Najib greeting delegates HALFWAY through his policy address today, 15 Oct 2009, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak defined a form of insanity. “It is when you do something repeatedly in the same way but hope for differing results,” he said. The analogy was used to justify Najib’s market liberalisation measures to make Malaysia more […]
1Malaysia
Najib: Don’t be suspicious of 1Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Oct 2009: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called on all quarters not to harbour any suspicion or be unduly worried over his 1Malaysia concept as it does not deviate from what was agreed upon by the nation’s forebears. The Umno president told delegates who gathered for the party’s general assembly here that […]
The four faces of 1Malaysia
(Mooncake image by Mingwei / Dreamstime) DEPENDING on how you look at it, this article on national independence is either two weeks too late or 50 weeks too early. The two weeks after Malaysia Day on 16 Sept 2009, coupled with the Hari Raya mood, seemed peaceful and even boring by Malaysian standards. That is, […]
Can Malaysians practise civility?
(Source: GuelphMercury.com) “CONFLICT is prevalent in all multicultural settings,” says Associate Professor Dr Alberto Gomes, an anthropologist at Australia’s La Trobe University. Quoting studies by other researchers, Gomes says it is common for different groups to have stereotypes about, or even dislike, each other. This question of conflict and civility between different groups is relevant […]
Who wants 1Malaysia?
I REALLY do not want 1Malaysia. The idea scares me. And I certainly do not want unity as suggested by the powers-that-be. In fact, “unity” is really an extremely dated, superficial and abstract concept — a “nice” word that means nothing in real terms. “Unity in Diversity“, “mutual trust and respect” — these are all […]
Not just 1Malaysia, but 15Malaysia
WHAT does it take for a non-Muslim to apply for an Islamic bank account in Malaysia? Ho Yuhang’s short film, Potong Saga, offers a comical exaggeration of one community’s misguided assumptions. In one scene, the protagonist played by Namewee nervously contemplates the sacrifice he assumes he has to make to qualify for the bank account, […]
BN’s offer in Permatang Pasir
Rohaizat Othman AT 1am on Wednesday, 19 Aug 2009, Rohaizat Othman finally appears for this interview after a day of campaigning. The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Permatang Pasir by-election looks terribly exhausted as he walks into the sparse media room at the BN by-election headquarters in Permatang Pasir. The BN command centre is […]
Utusan Malaysia and 1Malaysia
IF newspapers could be judged by their titles like books by their covers, most of the major Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia would be guilty of not being “national” in character. Some of their names simply refer to a wider region like Oriental Daily (the East) and Nanyang Press (Southeast Asia, or literally the South Ocean). […]
1Malaysia and citizenship
(Source: Wiki Commons) SINCE 1Malaysia accords with the Malaysian constitution, what are some of the constitution’s main principles that can help to promote the idea? Is citizenship one such principle? The concept of common citizenship contained in the constitution is one of the most solid foundations for the creation of a united, integrated nation, a […]
Launching Malaysia 2.0
Water cannon being used during the 1 Aug anti-ISA rally (Pic courtesy of Merdeka Review) A FRIEND asked on Facebook: “[The Barisan Nasional] (BN) insists [on keeping the Internal Security Act (ISA)]; do you want to keep the BN?” This question is spot on. It simplifies many issues into a single concern. It almost frames […]
