AS a party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, how well do our government ministers understand Malaysia’s obligations under this international treaty and local laws on international cooperation on criminal matters? Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s recent snubbing of the inquiry by a French court into the Scorpene submarines scandal suggest ignorance, at the very least.
Bila fatwa jadi bahan nista dan ketawa
Asam Pedas oleh Norhayati Kaprawi
FATWA yang dianggap suci semakin menjadi bahan nista dan ketawa. Pendapat ulama serta undang-undang yang dibuat oleh para agamawan kerap menjadi kontroversi dan pengharaman bermacam-macam perkara kerap juga buat orang geleng kepala. Apakah sejarah pembentukan fatwa dalam Islam, sebenarnya?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Penang, Pakatan and local government elections
By Ding Jo-Ann
IF all goes smoothly, Penang will hold local government elections by year end, something not done in Malaysia for almost 50 years, because of the Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012. What challenges are in store for the return of local government elections? And how will citizens benefit?
What will remove opposition to Lynas?
As if Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
WHAT do the Academy of Sciences and four rare earth experts think about the Lynas refinery in Gebeng, Pahang? And what will it take to remove opposition to a project that brings economic benefits just as it does fears for public health?
False hope in Security Offences Act
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
THE Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill (Sosma), passed by the Dewan Rakyat on 18 April 2012, will repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) once it comes into effect. The ISA has long been criticised for allowing preventive detention for indefinite periods without trial. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the reform, including the rescinding […]
Can’t we trust our mahasiswa?
By Gan Pei Ling
IT has been almost six months since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling declared it unconstitutional to prohibit university students from supporting or opposing political parties under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). On 9 April 2012, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin finally tabled amendments to the UUCA, Private Higher […]
How legitimate is our elected government?
In A Nutshell by Andrew Khoo
IF rumour holds true, the 13th general election, due by March 2013, will be held sometime this year. Once again, Malaysians will cast their votes and the party that wins the most number of parliamentary seats will govern federally. But how legitimate is the government that eventually gets into power? Does the party in power […]
Believing in Malaysia
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
AWARD-winning journalist Zainon Ahmad is a story-teller. He has many stories because he has been reporting from the frontlines for more than 30 years. He joined the New Straits Times in 1978 and rose through the ranks to become the paper’s assistant group editor in 1997. From the mid- to late 1980s, he was made […]
A response on Lynas
By Yin Shao Loong
I’m writing in response to Gan Pei Ling’s article What’s wrong with a rare earth plant, here? Factual inaccuracies on both sides of the Lynas rare earth plant controversy have given rise to a third constituency — environmentalists who believe in the possibility of a technological fix to the problem. I take Gan’s recent piece […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Has Najib won over Indian Malaysians?
By Ding Jo-Ann
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has obviously been trying to win the Indian Malaysian community’s votes ahead of the impending general election. The list of government initiatives for the Indian community in the recent months has been long. These initiatives range from funding new school blocks to increasing allocated seats for Indian matriculation students; […]
