WHILE celebrations of Merdeka Day seemed to be more muted than usual this year, conceptual artist Chi Too decided to mark the country’s independence with even less pomp and circumstance but no less significance. “It’s Merdeka, everyone wants a piece of cake” was the greeting on the Facebook page inviting Malaysians to participate in merdeka […]
Merdeka
Stocktaking Malaysia
By Deborah Loh
LAST year, the Merdeka Day spirit was dampened by the actions of the Shah Alam residents who used a severed cow head to protest the relocation of a Hindu temple to their largely Muslim neighbourhood. This year, the run-up to Merdeka saw a school head in Kulaijaya, Johor, who, besides other slurs, told her charges […]
Patrick Teoh: A still-unfulfilled Merdeka wish
By Ding Jo-Ann
WHEN Malaysians hear the name Patrick Teoh, it’s a voice, and not a face, that springs to mind. Teoh had no inkling when he landed his first radio job at Redifussion 45 years ago that he would go on to become one of Malaysia’s most recognisable voices. “People do say sometimes, ‘Patrick, your voice is […]
A letter to a son about Merdeka
In A Nutshell by Andrew Khoo
FIRST of all, Benjamin, let me say, “Congratulations!” I know you have worked hard over these last three years, endured many challenges and faced many tests. Learning lots of new stuff may be exciting, but I know it is not always easy. So I am proud of you, son, for having graduated today. It may […]
Deconstructing Merdeka ads
By Gan Pei Ling
BANGI, 28 July 2010: The idealised images of Malaysian unity portrayed in Petronas‘s Merdeka ads is constructed, rather than a reflection of reality, a media and communications researcher said. Andrew Loo, who completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne on nationalism and ethnicity in the Malaysian media, said these ads always portrayed characters of […]
The confident Malay
By Deborah LohCorrected on 17 Nov 2009 at 11.30am DESPITE stepping down in 2008 as executive director of Sisters in Islam (SIS) which she co-founded and led for two decades, Zainah Anwar has not retired from her commitment to women’s rights and justice. Currently project director of Musawah, a global movement for equality and justice for Muslim […]
Malaysia Day
By The Nut Graph teamPOP quiz: Is Malaysia 46 or 52? Historical facts show that the Federated Malay states gained independence on 31 Aug 1957. Thus, Malaya was freed from colonial rule 52 years ago. But the birth of Malaysia itself, when Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore joined the independent Malay states, took place on 16 Sept 1963. That makes […]
What possessed the protesters?
By Jacqueline Ann Surin(Source: openclipart.org) WHAT possessed them? That’s the question I’d like to ask the protesters who desecrated a cow head on 28 Aug 2009 after Friday prayers to object the building of a Hindu temple in Section 23, Shah Alam. We know that it’s not Islam that teaches intolerance of and disrespect toward other religious beliefs, […]
Different takes on Merdeka
By Cindy ThamTHE long weekend was a good opportunity to catch up with friends over a meal or drinks. Over breakfast on the eve of Merdeka Day, some friends chatted about the constitution the nation never had: the People’s Constitution, which was drafted 10 years before Malaya gained independence from British rule on 31 Aug 1957. (Pic […]
Signs of the times
By Zedeck Siew
MALAYSIA’S 52nd anniversary of independence is upon us. 2009 has thus far already been tumultuous for our nation, with political infighting, rising criminality, mysterious deaths in custody, delayed whippings, and by-elections galore. We’ve also seen crowds running in the face of teargas canisters. State assemblypersons under a tree, in full regalia. Clandestine camera phone stills […]
