Will another by-election simply be a waste of money, as the prime minister has said? THE impending Penanti by-election has raised the question about whether elected representatives and their political parties ought to be penalised for “frivolous” resignations. But just who determines what is frivolous? And how should the public interpret statements such as those […]
Keep mum, PKR tells Guan Eng
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 20 April 2009: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has been asked to keep mum to the press about his unhappiness over Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin’s resignation as Penanti state assemblyperson. “PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lim met today to discuss the issue and I believe that all confusion has been settled,” […]
Friend of the forest
By Zedeck SiewWHEN we think about the logging industry, it’s not usually in a flattering light. Logging, especially in East Malaysia, has a reputation for being fraught with unethical practices: corruption, unsustainable destruction of ecosystems, and disregard for the land rights of indigenous peoples. Last year, allegations of sexual abuse of Penan women and schoolgirls in Baram […]
Call to release Penan task force report
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 20 April 2009: Women’s and indigenous peoples’ advocacy groups are urging new Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to release the findings of the 2008 Penan task force. A Penan woman (All pics by Tajai @ Flickr) The task force was commissioned by the ministry under former minister […]
Showdown in Perak on 7 May
By Deborah LohNOW that a sitting of the Perak legislative assembly sitting has been called for 7 May, another showdown is expected because it is being convened without speaker V Sivakumar’s consent. Sivakumar In such a case, constitutional law expert Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi believes Perak’s constitutional crisis is far from over despite how recent court […]
Three detained under ISA
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 17 April 2009: Three individuals were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) even as 13 detainees were released by new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. However, according to the Anti-ISA Movement or Gabungan Mansuh ISA (GMI), the arrests were not ordered by Najib’s administration as at least two were made prior […]
Govt must act now to end racism
By Gan Pei LingKUALA LUMPUR, 17 April 2009: Race-based policies and political parties have been undermining Malaysia’s commitment to an international declaration the country adopted eight years ago against racial discrimination. In light of this, 44 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called on the government to fulfill its international obligations to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). […]
Islamists lose in Indonesian polls
By Farish A NoorNOW that the dust has settled, Indonesians are counting the cost of the latest elections in the country. With voter turnout rather low — hovering around 40% in some regions — the parties that were sidelined have already begun to complain and bicker about the validity of the results. Voting in the sleepy end of […]
Not just ISA
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 17 April 2009: Even though the focus has been on the Internal Security Act (ISA), civil society groups and a think tank say there are two other laws that also allow the state to detain someone without trial. Suaram coordinator Nalini Elumalai said the two other laws were the Emergency (Public Order and […]
National Water Resources Study flawed
By the Coalition for Sustainable Water ManagementTHE Coalition For Sustainable Water Management calls upon the federal government, and the Selangor and Pahang state governments to stop all ongoing work on the Pahang-Selangor Raw Water Transfer Project pending a complete review of the basis for the water transfer projects as given in the National Water Resources Study (NWRS) report. The Pahang-Selangor Raw […]
