I DIDN’T live through the racial clashes of 13 May 1969. I was born a year after. And yet, throughout my childhood and into my adulthood, just mentioning “13 May” evoked whispered warnings and an unnameable fear. What is it about 13 May that gives rise to fear and suspicion that fellow Malaysians might re-enact […]
Malays
Siapa Melayu?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
IF it is true that Malay-rights group Perkasa was able to sabotage the government’s New Economic Model, hence obstructing much-needed reforms for the nation, what is this telling us? It tells us that if the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is so easily held ransom by right-wing race-based groups, it is not fit to govern multiracial […]
The real deal with Perkasa
By Deborah LohWHY interview Datuk Ibrahim Ali? Because his nationalistic non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pribumi Perkasa Negara (Perkasa) isn’t a force to be dismissed lightly. The independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Mas started Perkasa in reaction to political rhetoric about equality and meritocracy following the 2008 general election. Today, in Perkasa’s ranks defending “threats” to the […]
Biro Tata Negara’s “real” message
By Shanon ShahMOHD Khalid Mohd Nor, 27, attended the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) programme in 2002. Back then, he was a Public Services Department (JPA) scholar about to be sent to Germany to attend university. Khalid is now in London finishing his PhD in advanced manufacturing technologies. He is not on a government scholarship anymore. The Nut […]
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 […]
Umno Youth a year later
By Deborah LohKhairy, after he was elected Umno Youth chief during party elections in March 2009 (Pic courtesy of theSun) KHAIRY Jamaluddin wasn’t the clear favourite when he was elected Umno Youth chief. A jeering crowd accused him of bribery after he trounced two other contenders in the party elections in March 2009. But Khairy has emerged […]
Khairy Jamaluddin’s new image?
By Deborah LohIS Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin crafting a new image for himself? Gone are the years when he was dogged by rumours of scandal while his father-in-law, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was prime minister. Indeed, there is a new, though still emerging, picture of the 34-year-old politician. But what is this emerging identity all about? […]
“Allah” issue: Who started it?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinLEST we forget, the source of the Allah controversy that resulted in churches, and a Catholic school, being torched and threatened did not begin on the streets. It did not begin with narrow-minded and ignorant Muslim pressure groups threatening to spill blood to assert their sole right to use “Allah”. Lest we forget, it began […]
Najib: Umno will be the people’s champion (Updated 3.04pm)
KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Oct 2009: Umno will be the champion of the people by putting the people of all races above itself through the changes that the party is currently undergoing, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. In his first speech as Umno president at the party’s general assembly, he said Umno would continue to […]
“Malays and rulers cannot be separated”
IPOH, 5 Aug 2009: Malay Malaysians and the Malay rulers cannot be separated and whoever thinks that the country’s constitutional monarchy is no longer relevant is a traitor, the 4B Youth Movement said. Its general secretary Datuk Wira Jamaluddin Abdul Rahim added that such a person was also trying to stoke Malay sentiment. “If there […]
