According to MCA, a vote for DAP equals a vote for PAS equals a vote for an Islamic state and hudud. Is there truth to any of the charges and predictions MCA is making? And are they being completely honest about what the Umno-led Barisan Nasional itself has been responsible for?
MCA
Looking beyond the Chua-Lim debate
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-Yi
MUCH has been said about the 8 July debate between DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. The debate, titled “Whose policies benefit the country more?”, drew conflicting responses. For example, theSun reported that “Lim went on the offensive”, while Malaysiakini said it was Chua who took […]
Doubtful votes — can they change an election outcome?
By Deborah Loh
Are Malaysians sufficiently educated on how to vote? It is widely assumed that marking “X” next to a candidate’s name is the only legitimate way to vote. It is not. Civil society groups now train volunteers to be election monitors, booth agents and polling and counting agents. They also cover training on doubtful votes, due to concerns that dubiously marked ballots could end up influencing an election outcome. Can this really happen?
Who wants another 13 May?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
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 […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The return of BN?
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE Barisan Nasional (BN) has recently emerged triumphant from two by-election victories in Kerdau and Merlimau, its fourth and fifth consecutive victories so far. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has said the wins showed the people’s growing support for the BN. Can these BN achievements be interpreted as such? And what does this mean […]
Azan issue: A missed opportunity for BN
Sideways by Deborah Loh
THE recent azan controversy was a missed opportunity for the Barisan Nasional (BN) to show how it can be a government for all Malaysians. It could have been a chance for the BN to lead instead of react, by fostering dialogue, understanding and respect among different ethnic groups and religions. But the government and some […]
MCA speaks loudly, but will anybody listen?
By Deborah Loh
IN the almost six months since being elected MCA president following bitter infighting, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has marshalled the party rank-and-file to begin reclaiming the Chinese Malaysian vote. How is he attempting to do this? Chua believes that a more outspoken MCA, which shows it won’t cower under Umno’s shadow, is one […]
Soi Lek on managing Malaysia
By Deborah Loh
IN the first part of his interview with The Nut Graph, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek spoke about the need for the MCA to be more assertive in voicing the concerns of Chinese Malaysians. But the things the MCA supports – a secular state, a liberalised economy – puts it at odds […]
Seditious Malaysia
By Ding Jo-Ann
KARPAL Singh. Lim Guan Eng. Raja Petra Kamaruddin. Wong Chin Huat. These individuals have all been arrested or charged under Malaysia’s draconian Sedition Act. The Act was passed in 1948, at the height of the British colonial government’s struggle against the communists. But more than 60 years later, the wide-ranging and subjective law is still being used, whenever it’s convenient, to silence political opponents.
Umno leaders’ advice on racial remarks
By Ding Jo-AnnWHEN racist remarks are made against non-Muslim non-Malay Malaysians, Umno leaders call for calm and for these citizens not to be “clouded by emotions”. But when non-Malay Malaysians raise legitimate demands for fair and equitable treatment, they are told that Malay Malaysians are “sensitive”, prone to “uneasiness and anger”, and should not be provoked. Is Umno saying that non-Malay citizens’ feelings are less important, and that Malay citizens are less capable of restraint?
