VERNON Adrian Emuang has been a steady supporter of and practitioner in the Malaysian arts scene since the mid-1980s, notably in television and theatre. Together with former Malaysian Olympic swimmer Jeffrey Ong, Emuang hosted the weekly IT program Cyberwave on TV3 in the late 1990s. Emuang has since balanced careers as a marketing communications consultant, […]
Interviews
“We don’t want another KT”
By Shanon ShahTHE upcoming by-election in Bukit Selambau, Kedah, on 7 April will be tricky. At least in Bukit Gantang and Batang Ai, by-elections were called as a result of the incumbents’ deaths. The Bukit Selambau by-election was called because the incumbent, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s V Arumugam, tendered his resignation after alleging that he was bribed […]
Struggling with identity
By Zedeck SiewRONNIE Khoo, 31-year-old composer and Furniture frontperson, once had his photograph taken with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In the photo, a prepubescent Khoo, smiling broadly, has his hands in his pockets and looks directly at the camera. The former prime minister, also smiling, clutches the young boy’s shoulders paternally. “This picture was taken in Club […]
Seeing no colour
By Jacqueline Ann SurinROZZ, or Feroz Ridzman, is very clear about who he is. The resident singer at Bagan Bar and Restaurant in Penang says even though he grew up in Australia and studied and worked in the US, he came back. Rozz, who is in his thirties, has not only performed in Broadway musicals; he was also […]
“Obama will still back Israel”
By N Shashi KalaTHERE’s a new American president in the Oval Office. And while hope for a new America, and perhaps a new world order, is understandable, the truth is that US foreign policy on militarism is long and entrenched. That’s why despite the goodwill and rhetoric emanating from Washington, DC since President Barack Obama took office, American […]
Representing Israelis and Palestinians
By Shanon ShahFEW believe that peace will break out in Gaza anytime soon, with Israel and Hamas adding demands to their hostage exchange negotiations. In the meantime, the dominant discourse on Israel in Malaysia is still that the Jews and the West are out to disempower and even destroy Islam and Muslims. But exactly what sorts of […]
Khairy: Sultan rules all
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahIN recent interviews, Umno Youth-chief hopeful Khairy Jamaluddin has condemned party-hopping, and has been arguing strenuously for reform of Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN). However, after the recent BN takeover of the Perak government by defections from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) camp, Khairy apparently made an about-face. When addressing a crowd of Umno Youth […]
We sometimes forget the basics
By Shanon ShahDATUK Shahrir Abdul Samad is a political enigma. On one hand, he was stinging in his criticisms of the Pakatan Rakyat, implicitly justifying the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s takeover of Perak. On the other hand, he has displayed maverick tendencies within Umno. He opposed the 2008 Internal Security Act (ISA) arrests of journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, […]
Coming into his own
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon Shah(File pic by Danny Lim) ONCE it was clear that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would exit as both prime minister and Umno president in March 2009, the favour that Khairy Jamaluddin presumably enjoyed as son-in-law must have evaporated quickly. But the changing political fortunes and shifting political equations could very well be a blessing […]
Mapping change
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahKHAIRY Jamaluddin knows that he is still the underdog in the upcoming Umno Youth chief race. While Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s nominations rushed in from the very beginning, nominations for Khairy merely trickled. Even the nominations for former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo saw quicker action. That hasn’t stopped the 33-year-old in […]
