Wayang Rakyat at The Curve, 2007 (© Khoo Eng Yow) THE Malay word for “theatre” is “wayang”. But say the word “wayang” and the first thing many of us would associate it with is “kulit”. Small-scale, community-focused, traditional; of yellow lights and opaque screens; tinny voices, dalang and gamelan. Funny how the multifaceted nature of […]
Columns
Perempuan-perempuan pandai
Oleh Shanon ShahAlexis Bledel yang berwatak Rory Gilmore dari siri Gilmore Girls (© Ed Schipul / Flickr) BILA saya demam, saya suka tengok siri Gilmore Girls. Baru minggu lepas saya demam teruk sampai menggigil-gigil. Jadi saya pun terbongkanglah depan televisyen, menonton DVD Gilmore Girls dua hari berturut-turut. Untuk mereka yang tidak tahu, Gilmore Girls mengikuti perjalanan hidup […]
Are we coordinated over green?
By Koh Lay ChinTHEY say green is the new black. The buzzword of all buzzwords. The new philanthropy favoured by supermodels, Hollywood actors, politicians and that irritating friend living down your road. I’ve heard that it’s “in” to label anything green these days, and that the tendency to join the bandwagon is but a disingenuous public relations-centred […]
Keeping promises to communists
By Deborah LohIT’s not about giving sympathy. It’s about honouring an agreement. As I rode the bus back to Kuala Lumpur from Haadyai after covering Chin Peng‘s media conference on 30 Nov 2009 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary ceremony of the tripartite Haadyai Peace Agreements, I could not help thinking. I tried to wrap my head […]
When laws are flouted
By KW MakCorrected on 1 Dec 2009 at 11.45am A FUNCTIONING community is predicated on its members’ acceptance of the laws of the land, and the fact that these laws are applied fairly and justly to all. In a community such as a nation state, the custodian of these laws would be the various government agencies. But […]
Malaysia, the faithless lover
By Ding Jo-AnnWHEN it comes to international human rights obligations, the Malaysian government has behaved like a faithless lover: making promises to the world it never intended to keep. The banning of Sisters in Islam (SIS)’s book Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism, which is now being judicially reviewed in court, is a demonstration of […]
Making sense of COP15
By Cindy ThamPreparations for the conference are underway in Copenhagen (© Claus Starup / Bella Center A/S) THERE is already a flurry of heated debate and innovative awareness campaigns in the run-up to the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, which will be held in December 2009 in Denmark. Expect more as government officials, scientists, civil society […]
Defending Nik Aziz
By Hafidz BaharomNik Aziz I’M not a fan of Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat or his party, PAS. In fact, I am personally downright against PAS ever winning the federal or any state government. This is because what PAS stands for is not in line with my own liberal beliefs in terms of religious freedoms and […]
Musicals for mental health
By Nick ChooTHIS edition of Merely Playing belatedly commemorates World Mental Health Day, which falls annually on 10 Oct. According to an article in theSun, an estimated 450 million people around the world suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It added that in Malaysia, some 400,227 patients sought psychiatric help in government […]
Questioning the monarchy
By Rachel LeowConstruction site for the new Istana Negara (© Rachel Leow) IF you drive down Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur today, along the road that runs from the Sri Hartamas housing estate to the foot of the majestic Masjid Kuala Lumpur, most of the journey will be flanked on your right by a large temporary wall. […]
