TELUK INTAN Member of Parliament (MP) Manogaran Marimuthu’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. (Source: parlimen.gov.my) Name: Manogaran MarimuthuConstituency: Teluk Intan Party: DAP (Opposition)Years as MP: Since 2008Government position: None Party position: Perak human rights bureau director Membership in parliamentary committees or caucuses if any: […]
Koh Lay Chin
Are online insults criminal?
By Koh Lay ChinTHERE is an etiquette to online chatter. We don’t write in ALL CAPS LIKE THIS, because that would mean we are shouting. We use emoticons when expression may be difficult to gauge. We think and check before we pass something around. But apart from “netiquette”, what kind of online behaviour would get you in trouble […]
“Allah” in cyberspace
By Koh Lay ChinMetro Tabernacle in Kuala Lumpur, the first church thatwas attacked on 8 Jan 2010 (Pic courtesy of Sivin Kit) GENERIC term? Noun or pronoun? Conversion conspiracy or copyright? What exactly are Malaysians fighting over with regard to the “Allah” issue? And how is it all being played out in cyberspace? A check on Facebook, Twitter, […]
Truth is beauty
By Koh Lay ChinHER grandfather was Tun Tan Cheng Lock, the first president of the MCA who worked hand-in-hand with Umno President Tunku Abdul Rahman and MIC president Tun VT Sambanthan to fight for Malaya’s independence. Her father was Tun Tan Siew Sin, also a former president of the MCA, and the country’s longest-serving finance minister (1959-1974). A […]
Are we coordinated over green?
By Koh Lay ChinTHEY say green is the new black. The buzzword of all buzzwords. The new philanthropy favoured by supermodels, Hollywood actors, politicians and that irritating friend living down your road. I’ve heard that it’s “in” to label anything green these days, and that the tendency to join the bandwagon is but a disingenuous public relations-centred […]
Keeping Chin Peng out
By Koh Lay ChinWE talk about feeling sorry for old men. Or about being upset with the idea of Chin Peng stepping back on Malaysian soil. We have been swamped with evocative words that demand strong reactions. “Old man wants to die at birthplace.” “Just a grandfather.” “Notorious murderer.” “Massacre of innocents.” The “evils of communism”. Strong words […]
Keeping domestic helpers safe
By Koh Lay Chin(© Otnaydur / Dreamstime) OVER the past few years, things have not looked good for Indonesian domestic helpers in this country. Horrific cases of abuse such as those involving Nirmala Bonat in 2004, Ceriyati Dapin in 2007, and then Siti Hajar in 2009 didn’t just make the local headlines. They also raised Malaysia’s profile internationally, […]
The relevance of Gerakan
By Koh Lay ChinTHE words come often, and ruthlessly so: Irrelevant. A waste of time. A joke. These are currently used to describe Gerakan, and its members know it. Once, it claimed its place as the “Voice of Reason” within the Barisan Nasional (BN). But since the 2008 general election, the party has seen its fortunes and influence […]
Land rights key to survival
By Koh Lay ChinTHE problems the Penan and other indigenous communities face can sometimes seem overwhelming and complicated. In this interview with The Nut Graph conducted via e-mail in late September 2009, Koh Lay Chin speaks to anthropologist Kelvin Egay, whom she met while visiting the Orang Ulu in Sarawak. She asks Egay, who has researched these communities […]
Will the Penan survive?
By Koh Lay ChinPenan child EIGHT hours in a four-by-four, and no sleep. One is forced to pay quite a bit of attention to flashing scenes of logging roads outside. These lead to Sarawak’s hinterland where the Penan communities and other indigenous groups live. I had been unable to get a flight on a small plane from Miri […]
