Performing in Bunga Manggar Bunga Raya; Five Arts Centre, 2007 (Pic by Phillip Craig; all pics courtesy of Mark Teh) INTRODUCING Mark Teh with a short sentence is not easy. The director–educator–producer–performer–researcher says he tries not to place his various pursuits in a hierarchy. “I suppose I function more like a historian, more than anything […]
Interviews
Perception vs fact in the judiciary
By Ding Jo-Ann“FOR any decision, the losing party will say it’s unfair, the winning party will say it’s fair,” says Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi. He says as people tend to root for the underdog, decisions favouring the government tend to be viewed as a result of government bias. In the second and final part of an […]
“I’m not biased, I’m impartial”
By Ding Jo-AnnIT’S been a long, uphill battle for the Malaysian judiciary over the past two decades. From Lord President Tun Salleh Abas‘s sacking in 1988 to the 1996 poison pen letter and the 2007 Lingam video tape exposé, the public is not unjustified in doubting judicial independence. Familiar murmurings have begun again on whether anything has […]
“Do not insult our intelligence”
By Koh Lay Chin(All pics below courtesy of Sheila Majid) ONE of Malaysia’s most beloved singers, Datuk Sheila Majid has been wowing fans with her jazzy and R&B-flavoured brand of contemporary pop since the 1980s. From the release of her debut album Dimensi Baru in 1988 to the bestselling Legenda in honour of the late Tan Sri P […]
“Bukan Melayu betul”
By Ding Jo-AnnBilqis Hijjas (all pics below courtesy of Bilqis Hijjas) BILQIS Hijjas has come a long way since her first dance lessons. “My mum sent me for ballet lessons with a girl up the road, who ended up as Linda Jasmine [Hashim] from Akademi Fantasia,” she says. “[Linda] was 14, I was six, and our lessons […]
The BN and the ISA
By Shanon ShahACADEMIC and activist Dr Kua Kia Soong was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during 1987’s Operation Lallang. Upon his release, he wrote about his experiences in detention in his bestselling book, 445 Days under Operation Lalang. The book’s third edition is going to print soon and will be available in bookshops and from […]
“A country that works for everybody”
By Deborah LohHannah Yeoh (all other pics courtesy of Hannah Yeoh) LIKE many young politicians in Pakatan Rakyat, Hannah Yeoh became one out of necessity. Opposition parties needed young professionals to stand as candidates in the 2008 elections, and Yeoh, then 29, felt she had a duty. Political life and work as DAP’s state assemblyperson for Subang […]
Keeping Perkasa on track
By Deborah LohIT just has to juggle it all, Perkasa pro-tem president Datuk Ibrahim Ali says of the government and its duties. These include protecting Malay Malaysian privileges, maintaining subsidies while managing depleting oil resources, and providing for other poor communities. In the second of a two-part interview on 9 March 2010 with The Nut Graph in […]
The real deal with Perkasa
By Deborah LohWHY interview Datuk Ibrahim Ali? Because his nationalistic non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pribumi Perkasa Negara (Perkasa) isn’t a force to be dismissed lightly. The independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Mas started Perkasa in reaction to political rhetoric about equality and meritocracy following the 2008 general election. Today, in Perkasa’s ranks defending “threats” to the […]
“Every right to be here”
By Nick ChooShanthini Venugopal, with son Hari and cat (All pics courtesy of Shanthini Venugopal)SINGER, actor, director and teacher Shanthini Venugopal has been in the Malaysian theatre industry for nearly three decades, having worked with various theatre companies since 1981. She is a pioneer member of The Instant Cafe Theatre Company. She has starred in films, including […]
