(© Sophie / sxc.hu) DALAM abad ke-21 ini ramai orang menyangka bahawa penghambaabdian itu tidak wujud lagi. Jika ada pun, ia melibatkan bilangan kecil seperti pelacur dan pekerja yang dieksploitasi tanpa dibayar gaji atau dibayar upah sangat rendah, tidak memadai dengan beban kerjanya. Anggapan ini benar tetapi tidak menyeluruh. Menjadi hamba ini ada dua bentuk, […]
Columns
For Allah’s sake
By Jacqueline Ann SurinWHEN the Home Ministry forbids a non-Muslim group from saying “Allah”, then attempts to prevent it from publishing in Malay, the government is imposing more than a ban. In both instances, the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led government is forcefully applying exclusivity for both the pre-Islamic name for the Almighty and the national language. The BN does […]
Loving AirAsia
By Tony Pua(© Marja Flick-Buijs / sxc.hu) I AM unabashedly a fan of AirAsia, and what it has done not only for travel in Malaysia, but the entire region. A colleague of mine said if there’s anyone who deserves his datukship, it’s Datuk Tony Fernandes. AirAsia’s mantra, Now Everyone Can Fly, has really taken millions places, many […]
Will PAS turn blue?
By Wong Chin Huat(© Leofoo / Free Images Collection; source: mir.com.my) THE Kuala Terengganu by-election was a relief for many Pakatan Rakyat well-wishers. Not only did PAS win, it went all out to praise the DAP’s contribution to the campaign despite the latter’s failure to capture more Chinese Malaysian votes. PAS’s generosity is also notable given DAP national […]
How bazaar
By KW Mak(© How Wee Choon / Dreamstime) EACH festive season, the Petaling Jaya City Council, otherwise known by its Malay acronym MBPJ, gives out temporary licences to traders to sell festive goods in specially designated public car parks. This helps traders earn extra income, generate economic activity within the council’s borders, and add a festive cheer […]
The right to information
By Zedeck SiewLogo from CIJ’s FOI campaign (all pics courtesy of CIJ)WHILE freedom of information (FOI) is a formidable rallying cry today, its intricacies are frequently lost amid all the catch-phrase-slinging. We like the sound of the idea, but we are usually unaware of the details and implications, the ways in which this fundamental right can and […]
Harga agama
Oleh Fared Ayam dan Zahiril Adzim(© Elvis Santana / sxc.hu) SEBELUM membeli surat khabar, kita biasanya melihat-lihat sekali imbas tajuk-tajuk utama yang tertera di muka hadapannya. Dan pilihan kita biasanya akan lebih menjurus kepada akhbar-akhbar yang melaporkan berita-berita utama yang sedang hangat dihebahkan dan diperkatakan pada ketika itu. Tidak kiralah sama ada berita itu berkisar tentang hal-hal di dalam mahupun […]
Ruumz for more?
By Cindy ThamScreenshot of The Nut Graph‘s status update option in Facebook FOR many internet users, there’s a daily ritual that has to be attended to. Every morning, if these internet users are in Malaysia, they probably log on to Friendster, MySpace or Facebook. They update their status, basically whinging or declaring aloud a profound or whimsical […]
Airport tussle
By N Shashi KalaCarved pumpkin (© Michele L / sxc.hu) LIKE the pumpkin in Cinderella that transforms into a carriage, AirAsia Bhd and Sime Darby Bhd hope something equally fantastic will emerge from the plantation land in Labu, Negeri Sembilan. The unlikely pairing of the low cost carrier and the plantation conglomerate to build a new low cost […]
The KT boomerang
By Wong Chin HuatPERHAPS the most puzzling question in the recent Kuala Terengganu by-election is this: why did enthusiastic Chinese attendance at Pakatan Rakyat rallies not translate into votes? I personally saw Chinese Malaysians cheering, laughing, and clapping for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim every four minutes throughout his 40-minute “da ren, xiao ren” (great mind, little mind) speech […]
