DATUK Mukhriz Mahathir was recently reported to have offered to release the confidential agreements between Tenaga Nasional Bhd and independent power producers (IPPs) to Parliament, but not to the public. This offer was immediately denounced by the DAP Member of Parliament (MP) Tony Pua as being “complete and utter bunkum”. Pua said even MPs cannot […]
Remembering colonialism
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
KUALA LUMPUR, 13 June 2011: The Malay peninsula was colonised exactly 500 years ago this year, and its significance in our history should be marked in some way by universities and scholars, lawyer Tommy Thomas said. “We should be having public seminars and academic conferences to remember and discuss this aspect of our history on […]
June 2011
“There’s nothing to stop us from being Malaysian first” (Corrected 1:20pm, 7 June 2011) We had originally published that Lim was in Malacca on 13 May 1969. Lim, however, subsequently alerted us that although he campaigned and stood for election in Malacca, he had flown to Sabah by 13 May. He also added that elections […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Government and the media
By Ding Jo-Ann
*Corrected on 31 May 2011, 10.30am: This was earlier published as “partly free”. THE Barisan Nasional (BN) government is hardly an exemplary proponent of press freedom. Its wide ownership and control of much of the Malaysian press probably contributed to Malaysia’s “not free”* rating in a recent survey by Freedom House, a global press watchdog. […]
Fighting the likes of Ibrahim Ali and Utusan Malaysia
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
PERKASA president Datuk Ibrahim Ali‘s call for a “crusade” against Christians who challenge Islam’s position was disturbing, to say the least. As was the unsubstantiated front-page Utusan Malaysia report that Christian leaders had pledged to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia. What should be the right response to such hurtful and false speech? Should […]
LC Vohrah: A typical Malaysian specimen
By Ding Jo-Ann
TAN SRI Lal Chand Vohrah has always been proud of being a “hybrid”. Born to a Punjabi father and a Teo Chew mother at a time when interracial marriages were rare, he has always considered himself a full-bred Malayan, and now Malaysian. Vohrah is the eldest of three brothers, all of whom studied law. He […]
The mobile vendor dilemma
Ampersand by KW Mak
STREET hawkers who ply their wares off mobile vans are a common sight these days around Petaling Jaya (PJ). During the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ)’s April full board meeting, the issue was discussed in brief. The matter of how street hawkers were taking up valuable parking space was raised and reported in The Star […]
Who wants another 13 May?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
I DIDN’T live through the racial clashes of 13 May 1969. I was born a year after. And yet, throughout my childhood and into my adulthood, just mentioning “13 May” evoked whispered warnings and an unnameable fear. What is it about 13 May that gives rise to fear and suspicion that fellow Malaysians might re-enact […]
The need for access to environmental information
Guest column by Sonia Randhawa
GIVEN the public opposition against Lynas Corporation‘s proposed rare earth processing plant in Pahang, it is timely to revisit the due process that is supposed to govern the inception of such projects. How did the public come to know about the project so late after federal approval had already been given for it? Can public […]
Yasmin Yusuff: Different but 100% Malaysian
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
(Corrected at 12:50pm, 6 June 2011) DATUK Yasmin Yusuff is one of Malaysia’s most well-known faces and voices. The former Miss Malaysia, who also won third prize for Best National Dress in the Miss Universe Pageant in 1978, is a recognisable voiceover, emcee, acting and hosting talent. She is also a well-loved voice on the […]
