Najib Razak (Public domain)DATUK Seri Najib Razak said it most aptly: the Barisan Nasional (BN) has to change, or it will be changed. Every component party in the coalition knows it only too well. Except for one. Umno itself. Umno does not need to overhaul its election machinery, media apparatus or selection of candidates. The […]
Graffiti: Artistic expressionism or vandalism?
By Khairil Anhar
GRAFFITI, derived from the Italian graffito — meaning unauthorised writing or drawing on a public surface or place — has a long history. From the earliest declarations of love and witty banter found in the Roman city of Pompeii in seventh-century BC, to the politically inclined statements that emerged in the United States in the […]
The science of invention
By N Shashi KalaWATCHING the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica the other day, I got hooked on what the Cylon rebels and Dr Baltar were up to. This got me thinking about the impact science-fiction series and books have had on our lives. A lot of stuff we take for granted made their appearances first in science-fiction books, […]
Appealing to a net audience
By Ng Boon HooiEMPLOYING the power of the internet is easier said than done. After the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s drubbing in the 8 March 2008 general election, the effective use of the internet by the opposition was identified as one of the reasons for the ruling parties’ losses. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise that BN leaders […]
Author of ‘Politik Baru YB J’ responds
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 21 OCT 2008: Datuk Chamil Wariya, author of the short story Politik Baru YB J in Mingguan Malaysia, said the piece was a fictitious account about racial politics and was not specifically about Seputeh Member of Parliament (MP) Teresa Kok. The veteran journalist told The Nut Graph in an exclusive interview that as […]
Books and politicians
By Hafidz BaharomWHAT’S the difference between a book and a politician? This was a question posed to me recently by a close friend after having one too many beers. Somehow, the mind gets more creative when it’s intoxicated. Well, I said the first major difference was that I find books interesting to read. From Bill Maher’s New […]
Seni ganas
Oleh Shanon ShahSEORANG pengkarya mempunyai kuasa untuk menghidupkan atau mematikan watak-watak tertentu. Kadang-kadang, dia mungkin gila kuasa sikit apabila berkarya. Mungkin dia menyimpan dendam terhadap cikgu sekolah rendah yang merotannya sampai punggungnya lebam. Tiba-tiba muncullah satu cerpen, atau drama televisyen, di mana watak seorang guru yang bengis tiba-tiba mati dihempap lori balak. Para penonton pasti puas hati, […]
MCA’s bold move for change
By Ng Boon Hooi and Deborah LohParty president Ong Tee Keat (centre) with his fellow leaders at the end of the assembly’s proceedings SIGNALLING the seriousness of their intent to reform the party, delegates to the just-concluded 55th MCA annual general assembly on 19 Oct voted for candidates they felt could deliver the goods. And now all eyes will be on […]
Historic MCA polls result in new leadership
By Deborah Loh and Ng Boon Hooi
THE 55th MCA annual general assembly on 18 Oct 2008 saw its hottest election in party history with a record number of candidates vying for top posts. The new party president is Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat, who beat former Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng with a 512 vote margin. This is Chua’s […]
Confronting road safety issues head-on
By Andrew KhooSomewhere in the archives of Filem Negara Malaysia is a short road-safety film. It features a policeman from the 1950s or perhaps early 1960s, in his knee-length shorts (khaki-coloured, but the film is in black and white). The policeman crosses a road in front of bicyclists who have stopped at a traffic light. As he passes them, he taps his truncheon on the front wheel of those bicycles that have crossed the white line on the road. He indicates for them to back up behind the white line. Indeed, in the film, bicyclists have to dismount at the traffic light. I think Datuk Suret Singh of the Road Safety Department should ask Filem Negara Malaysia for this gem of a road-safety message and play it on TV again…
