The merry-go-round in Kuala Terengganu’s Islam Hadhari theme park THE Kuala Terengganu by-election, which has to be called following the death of its Member of Parliament Datuk Razali Ismail from the Barisan Nasional (BN), will be held on 17 Jan 2009, with nomination day falling on 6 Jan. The parliamentary seat is one of the […]
Columns
Challenges in Kuala Terengganu
By Ong Kian MingCorrected on 8 Dec 2008 at 1.00pm The architecture for the Crystal Mosque in Kuala Terengganu’s Islamic Heritage Park has some Chinese characteristics (Pic by Danny Lim) BY-ELECTIONS, either at the state or parliamentary level, receive national attention because they are often seen as bellwethers of the political climate. The upcoming Kuala Terengganu by-election, which […]
The constitutional right to unbelief
By Hafidz BaharomTHE Rukunegara‘s first principle emphasises belief in God, in case anyone has forgotten. In our Federal Constitution, Article 11 upholds freedom of religion. Personally, I view both items to be out of touch with the rakyat of today. During a recent roundtable on the future of this country, I said that as a democracy, Malaysia […]
Myth-makers in our midst
By Jacqueline Ann SurinONE of the common beliefs I sometimes grazed against as a child in a Catholic family was that menstruating women were unclean, and hence unfit to serve in church. It didn’t matter that this belief contradicted what I had learnt from catechism about how God made everything. Including, I presumed, the female body and all […]
Blogging the Mumbai attacks
By Cindy Tham(© Rodolfo Clix / sxc.hu) SOCIAL networking sites and blogs already bustle with messages and images on normal days. Last week, traffic shot up, as eyewitnesses posted gruesome reports on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on 26 Nov 2008. Other than going to the websites of news organisations for the latest reports and other […]
Art’s sketchy existence in schools
By Ooi Ying NeeStudents at Chua Chong Yong’s art workshop (pic courtesy of Cais Project) ART and creativity are no longer the dominions of the bohemians or the elite. Increasingly, countries like Malaysia and Singapore are acknowledging that creativity has a direct economic manifestation — the creative industries — and are incorporating it into the economic agenda. The […]
8 March &mdash just a fluke?
By Wong Chin HuatNine months have passed since Malaysia’s sea-changing March elections (pic by Lainie Yeoh) MONDAY, 8 Dec 2008, will mark nine months after the supposedly sea-changing 8 March elections. This author, however, is getting increasingly confused in his interactions with opposition leaders and supporters. This is the confusion: was the general election an indicator of the […]
Getting graphic about rights
By N Shashi KalaGraphic novel cover for V For VendettaTHE first graphic novel I ever read was V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. This seminal work was first collected and published in this format in the late 1980s by DC Comics’s Vertigo imprint. Set in a dystopian future in Britain, it pits an anarchist, known by his codename, […]
Should Malaysians be afraid?
By Yasmin MasidiLORD Devlin’s axiom that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is one that is taken for fact these days. For good reasons, too: reams of writing have been expended on the need for checks and balances in any system of governance, democratic or otherwise. What is less often talked about, at least in a […]
Foreigners threaten our country!
By Zedeck SiewSINCE February, I have been on the mailing list for Malaysia Untuk Malaysia (MUM), an anti-immigration and community safety non-governmental organisation. From their email exchanges, however, you’d think they were more of a social club. Not surprising, since their membership base is largely Klang Valley-centered, and seems comprised of white-collar professionals with families. As the […]
