THE disproportionate response to the recent “slipper garland” proposal by an MIC delegate highlights once again what the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government really values above all else. Umno politicians have been falling over themselves in the rush to defend Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against an MIC delegate’s suggestion to garland the former premier’s portrait […]
Berdialog dengan PAS
Oleh Shanon ShahDialog anjuran musicForum (Gambar oleh musicForum) “MINTA maaf ya, ustaz, saya ada pengakuan,” kata saya. “Dalam kolum saya, teruk juga saya tibai ustaz tentang pendirian Pemuda PAS berkenaan konsert Michael Learns to Rock.” Ketua Pemuda PAS, Nasrudin Hassan at Tantawi, senyum selamba saja. “Saya tak ambil hati. Kalau macam tu, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim pun mengkritik […]
The economics of waste
By Datuk Abu Bakar JaafarWaste can be valuable as recyclables (© Zsuzsanna Kilián / sxc.hu) WHAT is the difference between “waste” and “resource”? There is hardly any, except in socio-economic value. Both can be treated as commodities, though waste is usually priced less than resource. Despite the price differential, waste is nevertheless sorted out into a number of streams […]
Ong vs Chua
By Deborah LohStrong-headed: Ong Tee Keat (left) and Chua Soi Lek THERE are two heavyweights currently in the MCA ring. But what do party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and his sacked deputy Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek represent? And what consequence will the fight between the both of them have? After all, the split […]
Threatened under all three PMs
By Ding Jo-AnnPETALING JAYA, 11 Sept 2009: The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)’s investigation of Malaysiakini this week is not the first time the online news site has been harassed or threatened by the state. In fact, Malaysiakini has experienced harassment and received threats from state agencies and government leaders under the previous administration of Tun […]
Upholding what is sacred in Islam
By Hadil El-KhoulyA real dialogue (All pics courtesy of Mas Hamzah) AS a Muslim foreigner coming to Malaysia from the Arab world, I was filled with curiosity and excitement at the chance to witness Islam in a country like Malaysia which we look up to as a developed, thriving Muslim country rich in cultural and religious diversity. […]
The vegetable basket baby
By Zedeck SiewVISUAL artist Wong Hoy Cheong is probably Malaysia’s most internationally-renowned modern cultural export. While a fixture on the biennial — or repeating art exhibitions — circuit, he has nevertheless continued to make work deeply engaged with the Malaysian context. Take his Vitrine of Contemporary Events, for example. Made in 1999, post-Reformasi, the work is an illuminated […]
Dining with the DAP
By Deborah LohFOR dinner one day last week, I decided to visit the DAP’s Rocket United Café which opened a month ago. Choosing to eat there felt a wee bit odd, as if one were making a political statement by deciding to patronise the outlet. And considering too, that there are numerous other food outlets and a […]
Time to be afraid
By Jacqueline Ann SurinMalaysians are being told to be afraid (© Marcelo Terraza / sxc.hu) “BE afraid. Be very afraid.” That, in essence, was what the protestors against a Hindu temple relocation in Shah Alam were saying. But they were not just saying it to their Hindu neighbours in Section 23, Shah Alam. They were also saying it […]
Will the police respect opposition?
By Azril Mohd AminA PRIMARY principle of democratic government that can and should be imported into the Muslim ummah is self-regulation by means of dialogue with opposition and political parties. Political opposition, accomplished through the right channel and by reasonable means, is not the same as “sedition”. Therefore, blogs and other forms of detraction from majority party views […]
