Is 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Perempuan-perempuan pandai
Oleh Shanon ShahAlexis Bledel yang berwatak Rory Gilmore dari siri Gilmore Girls (© Ed Schipul / Flickr) BILA saya demam, saya suka tengok siri Gilmore Girls. Baru minggu lepas saya demam teruk sampai menggigil-gigil. Jadi saya pun terbongkanglah depan televisyen, menonton DVD Gilmore Girls dua hari berturut-turut. Untuk mereka yang tidak tahu, Gilmore Girls mengikuti perjalanan hidup […]
Concern over climate change down
By Gan Pei LingConcern over climate change has decreased in Malaysia (CC BY 2.0 Azrainman / Flickr) PETALING JAYA, 7 Dec 2009: Concern over climate change has decreased in Malaysia in the midst of fears over the global recession, an internet-based survey involving 12 countries said. The HSBC Climate Confidence Monitor 2009 found that Malaysians were more concerned […]
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 […]
It’s Fatine’s choice
By Oh Chin EngI’M emotionally disturbed by the public response towards the marriage of Fatine Min Baharin with Ian Young. Our Malaysian Immigration Department has declared that Fatine overstayed in the United Kingdom. If found guilty, she’ll be barred from leaving Malaysia for two years. If we don’t want people to stop us from doing what we like and what is […]
Fatine’s right to dignity
By Awam, WAO and Seksualiti MerdekaWITH reference to news reports on Malaysian transsexual Fatine‘s potential deportation from the United Kingdom, we wish to register our grave concerns at statements by Immigration Department director-general Abdul Rahman Othman and at how the story was reported. We question why Abdul Rahman singled out Ms Fatine as having “brought great shame upon us”, allegedly […]
Keeping secrets over Bukit Antarabangsa
By Ding Jo-Ann“We hope the Bukit Antarabangsa residents will know the truth now that the full report has been released.” Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announcing that the Public Works Department (JKR)’s investigation report on the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide would be declassified by the Selangor government. The report was released to the Ampang Jaya Municipal […]
Are we coordinated over green?
By Koh Lay ChinTHEY say green is the new black. The buzzword of all buzzwords. The new philanthropy favoured by supermodels, Hollywood actors, politicians and that irritating friend living down your road. I’ve heard that it’s “in” to label anything green these days, and that the tendency to join the bandwagon is but a disingenuous public relations-centred […]
