Map of Malaya (Source: britishempire.co.uk) LOOKING forward, at the conclusion of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka’s recent Prof Syed Hussein Alatas Memorial Seminar, to Merdeka Day, the Raja Muda of Perak recalled another anniversary. On the threshold of independence on 5 Aug 1957, the Malay rulers issued a declaration, their last political testament before the […]
Columns
Baca label dulu?
Oleh Shanon ShahBILA saya berumur tujuh tahun, ibu kepada rakan sekelas saya amat terhibur mendengar saya berceloteh dalam bahasa Hokkien dengan anaknya. “Kamu ini orang (bangsa) apa?” dia bertanya dalam bahasa Hokkien. “Saya ini orang putih (Inggeris),” saya menjawab. Dia tertawa terbahak-bahak. Tapi saya serius! Benar, saya boleh berbahasa Malaysia dan Hokkien, tetapi saya bertutur dengan ibu […]
Who wants a united Malaysia?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinTM ad as featured in Berita Harian, August 2009 I DON’T know about anyone else, but I’m confused about whether our political leaders, from both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), really want national unity as they claim. Predictably, ever since the prime minister announced the ideals of 1Malaysia, we’ve had a […]
Politicising personal morals
By Deborah LohOF all the things to politicise out of Teoh Beng Hock‘s death, why touch his fiancée and his unborn child? This is what has happened, after it emerged that Soh Cher Wei was two months’ pregnant and wanted to register Teoh as her child’s father. Wanita MCA then issued a public statement asking the National […]
Malaysia, my only home?
By Hwa Yue-Yi(Malaysian flag by Matt Trommer / Dreamstime) IN a July 2009 dialogue with Malaysian professionals and company representatives in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak attributed Malaysia’s chronic brain drain to uncompetitive wages for professionals. If he is correct, then so are scores of exasperated blogs and hackneyed news articles. Nevertheless, his statement […]
“I am an extremist”
By Wong Chin HuatJeff Ooi (Pic by Joi Ito / Wiki commons)I AM an extremist because I am a friend of Jemaah Islah Malaysia (JIM). In his capacity as the chief of staff for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP’s Jelutong Member of Parliament Jeff Ooi had called for Parti Keadilan Rakyat member Mohd Razali Abdullah to […]
Use the internet wisely!
By Zedeck SiewTHE recently unveiled website of Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor was designed to gift Malaysians with the opportunity to get to know our dear first lady better: “As a wife, I always accompany the Prime Minister to official functions … We feel that it is a very good idea so that people will be able […]
Storm in a beer mug
By William JK Leong(lusi / sxc.hu) STATE PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hassan Ali recently criticised DAP member Ronnie Liu for disputing the Shah Alam Municipal Council’s seizure of beer sold by a convenience store. Hassan said Selangor PAS supported banning the sale of alcoholic drinks in convenience stores in Muslim-majority areas, and that PAS would come out with […]
PAS and the alcohol ban
By Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria(lusi / sxc.hu) PAS‘s move to implement a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol in all Muslim-majority areas in Selangor has now given us an opportunity to draw up guidelines on alcohol sale. While their call for a ban might seem drastic, it must not be viewed from a moralistic or from only an […]
Chaos in the streets
By Teo Nie ChingTraffic jam in KL city (Pic courtesy of Merdeka Review) 1 AUG 2009 was a nightmare for Klang Valley residents. Once peaceful streets — what many rightfully expected on a Saturday — were gridlocked in massive jams caused by police roadblocks all over Kuala Lumpur. Many were trapped in the horrendous traffic. Those who did […]
