Zalman Kastel leading a multi-faith prayer A POPULAR former state mufti has just been arrested by the Islamic religious authorities. A Muslim woman who drank alcohol must be whipped. Those who question the sentence on her must be silenced. The proposed relocation of a Hindu temple was met by a Muslim-led protest threatening bloodshed. Christians […]
Malaysia
Umno, not racist?
By Ding Jo-AnnDATUK Seri Najib Razak‘s assertion over the weekend that only “one or two Umno leaders” have made racist comments and that they do not represent the party’s views belies belief. Umno’s top leaders have in fact publicly and repeatedly championed the Malay agenda over the legitimate interests of other Malaysians. In some instances, intimidation […]
PKR’s internal problems
By Deborah LohAre the problems exaggerated? PARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders maintain that all is generally well in the party, and that recent skirmishes are but “normal” for a party that has grown rapidly. It might be a hard message to sell to a sceptical public impatient to see Pakatan Rakyat (PR) deliver. For one, PR, which […]
The financial disadvantage of being councillor
By KW MakI AM a politician in the public’s eyes. Along with that recognition is the belief that I am flushed with cash, simply because my position allows me access to multitudes of government projects. Being supposedly cash rich, I am also expected to donate handsomely to needy people. To finance these handsome donations, I am expected […]
Democratic rights still far off
By Ding Jo-Ann“POST-8 March, [the election results] left civil society exhilarated and giddy knowing that change is possible,” says Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah. “It has strengthened Malaysians as a whole to speak up, organise and demand reform.” Candlelight vigils have become part of the fabric of city life Indeed, since the last general election, Malaysians have been upping their […]
Politics and imagination
By Deborah LohIOANNIS Gatsiounis is a freelance journalist from New York who has lived in Kuala Lumpur for the last six years. He has written about Malaysia and the region for publications such as Forbes, Newsweek, the International Herald Tribune and The Wall Street Journal Asia. Stretching his writer’s muscle, Gatsiounis recently wrote 10 short fictional stories […]
M’sia to receive 78,000 H1N1 vaccines
KUALA LUMPUR, 26 Oct 2009: Malaysia will receive at the end of this month 78,000 of the 400,000 doses of anti-H1N1 vaccine ordered from Britain for healthcare front-liners and high-risk groups. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said today that the remaining doses would arrive by January next year. He said although the disease’s […]
Najib: 2% – 3% growth forecast for 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Oct 2009: The country’s economy is expected to expand between 2% and 3% next year with all sectors of the economy projected to record positive growth, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the mining sector was forecast to achieve a 1.1% growth, manufacturing […]
Where are Malaysia’s leaders?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinGermans standing on top of the Berlin Wall in 1989; it would be torn down in the following days (Wiki commons) “WHAT I wonder is, where are our leaders? It seems as if there is nobody Malaysians can look up to for leadership,” the woman in the audience said. I was moderating a panel discussion […]
Najib’s uphill battle
By Shanon ShahNajib greeting delegates HALFWAY through his policy address today, 15 Oct 2009, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak defined a form of insanity. “It is when you do something repeatedly in the same way but hope for differing results,” he said. The analogy was used to justify Najib’s market liberalisation measures to make Malaysia more […]
