WHO would be envious of Khairy Jamaluddin? Despite his meteoric rise within Umno and the doors that were presumably opened to him as the prime minister’s son-in-law, the changing political tide means the 33-year-old now has to swim against currents. And swim he does. With Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s exit as premier and Umno […]
Interviews
The pastor for Palestine
THE protests in Malaysia against Israel’s attacks on Gaza have taken on an overwhelmingly Islamic hue. From PAS‘s public demonstrations to the Muslim Consumers Association’s campaign to boycott all Jewish products, the crisis in Gaza has been painted as a proxy war between Muslims and Jews. Some prominent Malaysian Muslims have spoken up against this […]
Remember, we are one
ANWAR Fazal is no stranger to civil society. The multiple award-winning consumer, health, environment, human rights and social activist is recognised both nationally and internationally. Anwar, who turns 68 in 2009, is the founder and one of the movers of numerous citizen movements including the Consumers Association of Penang, International Baby Food Action Network, Health […]
Vision of the mayor
(Background image © Kristina Afanasyeva / sxc.hu; Datuk Ahmad Fuad pic courtesy of DBKL) REPORTS on Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail’s appointment as mayor of Kuala Lumpur (KL) on 12 Dec 2008 have generally been favourable. The long-serving civil servant and former Housing and Local Government Ministry secretary-general has been touted as people-friendly, efficient, and fair […]
Tiara’s Malaysian dream
PRODUCER and actress Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina Abdullah is best known for Puteri Gunung Ledang, both the movie and stage musical which she produced and starred in. PGL is being restaged from 6 to 21 Feb at Istana Budaya by Tiara’s company, Enfiniti Productions. It will be Tiara’s swan song — she is reprising her […]
Liberating Palestine
Book cover for Where the streets had a name (all pics courtesy of Pan MacMillan) THERE has been an outpouring of rage and sympathy from many Malaysians, from across the political divide, towards Israel’s recent bombardment of Gaza, Palestine. To gain a more nuanced perspective of the issue, The Nut Graph spoke exclusively with Australian […]
Aku hanya pendatang
FRANCISSCA PETER has been a mainstay in the local music scene for more than a quarter of a century, having released more than 20 albums, including compilations. Initially part of the twosome, Roy & Fran, the Ipoh gal went solo in 1984 with Komputer Muzik. But it was 1986’s Sekadar Di Pinggiran, with its Juara […]
I do not have an identity crisis
AUTHOR, activist, educationist and ex-politician: Dr Kua Kia Soong firmly believes in fighting for social justice. Despite being arrested twice — under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during Operation Lalang in 1987, and the second time for participating in the Second Asia-Pacific Conference on East Timor in 1996 — Kua’s passion for justice has not […]
You Melayu? Betul?
IN this new section called Found in Malaysia, The Nut Graph talks to notable Malaysians about their roots in our shared land. By asking notable personalities to tell stories about being Malaysian, we hope to answer these questions: Who is a pendatang? Who is a native? What makes a Malaysian? Why do we call Malaysia […]
Islamic crime and punishment
A MUCH sought-after speaker, imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was born in Kuwait in 1948 into an Egyptian family steeped in religious scholarship. He has a degree in physics from Columbia University in New York, United States, and was also educated in England and Malaysia. His comfort in slipping into Bahasa Malaysia before this interview was […]
