Taking on the government used to be a daunting task. But it has been made easier with the internet and social media. What lessons can we learn from groups such as the anti-Kidex movement on how to take on the government in the digital age?
Bersih
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Constituency redelineation and citizen vigilance
AMID furore over banned words and price hikes, the redelineation of electoral boundaries is the next big thing that Malaysian voters must not let slip without close scrutiny. Political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat explains the issues to look out for in this upcoming exercise.
Galvanising the overseas vote
IT is likely that this is the first general election since Malaya’s independence, otherwise known as GE13, that overseas Malaysians have consciously organised themselves to return home to vote. Just who are these Malaysians? What sacrifices are they making in order to vote? And what is motivating them?
Najib’s legal reforms legacy
Malaysia will be more open and democratic with “revolutionary” new laws that will herald a “new era”, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Really? Has Najib made good on his promises? We take a look at the prime minister’s legacy of legal reforms since Malaysia Day 2011.
Bila fatwa jadi bahan nista dan ketawa
FATWA yang dianggap suci semakin menjadi bahan nista dan ketawa. Pendapat ulama serta undang-undang yang dibuat oleh para agamawan kerap menjadi kontroversi dan pengharaman bermacam-macam perkara kerap juga buat orang geleng kepala. Apakah sejarah pembentukan fatwa dalam Islam, sebenarnya?
Who says the EC is independent?
FRANKLY, I wasn’t surprised at all when it was reported in late April that both the Election Commission (EC) chairperson and deputy chairperson were Umno members. Even without evidence of party membership and despite the EC deputy chairperson’s subsequent U-turn and denial, it would not be a stretch to imagine both the chairperson and his […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: What does Bersih 3.0 want?
ON 28 April 2012, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) will hold its third major demonstration in the city known as Bersih 3.0. Despite the government’s efforts at electoral reforms, the movement remains unsatisfied. What really is Bersih 3.0’s purpose?
Can’t we trust our mahasiswa?
IT has been almost six months since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling declared it unconstitutional to prohibit university students from supporting or opposing political parties under the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA). On 9 April 2012, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin finally tabled amendments to the UUCA, Private Higher […]
What’s wrong with Bersih 3.0?
IF we were to believe everything the Barisan Nasional (BN) is saying about Bersih 3.0, the movement for free and fair elections is indeed problematic in several ways. According to BN elected representatives, the planned 28 April 2012 sit-down protest at Dataran Merdeka, known as Bersih 3.0, is “unnecessary”. It has been hijacked by, or […]
Seksualiti Merdeka: Threat to national security?
ON 1 March 2012, the High Court dismissed Seksualiti Merdeka‘s leave application to judicially review a police ban on their annual festival. The November 2011 festival was banned under section 27A(1)(c) of the Police Act. The section (since superseded by the Peaceful Assembly Act) allowed the police to stop any activity on private premises “likely […]
