Updated at 1:05pm, 12 March 2010 IN the first two articles about town planning, I dealt with planning that was done after Petaling Jaya (PJ) was founded. However, it is important to note that PJ was developed in 1952. This is significant because PJ’s founding clearly predates the legal provisions that the state government or […]
Columns
Why is the BN against local elections?
By Wong Chin HuatAT least on the surface, the Barisan Nasional (BN) agrees with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) on two things: ethno-religious inclusion and governmental reforms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia and Government Transformation Programme are basically the BN’s answer to the PR’s ketuanan rakyat and “competency, accountability and transparency“. But the two coalitions now differ […]
Spotlight on party democracy
By Shanon ShahIs Malaysia on the way to becoming more democratic? (© flydime | Flickr) IT has now been two full years since the historic March 2008 elections in Malaysia. But during this period, what have Malaysians actually learnt about the nature of democracy? Is Malaysia on the way to becoming more democratic? Citizens can use several […]
Hikayat pemansuhan pilihanraya sekolah
Oleh Shanon ShahENTAH bagaimana saya terjumpa segulung kertas lama di rumah saya. Di manakah saya mendapatnya? Tidak mungkin saya membelinya di kedai buku dan terlupa — kertasnya terlalu tua. Mungkinkah saya terbawa pulang setelah saya melawat Lembah Bujang di Kedah tahun 2009 lalu? Apa-apa pun, saya terlalulah tertarik dengan apa yang tertulis di atas kertas yang semakin […]
The price of speaking up
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(Pic by circo de invierno @ Flickr) CONSIDER this. Despite the available evidence of Al Islam‘s unethical undercover report in which the magazine’s Muslim journalist spat out the holy communion to photograph, no action is going to be taken. The Attorney-General’s Chambers decided this despite the police reports and a memorandum lodged by Catholics about […]
Who speaks for Islam?
By Deborah LohCAN non-Muslims speak about Islam? For that matter, can faithful, practising but non-scholarly Muslims, or Muslim women, or Muslim human rights activists, speak about Islam? As long as the fundamentals of Islam are given due respect, can’t there be room for comment or to express concern about aspects in the implementation of Islamic law, which, […]
Mission: Democratisation
By Wong Chin HuatI HAVE no doubt that a two-party system is better than the one-party state we currently live in. However, what is desirable is not necessarily viable. As I have argued, blind faith in the feasibility of a two-party system may lead to either one-party predominance (under the Barisan Nasional [BN] or Pakatan Rakyat [PR]), or […]
Farewell to Kakiseni and the Cammies
By Nick ChooTHIS year will mark the eighth, and final, Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, an annual event highlighting and acknowledging the achievements of Malaysian artists and performing groups. The Cammies, as the awards are fondly called, honour arts practitioners for achievements within the categories of dance, music, theatre and musical theatre. The awards have to close because […]
BN’s whipping quandary
By Ding Jo-AnnDigging…and digging…and digging THE big hole our government found themselves in after Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to caning for drinking alcohol has just gotten bigger. Stuck between pleasing those who thought moral offenders deserved caning and outraged human rights groups as well as the international community, the government decided to cane three other […]
Can bleeding women lead?
By Farish Noor“The more women gain equality, the more men run to football”— Feminist slogan painted in the streets of London, 1997. A SELF-PROCLAIMED religious ideologue once wrote about why women could not and should not be allowed to have the same roles and jobs as men. I shan’t get into the details of the book (I’ve […]
