DR Farish Noor is a prolific academic. The founder of The Other Malaysia project writes on the politics of Malaysia, Indonesia, Islamism, and old Malay hikayats with gusto and insight. He has been published everywhere. Well, nearly. It makes one wonder what he does to de-stress. “I repair old batik, I knit and I stitch,” […]
Twitterholic
By Cindy ThamOVER the past one month alone, the number of people who follow The Nut Graph on Twitter has more than doubled to about 800. That’s not a lot compared with several other news sites in Malaysia, or with Malaysian Twitterers like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, DAP leader […]
PAS should accept diversity
By Ivy JosiahIS PAS ready for non-threatening, open dialogue with dissenting voices within civil society? The recent resolution by PAS to investigate and possibly ban the women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) suggests that PAS needs a reminder to react democratically to opposing views. This is not an unfamiliar call that civil society and political parties […]
The epidemic of conspiracy theories
By Marina MahathirTHERE are epidemics. And then there are conspiracy theories about epidemics, which become endemic in themselves. There has long been a conspiracy theory that HIV is a plot by white people to annihilate black people. This, apparently, is the reason why AIDS is so endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and in other black-majority countries such as […]
“We were not raised to see differences”
By N Shashi KalaHUMAN rights lawyer and activist Malik Imtiaz Sarwar recently won the Bindmans Law and Campaigning award for his work on human rights. Malik, who says he always knew he wanted to be a lawyer, has worked on some precedent-setting cases, including the Apcet 2 remand hearing, and the Lina Joy conversion case that earned him […]
PAS’s next step
By Deborah Loh and Shanon ShahTowels with “PAS for all” slogans MUCH has been made about PAS’s 55th muktamar (annual general assembly) and the elections tomorrow, 5 June 2009, as a battle between the conservatives, represented by the ulama, and the moderates or professionals. But labels aside, the issue at hand is about PAS’s future. And the muktamar which begins […]
Domestic violence is a crime
By Tony PuaTHE Indonesian and international press have been extensively covering the story of the teenaged US-Indonesian model, Manohara Odelia Pinot, who has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, following her dramatic escape with the help of the Singapore police. Manohara has claimed […]
Not all are “BN stooges”
By Shanon ShahAre independent candidates part of the BN’s ploy? INDEPENDENT candidates have become a sort of joke in Malaysian politics, ever since the record-breaking 13 independents decided to slug it out in Bukit Selambau in April 2009. All 13, however, lost their deposits on polling day on 7 April, during which it was clear that voters […]
Knotted up over scholarships
By Gan Pei Ling“One of the most common questions is why some who scored, say 14As, were given the scholarships but some who got 19As, were not. The view is that the ministry should streamline the number of subjects…Why should you take up to 20 subjects?” Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when he […]
Been arrested yet?
By KW MakArrests starting to become badge of honour amongstsome (all pics ©Arte_Ram/sxc.hu) WEARING black, lighting a candle or simply putting up a tent is an offence that can get you arrested these days. The target of these arrests are Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians, lawyers, general workers and members of the public who simply want to make […]
