EC chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof THE nationwide constitutional law tutorial continues with the latest Kota Siputeh case. The court has had to intervene once again to arbitrate between the speaker of a legislative assembly and the Election Commission (EC). This time, the 16 Nov 2009 High Court decision ruled that the EC […]
Zulkifli’s choice
By Koh Jun Lin“If there is a need to appoint one, I would suggest non-partisan ulama, like Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria.” KULIM-Bandar Baru Member of Parliament Zulkifli Noordin names the Perak mufti as his candidate of choice to lead Pakatan Rakyat. Zulkifli, no stranger to controversy, was responding to a blog posting by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. Zaid had […]
A letter to readers
By Deborah LohDear reader… (© Cierpki / sxc.hu) Dear reader, The year is drawing to a close and it is giving me cause to reflect on our relationship. Thank you for your support as well as your criticism. There were times when it stung, but in the larger scheme of things, I hope it has made me […]
“We were Malaysians first”
By Ding Jo-Ann“DREAM the undreamable, believe the impossible, and never take no for an answer.” AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes certainly lives by his company’s creed. Under his leadership, AirAsia and Air Asia X have just won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation award, beating airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Not […]
Sponsoring Nik Aziz
By Koh Jun Lin“Orang nak bawa saya pergi ke Mekah, kenapa saya nak tolak. Saya pergi ke Mekah, jarang belanja saya sendiri. Orang tolong bayar. Semua orang berebut (untuk membiaya saya ke Mekah).” Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat admits receiving sponsorship worth RM65,000 to perform his pilgrimage to Mecca. However, he opined that it […]
Menstruation
By The Nut Graph teamCorrected at 8:45pm, 16 Nov 2009 PARTI Keadilan Rakyat’s Seri Andalas assemplyperson, Dr Xavier Jayakumar, has unintentionally landed the Taman Sri Andalas mosque committee in hot soup. Xavier had given a talk in the mosque during a Ramadan function in late August 2009. According to the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais), this was a huge […]
Sordid game of politics
By Farish NoorSILLY season seems to still be around in Malaysia. First we were forced to witness the spectacle of the bust-up that never was among MCA leaders. And last week, we were treated to a display of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders posturing. First these leaders got on their respective soap-boxes to spout, only to step […]
The meaning of “Malay”
By Shanon ShahAnthony Milner“BIAR mati anak, jangan mati adat.” Quoting the Malay proverb that places culture above one’s child, Prof Anthony Milner argued on 21 Oct 2009 during a lecture in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) that Malay-ness was defined by civilisation, and not descent or bloodlines. The lecture by Milner, who is Basham Professor of Asian History […]
Lingam tape: Who’s being protected?
By Ding Jo-AnnSOMETHING feels horribly amiss in the government’s recent declaration that lawyer VK Lingam won’t be charged for his role in brokering the appointment of top judges. The government’s focus on whether to charge Lingam or not feels like a red herring. After all, the Royal Commission of Inquiry clearly found ethical and criminal misbehaviour by […]
Understanding our rights
By Deborah LohMyConstitution campaign logo (© MyConstitution / Facebook)PERAK. Party-hopping. Frogs. Who by now doesn’t know about the Perak constitutional crisis. Awareness has also been stirred about the right to freedom of association and the rights of voters to choose based on a candidate’s party. Federal-state relations are receiving prominence now that the opposition controls at least […]


