IN envisioning federal power, one of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s trickiest points is where to place the DAP (read, a Chinese Malaysian) in the executive line up. As prime minister? God forbid, not in this Malay-Muslim majority country. As deputy prime minister? But what about PAS?
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Reporting on Sibu
By Ding Jo-AnnInvestigating frontpage stories after the Sibu by-election… (© clarita | morguefile.com) (Corrected at 5.55pm, 18 May 2010) THE day after Sibu fell to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in a closely-watched and fought by-election, what kind of frontpage stories greeted Malaysians in the press? With some newspapers relegating the news of the week to a second […]
Punjabi party wants in
By Deborah LohTHE little-known Parti Punjabi Malaysia (PPM) got a spot in the newspapers recently when it elected its first woman president, Dr Susheel Kaur, a senior consultant in social impact studies and population geography. The 24-year-old party has been trying to join the Barisan Nasional (BN) for the last 10 years. PPM represents less than 2.5% […]
Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong)
By Ding Jo-AnnKEPONG Member of Parliament Dr Tan Seng Giaw responds to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. (source: parlimen.gov.my) Name: Tan Seng Giaw Constituency: Kepong Party: DAP (Opposition) Years as MP: Since 1982 Government post: None Party position: National deputy chairperson DAP Parliament Whip Membership in parliamentary […]
Hiew King Cheu (Kota Kinabalu)
By Deborah LohKOTA Kinabalu Member of Parliament (MP) Hiew King Cheu’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. (source: parlimen.gov.my)Name: Hiew King CheuConstituency: Kota KinabaluParty: DAP (Opposition) Years as MP: Since 2008Government post: None Party post: Central executive committee member Sabah state committee chairperson Membership in parliamentary […]
“A country that works for everybody”
By Deborah LohHannah Yeoh (all other pics courtesy of Hannah Yeoh) LIKE many young politicians in Pakatan Rakyat, Hannah Yeoh became one out of necessity. Opposition parties needed young professionals to stand as candidates in the 2008 elections, and Yeoh, then 29, felt she had a duty. Political life and work as DAP’s state assemblyperson for Subang […]
Democratic parties are possible
By Shanon Shah(Pic by Jirikabele / Dreamstime) WHEN the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government dismissed local government elections and school elections on the grounds that these involve “politicking”, it was telling us that it either misunderstands democracy, or holds it in contempt. But when the Selangor and Penang Pakatan Rakyat (PR) governments pushed to restore local government […]
Spotlight on party democracy
By Shanon ShahIs Malaysia on the way to becoming more democratic? (© flydime | Flickr) IT has now been two full years since the historic March 2008 elections in Malaysia. But during this period, what have Malaysians actually learnt about the nature of democracy? Is Malaysia on the way to becoming more democratic? Citizens can use several […]
Loke Siew Fook (Rasah)
By Deborah LohRASAH Member of Parliament Loke Siew Fook responds to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs the same six questions about parliamentary democracy in Malaysia. Three of the questions were selected by readers and three others by The Nut Graph. Name: Loke Siew FookConstituency: Rasah Party: DAP (Opposition)Years as MP: […]
Reaching the middle Malay Malaysian
By Deborah Loh(See-saw image by scusi/Dreamstime) THE DAP’s unveiling of “Middle Malaysia” couldn’t have been at a better time. But with the ongoing “Allah” debate and the defiance by Parti Keadlian Rakyat (PKR)’s Zulkifli Noordin, an apt question is, just who are Middle Malaysians? From party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng‘s description, Middle Malaysia indicates a state of […]
