DATUK Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement regarding the Bar Council’s on-line poll on the use of the word “Allah”, as reported in the media on 23 March 2009, makes for disappointing reading in our country’s continuing democratic discourse. We are confident that Malaysians will rise above mere polemics and will not see the poll as […]
Umno wings in full flight
By Zedeck Siew
FOLLOWING their official opening last night (24 March 2009) by incoming president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Umno Wanita, Youth, and Puteri assemblies are now in full swing. Among other things raised in her address this morning, Wanita chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz called on the wing to help ensure success for Barisan Nasional (BN) […]
Putting my assets on the line
By Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj(Car images by Two Hundred Percent, source: Wikipedia; background image source: Dreamstime.com) I PERSONALLY find declaring one’s assets, as the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) did at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on 11 Mar 2009, a little embarrassing. Personal income and wealth are normally considered one’s private domain. Most people would consider it intrusive […]
Being No. 2
By Shanon Shah“I have never gone against or challenged anyone in my life. I am finally getting there, God willing, as the party president. I have been patient and I have persevered. I have progressed from a deputy minister to a minister, from deputy prime minister to prime minister.” INCOMING Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, on […]
Umno’s unholy trinity
By Wong Chin HuatCorrected 12.15pm on 9 April 2009 MANY Umno leaders and analysts are talking about corruption in the party as if that is its biggest problem. After all, it was the justification used in barring party vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam from contesting for the party’s No. 2 post. And as Ali’s supporters have persuasively […]
Is change really coming to Umno?
By Zedeck SiewTHE first day of the 59th Umno general assembly on 24 March 2009 was coloured by three major elements. These were the banning of new media outfits from covering the event; the closed-door speech of outgoing party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; and incoming president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s speech that jointly opened the […]
Umno Youth polls crucial to party’s renewal
KUALA LUMPUR, 24 March 2009: At 11am tomorrow, 791 Umno Youth delegates will cast their votes to elect their new leaders, including the movement’s chief, in elections widely seen as crucial in transforming Umno and ensuring the party remains relevant. The elections this time around will not only test the delegates’ maturity but also their […]
Umno general assembly gets underway (Updated 7.50pm)
By Zedeck Siew
(Updated 24 March 2009, 7.50pm) THE 2008 Umno general assembly officially opens tonight — 24 March — with party president-in-waiting Datuk Seri Najib Razak officiating the launch of the Umno Wanita, Youth and Puteri assemblies. The registration of delegates for the party wings has been going on since morning. The centre of attention this time […]
Media freedom should not be constrained
By Tan Keng LiangWITH reference to the recent three-month suspension on Harakah and Suara Keadilan, Kedah Gerakan Youth feels there is a serious need to consider amendments to the Printing Presses &and Publication Act 1984 (PPPA) so as not to affect the media freedom in the country. Kedah Gerakan Youth believes there are sufficient civil laws in our […]
CIJ, Wami condemn suspension of newspapers
By Gayathry VenkiteswaranTHE Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia and the Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) strongly condemn the government’s latest assault on constitutionally enshrined freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. The Home Ministry has just suspended two opposition newspapers — Harakah and Suara Keadilan — for three months, effective 23 March 2009, with no […]
