Police, media and the majority Malay Malaysian crowd during the GMP gathering on 7 March 2009 PERHAPS the easiest observation one could make about the Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) gathering on 7 March 2009 is that it was mono-cultural. While there were representatives from Chinese-language education proponents in the thousands-strong crowd, these numbered in the […]
Commentary
Last call for Umno
DATUK Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s presidency of Umno can be aptly described as a wild rollercoaster ride that came to an abrupt halt. As delegates gather at the PWTC for the party’s general assembly in a fortnight, they will no doubt recall the exhilarating, stomach-churning, gravity-defying adventure of his stewardship. Winning a general election by […]
A bigger and better stimulus plan
THE RM60 billion mini budget tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, 10 March 2009 is by far a better and more comprehensive package than the first RM7 billion plan that was announced last November. But then again, the economic environment today has taken a turn for the worst compared to a few months ago, and there […]
Ghost of 1988 in Perak crisis
[YESTERDAY’S] attempt by Speaker V Sivakumar to hold an emergency sitting of the Perak assembly to validate his decision to suspend the Barisan Nasional (BN) Menteri Besar and his exco is no more than a continuation of the Perak impasse. While the head of the Perak legislature tries to use his command of the law-making […]
Perak Sultan’s writing may be misconstrued
A QUOTE by the Perak sultan, cited by many political commentators and legal minds to illustrate the ruler’s contradiction in his decision not to dissolve the state assembly, may have been taken out of context. “Under normal circumstances, it is taken for granted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would not withhold his consent to a […]
Let’s talk about sex
(Dmytro Konstantynov / Dreamstime) PRESS reports that intimate photos of Elizabeth Wong have been exposed and are circulating have opened up a new can of worms. The discussions so far on the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) politician’s case have revolved around our public leaders’ right to privacy. But if it was merely Wong’s privacy that […]
PPPA bad for business
THE recent seizures of Suara Keadilan and Harakah have once again highlighted inherent difficulties posed by the Printing and Publications Act (PPPA) and its impact on our publishing industry. One aspect that has fallen by the wayside in the rush to speculate on the seemingly arbitrary confiscation — if they were part of a routine […]
Islamic authorities in crisis?
WHEN 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 […]
Courting trouble in Perak
(Storm clouds © Akbar Nemati / sxc.hu) THE political and legal storm in Perak over the disputed status of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblypersons for Behrang and Changkat Jering is not going to die down anytime soon. Though by-elections for the two state legislative assembly seats are off, the unfolding saga threatens to bring […]
Airport tussle
Carved 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 […]
