The late Sultan of Johor (© Masami Takakuwa | Wiki Commons) SULTAN Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, one of Malaysia’s most controversial rulers, passed away on 22 Jan 2010 at the age of 77. The late Johor Sultan will be remembered for many things, one of which would be when he got off his podium […]
censorship
Allah debate #1
*Quote by Dr Mohd Farid Mohd Shahran taken from “Allah” can be discussed calmly, The Nut Graph, 12 Jan 2010 The Nut Graph needs your support Please take our five-minute reader survey
“Allah” exclusive to Islam?
“In our country, if one refers to Allah or mentions kalimah Allah, it will bring to one’s mind that it refers to the God for Muslims. Kalimah Allah is sacred to the Muslims and put at the highest position, and its sanctity must be protected.” “The usage of kalimah Allah as an interpretation of the […]
In pursuit of censorship
MALAYSIANS are no strangers to censorship. So many things get censored in this country, local or foreign: books, films, television shows, theatre performances. The items censored are sometimes perplexing. For example, current reruns of the 1990s family sitcom The Nanny on the Hallmark Channel are missing out on the slightly risqué jokes and overtly Jewish […]
Making government look good
WHY is the Home Ministry chiding journalists for not getting the government’s view when it is the government that frequently gives journalists the run-around or prevents journalists from writing the truth? Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam Mahmood reportedly advised the print media to let government agencies tell their side of the story when these […]
Should governments fear diversity and dissent?
Brian McKinnon Class Brothers 2008 Acrylic and foam on canvas 152 x 91cm (Artwork courtesy the artist and Indigenart — Mossenson GalleriesImage © the artist, courtesy Indigenart — Mossenson Galleries) THERE is a visual artwork by an Aboriginal Australian artist, Brian McKinnon, called Class Brothers. It is a striking political poster art, and has a […]
Return bibles, govt told
The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) calls for the immediate release of the 15,000 bibles in Bahasa Malaysia currently being withheld by the authorities. To withhold the use of the Bahasa Malaysia bibles is an infringement of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution which gives every Malaysian the right to profess his or her faith […]
MCMC: “We’re just doing our job”
Mohamed Sharil Mohamed Tarmizi IT has been more than a month since the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) investigated Malaysiakini for putting up two video reports — one about the 28 Aug 2009 cow-head protest and the other depicting the home minister’s defence of the protesters in a press conference. No charges have been […]
Threatened under all three PMs
PETALING JAYA, 11 Sept 2009: The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC)’s investigation of Malaysiakini this week is not the first time the online news site has been harassed or threatened by the state. In fact, Malaysiakini has experienced harassment and received threats from state agencies and government leaders under the previous administration of Tun […]
Internet censorship
BACKLASH was instantaneous when Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim announced on 7 Aug 2009 that the Malaysian government was planning to filter the internet. Apparently modelled after China’s Green Dam software, Rais said the Malaysian filter was intended to weed out online smut, especially where children were concerned. “Those who […]
