THE tussle over whether Kelantan should be paid oil royalty is yet another example of politicians’ partisan childishness in their public discussion of issues. Instead of laying out the facts and law objectively and comprehensively, our politicians seem more focused on outdoing each other, leaving the public in a haze of rhetoric and factional discourse. […]
Syariah law galore
By Shanon ShahKartika WHEN the Kuantan Syariah High Court sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to six lashes of the cane and a fine of RM5,000 for drinking alcohol, some Malaysians were shocked. But many others were not, simply because Malaysians know that there is a separate law for Muslims in Malaysia — syariah law. The syariah legal […]
Police stats needed for crime prevention initiative
By Deborah LohPETALING JAYA, 14 Dec 2009: MalaysiaCrime, possibly the first local crime-mapping website, is hoping to get official crime data from the police to arm the public with information on crime patterns in their neighbourhoods. However, the Home Ministry has yet to give its official approval to let police share data with the website developers. Online […]
Double-standard policing
By Ding Jo-AnnCorrected at 3.40pm on 11 Dec 2009 PETALING JAYA, 10 Dec 2009: Foreigners who enter the country to give talks require professional passes from the Immigration Department, the police confirmed today. Event organisers are required to apply for a professional visit pass or Pas Ikhtisas before invited international guests could speak at events, the police […]
Citizen-led actions at COP15
By Gan Pei Ling
ANYONE who thought that the current United Nations (UN) climate negotiations in Copenhagen were just about people in suits talking gibberish (UN speak) would be surprised by the colourful actions at Bella Center. The centre is where the 15th UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) is being held until 18 Dec 2009. Environmental activists, youths, indigenous […]
The truth about secrets
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(Pic by Kriss Szkurlatowski / sxc.hu) TWO weeks ago, I could not help feeling that there was little difference between the Catholic Church and the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led federal government. Both these powerful institutions have one thing in common — both have cultivated a long-standing culture of secrets. With the church, the damage has been […]
Hope and homelessness
Compiled by Nick Choo
MARGINALISED to the edges of society, the homeless and urban poor have virtually no rights. The longstanding problems of poverty and homelessness in Malaysia will be highlighted in Homelessness, a photo exhibition presented by Amnesty International (AI) Malaysia. Above are selections from the exhibition. Homelessness is part of Write Up 4 Rights, a two-day letter-writing […]
Take back the tech!
By Cindy ThamCorrected at 3.20pm, 10 Dec 2009 MORE than 30 years ago, a candlelight procession of women marched through the streets of Belgium in 1976 to Take Back the Night. Women asserted their right to move in public places, during the day and particularly at night, without having to fear that they would be harassed, raped […]
“Just leave out skin”
By Ding Jo-AnnHANDS Percussion drumming group co-founder Eric Ch’ng, 33, has loved the sound of drums even as a young boy. “During Chinese New Year, once my brother and I hear the lion dance drums, we would run and run to follow the troupe and watch the show. My dad even bought us a lion head and […]
Horror movie does not reflect Christmas message
By the Christian Federation of MalaysiaTHE Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) strongly objects to the recent showing of the movie The Exorcist III by NTV7 on 5 Dec 2009 at 11pm, which was promoted by the network as a “Christmas Special”. The CFM, which represents the Christian community in Malaysia, views with disdain the decision of the network to broadcast […]
