WANT Muslim unity? Try secularism, suggests political scientist Wong Chin Huat. He looks at the war in Syria and Iraq between Sunnis and Shiites, and at parallels in Malaysia.
Najib Razak
Najib’s failure
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
Considering Najib’s failures as prime minister and Malaysia’s direction under his leadership, was it really a tribute when he attributed who he is today to his dad Tun Abdul Razak Hussein?
Beyond Dyana Sofya
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
What exactly was discriminatory about the remarks made against the DAP’s candidate for the Teluk Intan by-election, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud? How do such remarks go beyond Dyana Sofya and what needs to be done to combat such attitudes?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Does Malaysia need hate speech laws?
By Ding Jo-Ann
It appears that open demonisation of minority groups such as Christians and Chinese Malaysians are becoming more commonplace in Malaysia. Does Malaysia need laws to prohibit hate speech? The Nut Graph asks political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat.
The importance of “Allah”
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
Christians have been told that they should turn the other cheek and adhere to the ban on the use of “Allah”. Some others have also opined that Christians should back down so that temperatures don’t rise any further over this contentious issue. But the “Allah” issue, if uncontested, has far wider ramifications for all Malaysians than just Christians losing their constitutional right to worship peacefully.
Can the government ban Facebook?
The Digital Circus by Bernice Low
EVER so often, a Barisan Nasional politician will call on the government to ban Facebook or impose stricter controls on the Internet. How much of an assurance, then, is the Multimedia Super Corridor’s Bill of Guarantees against Internet censorship?
Beyond the Shia “threat”
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
Umno and the Home Ministry, which the party’s vice-president is minister of, have proposed a constitutional amendment to stipulate that Islam in Malaysia is of the Sunni sect. Would such an amendment to the federal constitution be possible? And if so, what are the ramifications?
The cost of saving Utusan
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
IS there any incentive for Utusan Malaysia to stop reporting in a way that is racially polarising, defamatory and damaging to the nation? It would seem that the answer is ‘no’, not when Umno wants to bail out the ethno-nationalist paper, even at a cost to public interest and the nation.
A place for affirmative action
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-Yi
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has announced a new set of affirmative action policies under the Bumiputera Economic Empowerment (BEE) agenda. Does Malaysia need race-based development policies?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The two faces of Najib and Umno
By Ding Jo-Ann
OUR Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his government seem to have had a personality change. From human rights, 1Malaysia and helping Chinese Malaysians, Najib has re-introduced detention without trial, harped on Bumiputera empowerment and blamed Chinese Malaysians for BN’s poor election performance. What’s going on? The Nut Graph asks political scientist Wong Chin Huat.
