Orang Asal at a September 2008 gathering in Kuala Lumpur IN an interview with The Nut Graph, Pribumi Perkasa Negara (Perkasa) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali was careful to mention that Perkasa wants affirmative action for all races. He was also careful to mention “native rights” in the same breath as Malay Malaysians. But despite the […]
Columns
Giving Orang Asli land
By Ding Jo-AnnCorrected at 12.50pm, 22 April 2010 Members of the Orang Asli community in Kampung Chang, Bidor, protesting for their land rights (File pic) “TANAH kami, maruah kami,” said banners at an Orang Asli protest in Putrajaya recently against changes to the policy affecting their land rights. Just three months ago, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri […]
The Election Commission’s secret
By Wong Chin HuatBallot box at the entrance of the Election Commission AS expected, the Election Commission (EC) said “no” to the idea of local elections mooted by the Penang and Selangor governments. Perhaps the EC is taking its cue from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is dead against “politicking“, the derogatory term for political competition. […]
Who is Najib Razak?
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(pic courtesy of theSun) IN just a week, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would have been prime minister of Malaysia for exactly a year. Twelve months down the line and all I really want to ask him is, “Will the real Najib please stand up?” After all, we know that the sixth premier of Malaysia is […]
Kak Nora disingkir!
Oleh Shanon ShahDi mana Kak Nora? (© vikush | sxc.hu) HIDUP saya sudah porak-peranda, hati saya gundah-gulana, dan fikiran saya haru-biru. Selama beberapa minggu kebelakangan ini, saya melayari laman TepiKain.com.my untuk sajian terkini daripada penulis pujaan saya, Kak Nora, tetapi hampa. Mula-mula saya fikir Kak Nora cuti, jadi dia berehat seketika daripada kolum nasihatnya. Apabila tulisan Kak […]
In Geli we trust?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinScreenshot of Geli’s Facebook accountTHERE’s a new movement in town and it seems all set to change the political landscape. Gerakan Anti-Liwat is barely a couple of weeks old. But with a Malay acronym like Geli, it’s hard not to be tickled by this latest of citizen initiatives to keep society’s morals on the straight […]
Debunking “politicking”
By Wong Chin HuatMY previous column, which analysed the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s aversion to local government elections, drew one particular reader’s comment that amazed me. KIM GAN wrote: “To avoid the politicking that may impinge on racial [sensitivities], perhaps the campaigning can be minimal and voting can be carried out electronically through the net, sanctioned and monitored by […]
Illusory freedom of assembly
By Ding Jo-AnnTHE police broke up two “illegal” gatherings recently, threatening once again citizens’ constitutional right to peaceably assemble. On 6 Mar 2010, police clambered onstage at a DAP-organised dinner to announce that the “ceramah” was over, as no permit had been given for speeches. On 8 Mar 2010, they stopped a Pakatan Rakyat event midway at […]
How MBPJ got it wrong
By KW Mak(Pic by moth / Dreamstime) IN the previous instalment of Ampersand, I established that there is a discrepancy between the deposited plan for Petaling Jaya (PJ) and the on-the-ground development in the city. Specifically, I highlighted that areas marked as open space in the deposited plan are now built over with commercial development. In this […]
Towards a liberal Malaysia
By Keith LeongLIBERALISM, or rather, what some would have us believe is liberalism, has been accused as the source of all sorts of wickedness and chicanery from sexual immorality to high treason. But what is liberalism really, especially in the Malaysian context? Can Malaysia be considered liberal at the moment? Is there such a thing as Malaysian […]
