IT never goes down well, leaders telling citizens how to manage their finances. Especially when the public are more familiar with leaders who live lavish lifestyles than with those who live humbly. The latest advice to the urban masses is that living on RM3,000 a month is “manageable”, provided one stops subscribing to Astro and […]
Columns
Will a media council work?
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
IN the interest of media freedom, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin recently stepped up to the plate in Parliament by calling for the abolishment of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). Khairy advocated the setting up of a national media council and for the media to be allowed to self-regulate without government interference. The […]
Taking on the army
Guest Column by Khairy Jamaluddin
I’VE always wanted to join the army. I remember telling my parents as a teenager that I wanted to be a soldier. Maybe it was initially a boys-with-guns thing, or later, a higher calling to serve the nation … A few months ago, I met General Shahrom, Commander of the 508 Regiment of the Malaysian Territorial Army or Rejimen Askar Wataniah. He had heard of my interest and wanted to get me involved in his Negeri Sembilan-based regiment.
NEP: A historical mistake
Uncommon Sense by Wong Chin Huat
Updated 12.55pm, 16 June 2010 THE greatest political myth in Malaysia is that Malay Malaysians and other bumiputera owe their success or improved living standards to three things: the New Economic Policy (NEP), Umno and the 13 May 1969 clashes. Without 13 May, Umno would not have been resurrected and obviously, there would not be […]
How MBPJ flouts the law
Ampersand by KW Mak
THE problems of poor and uncoordinated town planning were identified and recognised way back in 2005 when the Federal Town and Country Planning Department produced the National Physical Plan (NPP). The NPP was produced after town planning, which was to be dealt with in state and local plans, ended up being unguided and not in […]
Nasihat tentang Piala Dunia
Secubit Garam oleh Shanon Shah
TEMPOH hari, saya tengah melayari internet mencari ilham untuk kolum saya. Saya ingin menulis tentang Piala Dunia Fifa di Afrika Selatan sebab saya memang tidak pernah cuba menulis tentang isu sukan. Bukankah perkembangan dalam dunia sukan juga merangkumi kepentingan umum? Macam biasa, saya merujuk kepada kolumnis nasihat pujaan saya, Kak Nora. Rupa-rupanya Kak Nora kali […]
Getting emotional about Palestine
Ventings by Marina Mahathir
ON whichever side we may be on, it seems almost impossible not to be emotional about the Palestinian issue. The sources of these emotions may vary, from identification either with the Palestinian or Israeli side, or simply from the sheer frustration at the unjustness of the situation. What’s clear is that amidst the emotion, there is a lot of fuzziness about the real issues, and much inconsistency on principles.
Candy floss for government rules
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
ON the night of 29 May 2010, I was at Alexis Ampang in Kuala Lumpur for dinner and a performance by my colleague Shanon Shah. Curiously, after 10pm, the other patrons in the air-conditioned restaurant started lighting up. My friends, one of whom was a cancer survivor, complained to the restaurant. Didn’t the law stipulate […]
Art that entertains and educates
Merely Playing by Nick Choo
SINCE 2003, I have been involved in the Children’s Theatre course at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. Each year, Associate Professor Dr Jenny de Reuck coordinates a unit that trains students in the various aspects of putting on a theatre production, which she also writes and directs. The objective is to teach not just […]
Sex, honestly
Sideways by Deborah Loh
WAS it wrong for award-winning school teacher Alias Ismail to be so upfront about his sex life? When asked for the secret of his career success, he credited reading a book with his wife, having a good conversation, and then having sex before going to sleep. Every night, apparently. Was it shameful for the 42-year-old […]
