The Nut Graph
Making Sense of Politics & Pop Culture
PENANG was the first to launch the No Plastic Bag Day campaign in July 2009. Selangor launched its own campaign after that. Subsequently, the Miri and Sibu municipal councils in Sarawak, as well as Kota Kinabalu city hall and six other districts in Sabah announced similar campaigns.
How effective are these campaigns? Can they really help save the planet? And what can be done to make these campaigns more popular?
CONFLICTING statements on the New Economic Policy (NEP) from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, CIMB chief executive officer Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali. Nazir has frequently called for a review of the NEP; Najib has made about-turns on the issue of abolishing the policy, while Ibrahim wants it retained.
THE Penan Support Group (PSG) is appalled that Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Heng Seai Kie has refuted the findings in the PSG’s mission report uncovering more cases of rape and sexual exploitation among the Penan. Heng cited minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s “fact-finding mission” on 13 July to the Baram region […]
KETEREH Member of Parliament (MP) Ab Aziz Ab Kadir’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. Name: Ab Aziz Ab Kadir Constituency: Ketereh Party: PKR Years as MP: Since 2008 Government position: None Party position: None Membership in parliamentary committees or caucus: None Blog/Website: None Original […]
WE know that Senator Ezam Mohd Nor was diverting from the real issue when he commented on the story about foreign workers at the new Istana Negara construction site allegedly not being paid their wages. He turned what was really a human rights issue and possible labour law violation into a case of undermining the monarchy. What is more important than Ezam’s rhetoric is that once again, an authority tasked with protecting people, the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), is disregarded.
The status of Public Service Department scholarships has changed three times within a month, from one minister saying there were insufficient funds, to another saying it would not be a problem to source for additional funding. So what’s the real deal with JPA scholarships?
KUALA LUMPUR, 13 July 2010: The Barisan Nasional (BN) will continue to rule Sarawak for at least two more state elections, said a Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) political scientist. Citing the latest Merdeka Center for Opinion Research poll on Malaysian political values, Faisal S Hazis said the perception that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) could take […]
THE following Member of Parliament (MP) has not replied to the six questions under MP Watch: Eye on Parliament as of 9 July 2010, the end of a two-week deadline. His response will be updated if and when he replies. Name: Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis; constituency: Rompin.
WHOM should the media be accountable to – the public or the government? Judging from the Home Ministry’s refusal to renew the permit of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) newspaper Suara Keadilan, it appears the government is still intent on making the media answerable to it. The ministry was apparently “not satisfied” with Suara Keadilan’s response […]
FED up with humans and their politics, I write today about animals. Unlike our politics, which goes in circles based on tit-for-tat rhetoric and racial fear-mongering, there has been real progress in wildlife conservation. Soon we will have a new law that some wildlife protection groups say is the best they’ve seen in a long […]
