(Source: openclipart.org) WHAT possessed them? That’s the question I’d like to ask the protesters who desecrated a cow head on 28 Aug 2009 after Friday prayers to object the building of a Hindu temple in Section 23, Shah Alam. We know that it’s not Islam that teaches intolerance of and disrespect toward other religious beliefs, […]
Columns
Different takes on Merdeka
By Cindy ThamTHE long weekend was a good opportunity to catch up with friends over a meal or drinks. Over breakfast on the eve of Merdeka Day, some friends chatted about the constitution the nation never had: the People’s Constitution, which was drafted 10 years before Malaya gained independence from British rule on 31 Aug 1957. (Pic […]
Walls
By Wong Chin HuatPEOPLE could be forgiven when watching the prime minister’s Merdeka address if they thought they had travelled back in time to 22 years ago and mistook Datuk Seri Najib Razak for Ronald Reagan. Reagan, the then US President, had urged Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Well done for the […]
Working with PAS
By Boon Kia MengThe writer (right) distributing leaflets while on a walkabout in Permatang Pasir (Pic courtesy of Boon Kia Meng) MUCH has been said and countless analyses have been made since PAS beat Umno in the recent Permatang Pasir by-election by a majority of 4,551 votes. Statistics and results can often be used to spin different narratives […]
Preventing neighbourhood strife
By KW Mak(Source: solsearch.us) FROM the sale of beer to the protest against the construction of a Hindu temple within a Muslim majority area, there seems to be no shortage of issues where the demands of one ethnic group are pitted against another. When such conflicts happen, the call for the police to take action against the […]
Sex and the constitution
By Marina Mahathir(Source: nassaulibrary.org) IN mid-August 2009, the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) took place. Amid discussions on medical, biological, funding and governance issues, there was a very healthy track packed with much debate — as well as much angst — about human rights issues. The idea that human rights is […]
PAS tunjuk belang
Oleh Shanon ShahMENURUT Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, Ketua Pemuda PAS, konsert Michael Learns to Rock pada 5 Sept 2009 kelak “akan membawa umat leka dan lalai malah merosakkan moral dan akhlak mereka”. Daripada ayat ini saja, saya sudah boleh agak yang tidak ada sesiapa pun dalam Pemuda PAS yang pernah mendengar lagu Michael Learns to Rock. Bagi saya, […]
Who wants 1Malaysia?
By Marion D'CruzI REALLY do not want 1Malaysia. The idea scares me. And I certainly do not want unity as suggested by the powers-that-be. In fact, “unity” is really an extremely dated, superficial and abstract concept — a “nice” word that means nothing in real terms. “Unity in Diversity“, “mutual trust and respect” — these are all […]
The Nut Graph‘s Merdeka Awards
By The Nut Graph teamIT’S Ramadan, yet another by-election has passed, and we are now on the eve of the 52nd anniversary of the declaration of Independence by Tunku Abdul Rahman. For The Nut Graph, this moment is tender and special, because the Merdeka month this year also marks the first anniversary of our publication. And so, we have […]
Can PAS manage victory?
By Wong Chin HuatPAS supporters on nomination day, 17 Aug 2009 (Pic courtesy of theSun) THE Permatang Pasir by-election was an unquestionable success for PAS and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). PAS’s share of the total votes cast, excluding spoilt votes, went from 66.39% in the March 2008 elections to 65.50% — a drop of barely 1%. The reduction […]
