Digging…and digging…and digging THE big hole our government found themselves in after Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced to caning for drinking alcohol has just gotten bigger. Stuck between pleasing those who thought moral offenders deserved caning and outraged human rights groups as well as the international community, the government decided to cane three other […]
Ding Jo-Ann
BTN: What next?
By Ding Jo-AnnTHE Selangor government’s November 2009 announcement banning state employees from attending Biro Tatanegara (BTN) courses due to racist elements triggered a flurry of public testimonies. Many former BTN participants shared their own encounters with racism during the course, including on The Nut Graph. The government was quick to defend the BTN programme while agreeing that […]
Building Malaysia
By Ding Jo-Ann(All following pics courtesy of Sivarasa Rasiah) GENETICIST. Lawyer. Human rights activist. Subang Member of Parliament. Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president. Sivarasa Rasiah has worn many hats. Sivarasa returned to Malaysia on his 30th birthday in 1986 and began a life of activism in championing human rights. The Rhodes scholar says he began thinking critically about […]
Nurturing the artist
By Ding Jo-AnnLee Su-Feh AWARD-winning dancer, choreographer and dramatist Lee Su-Feh is in the midst of questioning her art, asking why we dance and why people watch dance. At the same time, she believes everyone should be involved in dance. “I believe in the dancing body,” Lee says. “Everyone needs to dance and experience dance…It’s a way […]
Perak: Losing confidence
By Ding Jo-AnnIT is a cardinal rule in the game of musical chairs that once someone has occupied a seat, no one else can validly sit in it. The Federal Court however, appears to think otherwise in declaring the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir the rightful Perak Menteri Besar. This is despite the […]
Don’t charge Nasir Safar
By Ding Jo-AnnDATUK Nasir Safar‘s alleged racist remarks have sparked calls by Barisan Nasional component parties for Nasir to be charged with sedition and even detained without trial under the Internal Security Act. Buckling under such pressure, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced on 4 Feb 2010 that the now former special officer of the prime […]
Islam’s special position
By Ding Jo-Ann(Corrected at 12:35pm, 1 Feb 2010) THE Home Ministry’s ban on the use of “Allah” by the Catholic Herald publication has once again raised the issue of Islam’s position in Malaysia. “The special position of Islam is enshrined and protected under the constitution,” said senior federal counsel Mahamad Naser Disa during arguments in Herald’s suit […]
In independence we trust
By Ding Jo-AnnBook on Muslim women no longer banned THE High Court has been demonstrating their ability to be independent over the past few weeks in striking down several decisions by government institutions. On 22 Dec 2009, the High Court censured the police for wrongfully arresting participants of the Asia Pacific Conference on East Timor II (Apcet […]
Trusting the Home Ministry
By Ding Jo-Ann“About 50 people various nationalities incl students fr local univ arrested under ISA last thur [21 Jan 2010] on alleg of terrorism.” Lawyer and chairperson of the Bar Council’s constitutional law committee Edmund Bon tweeted on the ISA detentions at about 9pm on 26 Jan. He also said that of the 50 persons detained, 38 […]
Victory for land owners
By Ding Jo-Ann“We, therefore, agree with the High Court Judge that, on the facts of this case, even if the instrument of transfer was forged, the respondent nevertheless obtained an indefeasible title to the said lands.” FORMER Chief Justice Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin in 2000 in the Federal Court case of Adorna Properties Sdn Bhd v Boonsom […]
