Updated 12.30pm on 11 July 2011 (All pics below courtesy of Elaine Pedley) DANCER/choreographer/actor Elaine Pedley has been performing professionally since she was 15. A performing arts graduate from Universiti Malaya, Pedley has since appeared in award-winning theatre and dance productions, including Curfew!, Spilt Gravy on Rice, Bunga Manggar Bunga Raya, and Cuckoo Birds. She […]
Interviews
Punjabi party wants in
By Deborah LohTHE little-known Parti Punjabi Malaysia (PPM) got a spot in the newspapers recently when it elected its first woman president, Dr Susheel Kaur, a senior consultant in social impact studies and population geography. The 24-year-old party has been trying to join the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the last 10 years. PPM represents less than 2.5% […]
Malay? Chinese? Just Nancy!
By Koh Lay Chin(All pics below courtesy of Nancy Shukri) NANCY Shukri is the Member of Parliament for the Batang Sadong constituency in Sarawak and Wanita Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu secretary-general. Formerly the political secretary to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, she was active in the Sarawak Federation of Women’s Institute (SFWI) and various non-governmental […]
Treating religious minorities with respect
By Ding Jo-AnnREV Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), was recently in Kuala Lumpur for the 13th general assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia. Tveit has been heavily involved in interfaith dialogue as moderator of the Church of Norway-Islamic Council of Norway. He was also co-chair of the WCC […]
Understanding Malaysia
By Deborah LohIT was somewhat of a joke when the Malaysian government finally released the political biography, Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times, for sale here. Barry Wain (pic courtesy of Barry Wain) In the five months since November 2008 when 800 copies were shipped from Hong Kong to Port Klang and placed on hold, Malaysians […]
Choosing to stay
By Ding Jo-AnnWill Quah (all pics below courtesy of Will Quah) WILL Quah believes Malaysian television audiences are a lot cleverer that they’re given credit for. “I’ve heard high-ranking producers and executives say time and again that Malaysian audiences aren’t ready or are too stupid to understand certain issues — like politics, race, religion, wit and international […]
Zaid’s promise for Hulu Selangor
By Deborah LohZaid meeting estate workers at Ladang Sungai Air Jernih in Kerling in Hulu Selangor WHICH would you prefer: a candidate who lies to cover up his past, or one who admits it? That could be the question Hulu Selangor voters, particularly Malay-Muslim Malaysians, are grappling with. The by-election has started on a personal and predictable […]
Different from other Chinese
By Nick Choo(All pics and footage courtesy of Tan Sooi Beng) TAN Sooi Beng, Professor of Ethnomusicology at the School of Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang, is an educator, composer, musician, author, music activist and ambassador. She joined USM as a lecturer in the Department of Performing Arts in the School of Humanities in 1980. In […]
Talking about Islam
By Shanon ShahDr Ahmad Farouk Musa (Background image source: Wiki commons) CAN Muslims and non-Muslims question or critique Islamic laws? Are Islamic laws inherently unjust? Should Malaysia be an Islamic state? Does one need to be an Islamic “authority” in order to figure these issues out? Islamic Renaissance Front founder and chairperson Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa shares […]
A front for Islamic renaissance
By Shanon ShahDr Ahmad Farouk Musa; background: the launch of the Islamic Renaissance Front on 12 Dec 2009 (Background pic courtesy of IRF) DR Ahmad Farouk Musa, cardiothoracic surgeon and academic, is also founder and chairperson of the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF). With the many Islamic groups already flooding the Malaysian landscape, do we need more Islamic […]
