DATUK Saifuddin Abdullah says he’s a reluctant politician who got into politics because he wanted to affect change. The Umno supreme council member and first-time MP is seen as being a minority voice of reform within his party and wishes his party was more “progressive”. In this interview, Saifuddin traces his family lineage and student activism, explains the dynamics within Umno, and wishes there was more space at the Malaysian table for space and ideas.
Hang Li Po dan Hang Tuah: Benar atau dongeng?
Asam Pedas oleh Norhayati Kaprawi
“HISTORY is written by the victors” atau “Sejarah ditulis oleh orang yang menang atau berkuasa”. Ungkapan yang begitu terkenal namun tiada orang yang tahu siapa yang pertama kali mengungkapkannya. Ada yang kata Winston Churchill tapi ramai yang meraguinya. Soalan yang menarik untuk kita adalah jika kita tidak tahu sejarah asal-usul ungkapan itu, dan tiada dokumentasi […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: What if Najib wins?
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE next general election will be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first election as head of the Barisan Nasional (BN). Najib will also be leading the BN into its first general election after its worst election performance in March 2008. The Nut Graph asks political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat on how well Najib […]
Nasihat tentang kebebasan akademik
Secubit Garam oleh Shanon Shah
BARU-baru ini, saya banyak mendengar pendapat yang bertentangan tentang tindak-tanduk aktivis mahasiswa Adam Adli. Ada yang menuduh tindakannya bodoh dan biadap, tetapi ada juga yang mempertahankan haknya untuk bersuara. Walaupun tidak berkaitan secara langsung, saya rasa nasihat terbaru dari kolumnis pujaan ramai, Kak Nora, memberi perspektif yang penting. Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Kak Nora, Kak, […]
Ethical fashion: Greening your wardrobe
As If Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
HAVE you ever wondered what your clothes are made of? How materials such as cotton or polyester are produced, and by whom? And do fashion companies pay our farmers and factory workers fairly for their labour? I was oblivious to the environmental and social woes associated with conventional cotton farming until I read the book […]
Who needs a Race Relations Act?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
SO it would seem Malaysians can look forward to having yet another piece of legislation in their lives in the brand new year of 2012. This time around, the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has promised it will introduce a Race Relations Bill, to be tabled in Parliament in March. The Race Relations Bill, according to […]
Zaid Ibrahim: “It will get better”
By Shanon Shah
LAWYER-turned-politician Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, 60, knows that politics can be a dirty game. He joined Umno and won the Kota Baru parliamentary seat in the 2004 general election. The party did not field him for the 2008 elections, however. After winning with a severely reduced majority, the ruling coalition under Prime Minister Tun Abdullah […]
What’s the price of PJ’s development?
Ampersand by KW Mak
IF we think the price of development is traffic jams, we are mistaken. That isn’t the only price people have to pay for so-called progress in the city. The question is, will PJ residents continue to pay the price for development in their city or can measures be taken to avoid these hidden costs?
Liew Seng Tat: “We’re still outsiders”
By Gan Pei Ling
LIEW Seng Tat is one of the most promising indie filmmakers in Malaysia. His debut feature film Flower in the Pocket (2007) has won numerous international awards. Previously, his short films Bread Skin with Strawberry Jam and Not Cool had also won top prizes at the Malaysian Video Awards. The full-time filmmaker is now working […]
Remembering Raja Aziz Addruse
By Ding Jo-Ann
EVERYTHING I know that’s worth knowing about human rights, I learnt from Raja Aziz Addruse. As the world commemorated International Human Rights Day on 10 Dec, I found myself remembering this amazing man, all he taught me, and all he left behind after his passing five months ago. Raja Aziz was, and still is, a […]
