film photography at The Print Room
Compiled by Jacqueline Ann Surin
A NEW photography studio and gallery is opening at 6.30pm on Sunday, 10 July 2011, and it promises to build awareness and enhance appreciation for film photography. Photographer Paul Gadd says The Print Room aims to reclaim and revive the techniques and rigours of classical film photography and the hand-printing process at a time when […]
Perception vs reality: Who’s telling the truth?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
WHEN Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declared that the new media was negatively spinning issues about the government, perhaps he was referring to examples such as this YouTube video by nasilemak2020. I’m certain the Umno vice-president, who is also defence minister, also had other examples in mind when he called on Umno cybertroopers to […]
