(Pic by mirofoto / sxc.hu) WITH the recent attack on churches, a Catholic school and a Sikh gurdwara, migration is likely to be on the minds of some Malaysians. Despite government assurances that “everything is under control“, diminishing respect for rights as demonstrated by the “Allah” issue has naturally caused consternation among educated Malaysians. At […]
Features
Are our children protected?
By Ding Jo-Ann(Pic by NTLam @ Flickr) THE allegation in late 2009 of a sex offender operating a kindergarten is just one of a growing number of reported cases of child abuse, molestation and rape. Police statistics indicate a rise from 2,236 reported cases in 2005 to 5,744 in 2008, an increase of more than 2.5 times […]
Do subsidies work?
By Shanon ShahPetrol prices are going up in MalaysiaON 4 June 2008, the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government announced a 40.6% petrol price increase effective at midnight. Pump price went from RM1.92 to RM2.70 per litre. Barely a week later, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition launched its Protes campaign. Then PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa promised […]
Understanding GST
By Deborah LohMalaysia is among the last in the region to impose goods and services tax (© Sanja Gjenero / sxc.hu) MALAYSIA is among the last in the region to impose goods and services tax (GST) but it still shelved its original implementation in 2007. It was only after spending the last two years in consultation with […]
Reaching common ground
By Deborah LohPKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng PAKATAN Rakyat (PR)’s common policy to be unveiled this Saturday on 19 Dec 2009 appears to have reached some compromise on the divisive issue of PAS‘s goal for an Islamic state. Clearly, PAS […]
Syariah law galore
By Shanon ShahKartika WHEN the Kuantan Syariah High Court sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to six lashes of the cane and a fine of RM5,000 for drinking alcohol, some Malaysians were shocked. But many others were not, simply because Malaysians know that there is a separate law for Muslims in Malaysia — syariah law. The syariah legal […]
What’s in a name?
By Deborah LohIs Malaysia an Islamic or secular state? IF there is one enduring debate in Malaysia, it is whether this country is an Islamic or secular state. No less because successive prime ministers keep making declarations that it is an Islamic state to much public confusion. Islam is the official religion of the federation. But what […]
The voice of the Malay communists
By Deborah LohFormer CPM chairperson Abdullah CD arriving at the commemorative ceremony for the 20th anniversary of the peace accords THE issue of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) is definitely one that is framed according to the racial lines that divide us as a nation. For example, the prevailing myth is that the CPM was an […]
Efforts to curb HIV spread thwarted
By Ding Jo-AnnNeedle and syringe exchange kit used as part of a programme aimed at drug users, who comprise about 75% of those detected with HIV/AIDS in Malaysia TWENTY-three years after the first HIV infection was detected in Malaysia and 11,400 deaths from AIDS later, health workers are still facing obstacles from the authorities in preventing the […]
Was Chin Peng played out?
By Deborah LohChin Peng arriving at a hotel in Haadyai for a press conference MORE puzzling than the Malaysian government‘s current myopic reaction against the idea of Chin Peng‘s return is the sketchy outline of events soon after the Haadyai Peace Accords. The peace treaty was signed on 2 Dec 1989 to end hostilities between Malaysia and […]
