(Keyhole image by Craig Jewell; bedroom image by Lillian Nelson; source: sxc.hu) ONCE again, privacy — or the invasion of privacy, to be precise — has become the subject of debate in Malaysian politics. Behind the morality and moralising that we hear from certain conservative quarters lies something more insidious, which is the call for […]
Columns
The politics of decency
By Wong Chin Huat(Pic by striatic / Flickr) LET’S get something straight. What has happened to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s Selangor state assemblyperson for Bukit Lanjan, Elizabeth Wong, is nothing unprecedented or unimaginable. All you need to do to potentially get your nude pictures circulated is to share your private life with a person who could one day […]
Talk is cheap
By N Shashi Kala(Background image © NMedia / Dreamstime; webcams © Andres Rodriguez / Dreamstime) KARL Marx wrote that human beings are intrinsically, necessarily and by definition social beings who, beyond being “gregarious creatures”, cannot survive and meet their needs other than through social cooperation and association. Yes, we are social creatures; we like to talk and interact […]
Puisi untuk Perak
Oleh Shanon ShahKEMELUT politik di Perak telah mencetuskan pelbagai reaksi: marah, takut, terhina, tidak percaya, “padan muka”, riak, dan sebagainya. Ada yang sanggup meluahkan perasaan ini dengan cara menyerang pemimpin-pemimpin yang terlibat secara peribadi. Puak yang pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) mengecam Menteri Besar Perak yang asal, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, sebagai pengkhianat dan penderhaka kerana enggan melepaskan […]
For the love of the sultan
By Wong Chin HuatSultan Azlan Shah (Source: sultan.perak.gov.my) AS in most other monarchies, Malaysians have been taught to love king and country. But rarely have we asked or been told why. This appeared to be okay until innocence was lost. For some of us, this occurred during the recent Perak crisis; for others, it could have occurred earlier. […]
Who’s afraid of the rakyat?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinONE of the most lucid things I’ve read above the din of the political fiasco in Perak is Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s statement about respecting Sultan Azlan Shah’s decision. Following the Perak Ruler’s decision, the PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar, who is himself of royal lineage, said, “I don’t question the […]
Islamic authorities in crisis?
By Shanon ShahWHEN the National Fatwa Council issued two successive fatwas in late 2008 banning tomboys and yoga, outcry from the Malaysian public was palpable. Tomboys sneered, youth collectives protested, and Muslim yoga practitioners posed in defence. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the National Fatwa Council, and even Inspector General of […]
Commodified elected reps
By KW MakTHE joke in town now is that everyone should join the political parties DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) for a RM10 fee, run for office, and then wait for the big payoff. Both parties deserve to be the butt of such jokes since the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak was due […]
Pakatan Rakyat beyond Anwar
By Wong Chin HuatWHAT is the honourable thing for political leaders to do when they lead their party on the wrong path and land the party in trouble? Resign. That was the demand made of MCA’s Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and MIC’s Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu when their parties’ parliamentary seats were reduced by more than […]
Blind loyalty?
By Dr Farish A NoorAS if it was not bad enough that Malaysia has been overrun by an outbreak of frogs — like a scene from some Biblical catastrophe — we now have to stomach the spectacle of humbug heroes and demagogues as well. One is deeply distressed to read reports of conservative politicians and their followers crying […]
