DAP chairperson Karpal Singh is not one to shy from criticising his own political comrades and allies. For him, principles come first. And because of this, the fiery veteran has had no qualms about putting his colleagues in their places, often giving fodder to media speculation that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is on the verge […]
Pakatan Rakyat
For Karpal, the personal is political
By Deborah LohFIVE years ago, in the blink of an eye, life changed for the Lion of Jelutong. A car accident close to midnight on 28Jan 2005 now keeps Karpal Singh confined to a wheelchair and under constant supervision and assistance in order to perform the simplest of tasks. That incident has not dampened the Bukit Gelugor […]
Reasons for dismissing Anwar’s appeal
By Chan Kheng HoeMahathir (Pic by amrfum / Wiki commons)IN October 2009, the media reported that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim‘s appeal against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it was filed in English. Much hue and cry was raised over the judgement, and adverse comments were made against […]
Bonuses in peril
By Wong Chin HuatDESPITE all the madness in 2009, it was a year in which Malaysians saw positive changes on two important fronts: ethnic relations and good governance. A good example, notwithstanding the initial flip-flopping, is the federal government’s decision to revamp the racist and fascist content of the Biro Tata Negara courses after being forced to by […]
Achievable resolutions
By Yasmin Masidi(Pic by Elvinstar / Dreamstime) HERE we are, just past the cusp of 2010, when parts of the world that observe 1 Jan list New Year hopes both fanciful and pragmatic. It’s always a useful exercise to do both, and to think about just why it is that one writes off a wish as “unrealistic”. […]
Get real, Pakatan Rakyat
By Deborah LohONE odd thing about the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s inaugural convention on 19 Dec 2009 was the fact that none of the grassroots level members were given the chance to debate the common policy framework. Instead, those who “debated” the document after it was unveiled were mainly second-tier leaders from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), PAS and […]
PR’s spin on local elections
By Wong Chin HuatSPARE us the spin. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s promise to merely “strengthen local government democracy” in its common policy framework (CPF) is not a wider plan to go beyond local elections. It’s a compromise to substitute local elections. And from DAP chairperson Karpal Singh‘s comment, the obstacle to the coalition’s commitment to local elections is […]
Reaching common ground
By Deborah LohPKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng PAKATAN Rakyat (PR)’s common policy to be unveiled this Saturday on 19 Dec 2009 appears to have reached some compromise on the divisive issue of PAS‘s goal for an Islamic state. Clearly, PAS […]
Pakatan Rakyat vs local elections
By Wong Chin HuatIT is funny to hear my friends in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) complaining that civil society is pressuring only the opposition coalition to revive local elections and not the Barisan Nasional (BN). It becomes more hilarious now that the PR has reportedly reduced its commitment to merely “strengthening local democracy.” One unnamed leader defends it […]
The problem with silence
By KW MakSssh (Pic by ehlert / sxc.hu)DING Jo-Ann‘s commentary about the government’s policy of silence got me wondering if the same holds true for the Petaling Jaya City Council, or MBPJ. Do we practise the same deafening silence? I shall answer that question with a story. Not mine to give Once, a group of Section 19, […]
