IN the midst of Perak’s political crisis and public anger over A Kugan’s death, many might fail to note a significant upcoming event on 11 Feb 2009. This is the review of Malaysia’s human rights record by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council. It takes place between 2.30pm and 5.30pm Geneva time, or 9.30pm […]
Columns
Jeopardising the nation
By Clive Kessler“All great historical events happen twice — the first time as tragedy and the second, at times, as an unnecessary tragedy.” (A witticism offered with apologies to both Hegel and Marx) WHATEVER the impertinence, a comment by a not totally clueless outsider who holds Malaysia close in his attachments on the present constitutional crisis in Perak […]
Perak must not fail
By Wong Chin HuatCorrected 1.40pm, 7 Feb 2009 Signboard maker in Ipoh (© Alex Moi / flickr) A FAILED state is a state losing its ability to govern and exercise authority. Text-book examples include Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Afghanistan, countries that we would never compare Malaysia to. The Fund for Peace, a US think tank, listed 12 […]
When defections felled Sabah
By Yasmin MasidiAS I am writing this, the Perak state government is collapsing from the resignations of a crucial number of assemblypersons. By the time this column is published, we would have found out whether the state legislature is dissolved by the consent of the Sultan of Perak, and whether snap elections are called. I will not […]
A netizen revolution
By Cindy ThamI LEARNT a Swahili word recently: “Ushahidi.” It means “testimony”. It’s also the name of a crowdsourcing platform for people to post crisis information. People on the ground witnessing a crisis can send information about it through text messages on the mobile phone, e-mail or other web forms. Screenshot of Ushahidi Developed by Kenyan bloggers […]
Snap poll best bet
By Wong Chin HuatMALAYSIA’S political and economic stability now hangs on the developments in Perak. The Pakatan Rakyat state government has now effectively collapsed because it has lost four state assemblypersons. With the return of Bota state assemblyperson Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim to Umno, the Barisan Nasional (BN) now holds 28 seats — the same number as Pakatan Rakyat […]
Armageddon for beginners
By N Shashi Kala(© Kmitu / Dreamstime) NOW that we’ve started the year with a round of conflict and chaos that promises to escalate, soothsayers — some call them economists — are spinning out grimmer predictions. This got me thinking about the many doomsday predictions that have been made over the years. It seems like every decade or […]
Dirty Malay phrasebook!
By Zedeck SiewTHIS gem was spotted on the blog of one Anthony Monteiro, the sadly underappreciated Malaysian art critic. He wrote it in November 2008, but recent events have made the subject more topical than ever, so he has consented to my reproducing his work here: (Source: Wikipedia) You probably know the British sextet Monty Python, whether […]
BN will not win from Perak defections
By Wong Chin HuatEVENTS are moving so fast in Perak that by the time this column is published, the Barisan Nasional (BN) may be in control of the state legislative assembly if there are enough defections to its side from Pakatan Rakyat. Even though the two Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives who were tipped to cross over to the […]
Kisah pengharaman Rihanna
Oleh Shanon ShahRihanna (© LeeLeeLu / Flickr)LINKIN Park, Avril Lavigne, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, dan Inul Daratista — apakah persamaan antara artis-artis ini? Jawapannya: Dewan Pemuda PAS telah dan sedang cuba mengharamkan konsert mereka di Malaysia. Terkini, Dewan Pemuda PAS Wilayah Persekutuan menggesa pihak berkuasa supaya membatalkan permit persembahan untuk konsert Rihanna pada 13 Feb 2009. Pada bulan […]
