MANY a bored reader has sighed at the impression that there seems to be nothing of greater significance to report on than Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim‘s sodomy trial. But on some level, the proceedings of the trial — including the lurid details involving the de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader, his former aide […]
Columns
Saiful Bukhari: A “real” victim?
By Dahlia MartinAS often is in cases of sexual assault, the accuser in Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s second sodomy trial has been subjected to much public scrutiny. Media outlets and other Malaysians have combed through so many details of Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan’s private life. These range from details of his family and student life, […]
To donate or not to donate?
By Koh Lay ChinFOR some of us, a day without the internet would mean a day of semi-paralysis. We work and play, and learn and share news online. I shopped online this month for bus tickets, concert tickets and a book. But I have not donated a single sen to Haiti, even though watching videos of the earthquake […]
How democratic are political parties?
By Shanon ShahSINCE the watershed March 2008 elections, intra-party spats and power struggles have become the norm in Malaysia. These problems seem to be an equal opportunity malaise, affecting both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Do our political parties take and share power democratically? (© sanja gjenero | sxc.hu)It could just be that these […]
Perak: Losing confidence
By Ding Jo-AnnIT is a cardinal rule in the game of musical chairs that once someone has occupied a seat, no one else can validly sit in it. The Federal Court however, appears to think otherwise in declaring the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir the rightful Perak Menteri Besar. This is despite the […]
Should offensive ideas be penalised?
By Wong Chin HuatI AM offended by Datuk Nasir Safar‘s “beggars and sex-workers” remark about non-Malay Malaysians. But I would not agree with those who have called for him to be charged under the Sedition Act, detained without trial or stripped of his citizenship. I am therefore pleased by the sober voices of DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit […]
Nasihat tentang liwat
Oleh Shanon ShahMINGGU lepas, saya memang pening kepala mencari idea untuk kolum saya kali ini. Tiba-tiba, setelah berjam-jam melayari internet, saya terjumpa satu laman web baru, www.tepikain.com.my, yang berkisarkan hiburan, gaya hidup, dan kemusykilan agama. Saya tertarik dengan ruangan nasihat untuk minggu tersebut. Saya rasa baik saya muatkan semula di sini kandungan soalan utamanya, sebab ia mungkin […]
Using the ISA
By Jacqueline Ann SurinWho is being detained under the Internal Security Act? (Musa Hassan pic by Ridzuan Aziz | Wiki Commons) IMAGINE this. What if Teoh Beng Hock had been taken into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s custody for questioning and nobody had known? And then imagine this. What if A Kugan‘s arrest and detention was also a […]
Disability, sensitivity, and equality
By Deborah LohKarpal SinghTHERE was one awkward moment when I interviewed DAP national chairman Karpal Singh on 20 Jan 2010. He had not printed out the list of questions I had sent in advance, and wanted to see my list on a paper in front of me. He asked me to slide the paper across the table […]
Game over for Pakatan Rakyat?
By Wong Chin HuatGame over for Pakatan Rakyat? WHEN speculation is rife about the possible disintegration of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), not least via media reports, I cannot help but ask two questions: What could Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak possibly gain by this? And what weapons do parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the […]
