DIFFERENT ideologies notwithstanding, Pakatan Rakyat partners PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) will once again test their brand name as a coalition in the Kuala Terengganu by-election on 17 Jan. Having proven their ability to work together in the Permatang Pauh by-election in August 2008, the alliance now faces a slightly different test of […]
Features
Heading towards first class
By Elizabeth LooiBetween 28 April and 15 Dec 2008, four opposition MPs have been thrown out of the House SINCE the historic 8 March elections, expectations have understandably been high for interesting parliamentary sittings. With the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s two-thirds majority reduced in Parliament, the checks and balances needed in a robust democracy have been more imaginable. […]
Keeping Parliament independent
By Elizabeth LooiWHAT does it take for the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to reject or approve an emergency motion either in the House or in chambers? Approved emergency motions in 2008 On 10 Dec 2008, the Dewan Rakyat uncharacteristically accepted an emergency motion by an opposition Member of Parliament (MP) to debate the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide. In announcing […]
Sussing out voter sentiment
By Deborah LohTHE Kuala Terengganu by-election on 17 Jan is being used by some to measure Malay sentiment towards prime minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The battle for the parliamentary seat is also expected to be an indicator of which has more currency in the changed scenario after the March […]
Left in the margins
By Zedeck SiewTemiar children from RPS Kemar, Perak. The Temiar here routinely dress up in their traditional gear, as a sign of emerging pride in their culture (© Centre for Orang Asli Concerns) MULTICULTURALISM is one of our most touted traits: Malaysia, Truly Asia. Nevertheless, it is an open secret that Malaysians coexist uneasily, and that national policy […]
Human rights: what’s stopping Malaysia?
By Elizabeth Looi and Shanon ShahEleanor Roosevelt reading the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Spanish text (source: wikipedia.org) “MALAYSIA has only signed two out of the eight core international human rights treaties,” says Alice Nah, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) executive committee member. “As time goes on, however, Malaysia’s reluctance to sign these treaties will become more […]
Monetising music
By Ooi Ying Nee(© Sherri Camp/Dreamstime) NOTHING worries independent recording artist Jerome Kugan more than the fact that there is a generation of music lovers who have never paid for music. “Lots of these kids love music and they download a lot of stuff. One day I casually asked one of them, ‘What was the last CD you […]
Freedom of information: Making it happen
By Deborah LohIN the first parliamentary sitting in 2008 this May, Subang Member of Parliament (MP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president R Sivarasa tried to table a private member’s bill on freedom of information (FOI). Although it appeared in the order paper, the House never reached the item. Sivarasa, who is also a human rights lawyer, has […]
Anwar’s new promise
By Elizabeth Looi and Ng Boon HooiAnwar and PKR leaders shaking hands with delegates FOR all intents and purposes, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not a man who gives up easily. At Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s just-concluded national congress, he failed to adequately explain why Pakatan Rakyat did not manage to take over the federal government by 16 Sept as repeatedly […]
Still hoping for change
By Elizabeth Looi and Ng Boon HooiTHE theme for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s annual national congress, which begins today until 30 Nov 2008, is “Harapan Baru”. The theme seems apt. The leading opposition party remains hopeful that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, of which it is a member together with the DAP and PAS, can still take over the federal government despite […]
