COULD fresh state elections in Perak, which Barisan Nasional (BN) worked so hard to avoid, happen after all? In its haste to topple the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government, BN rushed to grab three independents, and the Menteri Besar and executive councillor positions. But it appears to have forgotten the powerful Speaker in the state […]
Features
Will Umno change?
By Deborah LohThe panel at the forum organised by Konrad Adanaeur Foundation WILL Umno change? That’s been the perennial question since the March 2008 general election. The answer may well be how much its incoming president Datuk Seri Najib Razak will let it. Three political observers, at least, believe that Najib will return to a more authoritarian […]
Selangor, Kedah, Penang next?
By Chan Kok Leong, John Lim and Chua Sue-AnnNajib announced the BN was ready to form government in Perak (file pic) AFTER the state of political turmoil in Perak, following Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s press conference where he said that the Barisan Nasional (BN) is ready to form government in the state, rumours are swirling on the possible fall of […]
Will Perak snap?
By Shanon Shah and Zedeck SiewTarnished silver (© Chris Deraud / sxc.hu) THE silver state is in crisis, with the Pakatan Raykat-led state government having lost its majority in the legislative assembly with four assemblypersons leaving its fold. Now, with the Perak government in limbo, experts tell The Nut Graph that the best option for the formation of a state […]
Vision of the mayor
By Shanon Shah(Background image © Kristina Afanasyeva / sxc.hu; Datuk Ahmad Fuad pic courtesy of DBKL) REPORTS on Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail’s appointment as mayor of Kuala Lumpur (KL) on 12 Dec 2008 have generally been favourable. The long-serving civil servant and former Housing and Local Government Ministry secretary-general has been touted as people-friendly, efficient, and fair […]
Revisiting “Ketuanan Melayu”
By Shanon Shah“PEOPLE have secrets, and sometimes don’t say what they mean,” says Zalfian Fuzi, Instant Café Theatre Company associate director. “But at some point, your hidden meaning and feelings will come out no matter how hard you try to suppress them. It’s inevitable.” Some words, Zalfian adds, are loaded. Although he is referring to the art […]
Cash, funds and development
By Zedeck SiewIN the lead-up to the Kuala Terengganu by-election, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s fortnightly newspaper Suara Keadilan began taking Datuk Seri Najib Razak to task for not keeping an August 2008 promise. The party mouthpiece reported that a RM4.18 million allocation for mosques and suraus, which the deputy prime minister pledged during the Permatang Pauh by-election, […]
Do boycotts work?
By Zedeck SiewAS the attacks on Palestine intensified before an uncertain ceasefire took place, one other clarion call, apart from the call to stop Israel, was to boycott American products and the US dollar. No less than former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has lent weight to this rally. Placard in a demonstration in Seattle, Washington (© […]
Lessons from Kuala Terengganu
By Deborah LohULTIMATELY, the heart of the battle for Kuala Terengganu was always the Malay Malaysian vote, which was, by extension, a referendum on the relevance of Umno. But the fact that Chinese Malaysians largely stayed with the Barisan Nasional (BN) is perhaps indicative of the DAP’s and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s inability to penetrate non-Malay enclaves on […]
BN has lost the plot
By Deborah Loh(From left) PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Abdul Wahid PAS has wrested the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat from Barisan Nasional (BN) by a 2,631-vote margin, with a greater swing in Malay Malaysian votes to the Islamist party. PAS also swept the parliamentary votes in all four […]
