Step 1: Blame the victims “The sixth ship, the largest, which had hundreds of people on it, not only did not co-operate in this effort [to search the cargo] peacefully, they deliberately attacked the first soldiers that came on the ship. “[The soldiers] were mobbed. They were clubbed, they were beaten, stabbed. There was even […]
Current Issues
Strengthening Dewan Negara
By Gan Pei Ling
THE Dewan Negara, or Senate, has long been perceived as a “rubber stamp” of the Dewan Rakyat or Lower House in Malaysia. In a Westminster parliamentary democracy, the Senate is meant to provide checks and balances on the Lower House. Indeed, healthy democracies thrive because of checks and balances. That the Dewan Negara in Malaysia […]
JHEOA denies conversion activities
By Ding Jo-Ann
PETALING JAYA, 9 June 2010: The Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) has denied allegations that a hospital in Gombak has been involved in the conversion of Orang Asli to Islam.
A non-Malay PM: How possible?
By Deborah Loh
IN envisioning federal power, one of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s trickiest points is where to place the DAP (read, a Chinese Malaysian) in the executive line up. As prime minister? God forbid, not in this Malay-Muslim majority country. As deputy prime minister? But what about PAS?
Suhakam nails it
By Gan Pei Ling“The Malaysian government appears to be more interested in pursuing short-term political advantage rather than safeguarding rights,” says Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson. But the government begs to differ…
New York Times admits mistake
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Koh Lay ChinPETALING JAYA, 7 June 2010: The New York Times (NYT) has retracted its statement that an advertisement in its paper, congratulating Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor for an award, was placed by the Malaysian government. NYT director of public relations Abbe Serphos said in an e-mail sent out on 1 June, “In our internal systems the […]
Who’s demolishing squatter houses?
By Ding Jo-Ann“… [I]f tractors from the Land and Mines Department demolish houses, such as was the case in Kampung Buah Pala in Penang, then it will not help the people. “Such action is an example of unfulfilled promises by PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) and thus, we must remind ourselves to prevent such an incident.” PRIME Minister […]
PKR and patronage
By Deborah LohPKR’s sixth congress in Kota Baru PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is the future, its president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail declared at the party’s 2009 congress held at the end of May in Kota Baru. But if that were so, the congress showed little direction as to how PKR would lead the Pakatan […]
Anwar, the tease
By Gan Pei Ling“We are still waiting for [the defectors’] reactions before releasing the information publicly. We will make a public exposé in the near future.” PARTY Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, claiming that RM2 million and multi-million ringgit government contracts had been offered to elected representatives who left the party. He said […]
1Malaysia pageant vs fatwa
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahDURING a press conference in 2003, then Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim tried to defend the state’s decision to loosen conditions for polygamy. Perlis had decided that Muslim men did not need to seek their first wife’s consent to marry another woman. At the press conference, which Jacqueline Ann Surin covered, the Perlis […]
