(© Kevin Abbott / sxc.hu) THE controversy over the proposed RM1.6 billion gas pipeline running from Kimanis, Sabah to Bintulu, Sarawak illustrates a classic problem. It shows how, in a federated system of government, the power centre at the federal level can divide, rule, and exploit marginal outlying states. The project is huge. The offshore […]
Columns
Menjawab pempolitikan agama
Oleh Shanon Shah“KAMU asal dari mana?” tanya orang kulit putih itu. “Kanada,” jawab Kevin. “Bukan, bangsa kamu apa?” “Oh, saya orang Pakistan.” “Islam?” “Tak, saya orang Katolik.” “Bagus, sebab saya benci orang Islam.” Begitulah pengalaman seorang teman saya, Kevin, semasa bermastautin di Melbourne, Australia. Kevin marah dan terus meninggalkan majlis tersebut apabila mendengar kata-kata orang putih itu. […]
Tribute to Saudara Rajakumar
By Michael Jeyakumar DevarajI first met Saudara Dr MK Rajakumar in 1979 as a member of a group of medical students who met up with him for a discussion. He was then the president of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). What struck me then was his energy and enthusiasm. He challenged us to visit rural areas to understand […]
An inconvenient thought
By Andrew Khoo(© Jerome Bei / sxc.hu) IN Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (not to be mistaken with Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911), fire fighters are tasked with starting fires, not putting them out. More specifically, fire fighters are agents of the state charged with the burning of books. The destruction of knowledge. Books that would […]
L for lucky
By Amir MuhammadIt was all my fault, for not wearing luck-me shoes. Amir Muhammad is a writer, publisher and moviemaker who lives in Damansara, which is more of a state of mind than geography. Amir’s Alphabet will have 26 parts but will not be presented in order, as he was never a fan of the concept (or […]
Sexism in politics
By Marina MahathirIN October, I had posted on my blog my thoughts on Datuk Chamil Wariya’s despicable short story based on a character very similar to DAP Member of Parliament (MP) for Seputeh, Teresa Kok. I had wondered aloud whether there was a sexist element to recent incidents involving opposition MPs. Most of my commenters opined that […]
Five days in Tokyo
By Rahel Joseph(Images from Superfiction, 2008, Kodak Endura Paper, Roslisham Ismail aka Ise) EARLIER this year, artist Roslisham Ismail, more commonly known as Ise, presented a body of work entitled Superfiction. This work was the result of a two-week visit to Tokyo, courtesy of the Japan Foundation. Consisting of a video and photo-collage images of Tokyo’s cityscape, […]
Where is Anwar’s shadow cabinet?
By Wong Chin HuatSINCE the 8 March elections, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been dubbed a prime minister-in-waiting by many. This never happened with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Fadzil Noor, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, or Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah. Such recognition shows how far Malaysia has come in readying for an end to […]
BN reforms unconvincing thus far
By Tricia YeohDEPUTY Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak recently announced that companies seeking listing on Bursa Malaysia (Malaysian stock exchange) can offer the shares to the public should efforts to get the originally required 30% bumiputera equity participation fail. Subsequently, he stated that the race-based affirmative action policy would be gradually liberalised, but “at a pace Malaysia […]
Sejarah berpihak kepada yang menang
Oleh Rohana AriffinPADA 20 Okt 2008, pejuang nasionalis berhaluan kiri Shamsiah Fakeh meninggal dunia. Berita ini diterima oleh ramai rakan-rakan sehaluan sebagai pemergian seorang wira tanahair. (Sumber: kinibooks.com)Bagi pihak lain, kematian beliau bukanlah satu berita besar yang perlu diberikan pengiktirafan yang sama seperti wira nasionalis yang berhaluan kanan. Pentafsiran ini juga berkait rapat dengan sistem nilai seseorang […]
