(Pic by hinks / sxc.hu) POLICE reports, bullets in the mail, angry protests and police interrogations. These are threats that have been expressed and carried out against individuals who have commented and criticised the monarchical heads in Malaysia. The monarchy appears to have garnered more media attention as newsmakers and opinion leaders in the last […]
Convoluted Perak crisis
Pictures by Wong Shu Qi
ON 3 March 2009, the Perak state assembly convened an “emergency sitting” under a tree about 100m away from the state secretariat building. The sitting, called by assembly Speaker V Sivakumar, was held at 10.20am in an open car park after police blocked assemblypersons from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) from entering the Perak Darul Ridzuan […]
MCA at crossroads
Translation by Leong Lai MingCrossroads (© LostMyHeadache / Flickr) FOR the week of 23 Feb to 1 Mar 2009, the Chinese media highlighted the rumours of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in the MCA; the reversal of the toll hike scheduled for 1 March; and Umno Youth’s mob attack on Karpal Singh in Parliament. Internal crisis A commentary by […]
Ramasamy-Samy Vellu spat
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananFrom 23 Feb to 1 March 2009, the Tamil press focused on, among others, the war of words between MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu and Penang Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P Ramasamy from the DAP. War of words During the week, a fiery war of words erupted between Samy Vellu and […]
Preoccupied with sex
Translation by Zedeck SiewINATTENTIVE wives, horny teenagers, Umno’s upcoming polls, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s bad image, and the Arab siege on Malay culture were some of the issues covered by the traditional Malay-language press from 23 Feb to 1 March 2009. “Misguided” sexual practices Moral outrage over “unnatural” sexual practices make for striking headlines. The cover story […]
Agitating Malay Muslims
By Shanon ShahOVER the past year, several Malay-Muslim groups have been in the headlines. From lawsuits filed against the DAP’s Teresa Kok for allegedly insulting Islam, to campaigns responding to the crisis in Gaza, the defence of Islam and Malay rights has occuppied the national attention, sometimes in frightening ways. Just what are these groups about? What […]
“Speaker can call state assembly sitting”
By Tommy ThomasI HAVE been asked to advise whether the Speaker of the Perak legislative assembly was entitled in law to convene the legislative assembly on 3 March 2009. Ultimately, the issue turns on whether the last meeting of the assembly in November 2008 was prorogued (“diberhentikan”) or adjourned (“ditangguhkan”). If it was prorogued, only the Sultan […]
Police should not limit responsibilities, says Karpal
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 MARCH 2009: DAP chairperson Karpal Singh said today that even though Parliament has its own security force, police should not limit their responsibilities to only beyond the grounds of Parliament. The Bukit Gelugor Member of Parliament said, “As long as something happens outside the chamber, it is the duty of the police […]
Security beefed up in Parliament
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 MARCH 2009: Security has been tightened in Parliament following the fracas on 26 Feb involving DAP chairperson Karpal Singh and a group of individuals. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the move was taken to prevent a repeat of the incident. “It has never happened […]
New judge to hear Nizar-Zambry battle
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 MARCH 2009: Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin’s judicial review application to challenge the legitimacy of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as Perak menteri besar will be heard before another High Court judge on 3 March. The case is fixed before High Court (Special Powers and Appellate) Court judge Lau Bee Lan, six […]
