RANDOM, general observations about covering by-elections since March 2008: There has been a lack of substantive campaign issues. Umno always plays the race and religion card, and thinks prosperity and development are the only things that will make everyone happy. Of the eight by-elections in the past 18 months, I think the Kuala Terengganu by-election […]
Columns
The truth is out there!
By Zedeck SiewEditor’s note: On 23 Aug 2009, a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Nuri that was en route from Sungai Besi Airbase to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on a routine flight crashed in an oil palm plantation in Sepang. There were no survivors, and military authorities have insisted that recovered remains were “too damaged for identification”. […]
Tales from a Councillor: Taps
By KW MakTHIS instalment of Ampersand is on my experiences dealing with issues unrelated to my work as a councillor, but which get directed to me anyway. As always, there are no morals behind these stories, save the ones readers chose to interpret for themselves. Bath and taxes The call for maghrib prayers was still resounding when […]
A(H1N1): Still under control
By Dr David KL QuekWHAT are the current and potential problems doctors might be facing in combating the spread of the swine flu? It would be good if every doctor kept a constant and close tab on the H1N1 pandemic, and remained fully aware of the developments and changes, which are evolving daily. Logging on to the internet regularly […]
Will the police respect opposition?
By Azril Mohd AminA PRIMARY principle of democratic government that can and should be imported into the Muslim ummah is self-regulation by means of dialogue with opposition and political parties. Political opposition, accomplished through the right channel and by reasonable means, is not the same as “sedition”. Therefore, blogs and other forms of detraction from majority party views […]
Sodomy laws: A British import
By Shanon ShahPortrait of Henry VIII (public domain, Wiki Commons) TO understand the origins of Malaysia’s sodomy laws, a short trip down British history is required. Henry VIII (1491-1547), the most handsome man in all of Christendom, tried for some years to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. A spectacular and violent […]
Not just 1Malaysia, but 15Malaysia
By Cindy ThamWHAT does it take for a non-Muslim to apply for an Islamic bank account in Malaysia? Ho Yuhang’s short film, Potong Saga, offers a comical exaggeration of one community’s misguided assumptions. In one scene, the protagonist played by Namewee nervously contemplates the sacrifice he assumes he has to make to qualify for the bank account, […]
Utusan Malaysia and 1Malaysia
By Wong Chin HuatIF newspapers could be judged by their titles like books by their covers, most of the major Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia would be guilty of not being “national” in character. Some of their names simply refer to a wider region like Oriental Daily (the East) and Nanyang Press (Southeast Asia, or literally the South Ocean). […]
1Malaysia and citizenship
By Dr Chandra Muzaffar(Source: Wiki Commons) SINCE 1Malaysia accords with the Malaysian constitution, what are some of the constitution’s main principles that can help to promote the idea? Is citizenship one such principle? The concept of common citizenship contained in the constitution is one of the most solid foundations for the creation of a united, integrated nation, a […]
Tales from a Councillor:
Chicken Rice Wars and The Thin Yellow Line
By KW MakIN this exciting episode of Ampersand, I would like to share some of my experiences as a councillor. There are no morals behind these stories save the ones readers chose to draw for themselves. Chicken rice It was almost 11pm when I finally wrapped up a meeting with a group of residents one night. Having […]
