THE Pakatan Rakyat (PR) manifesto professes to improve Malaysians’ standard of living by raising household incomes and the minimum wage, and creating new jobs. But does it say enough about developing sustainably as a nation? What more needs to be included for the PR to truly be a viable and comprehensive alternative to the Barisan Nasional?
Pakatan Rakyat
Questions on the Selangor water crisis
by RefsaTHE Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government continues to battle it out with Syabas and the federal government for control over water resources. What are the key questions that need to be asked about the water issue in Selangor? Refsa maps it out for us.
New Year resolutions for Pakatan Rakyat
Uncommon Sense by Wong Chin Huat
PAKATAN Rakyat’s People’s Uprising Rally, dubbed KL112 by some, passed without any major incidents last Saturday. Is Pakatan Rakyat (PR) any closer to winning power federally? What resolutions should PR parties be making if they want to stand a good chance of making it to Putrajaya at the next general election? Political scientist Wong Chin Huat writes.
Batu Caves condo: What they’re not telling you
Ampersand by KW Mak
A lot of accusations and allegations have been made in the recent case of a condominium development near Batu Caves. Who is telling the truth: BN or PR? And what else aren’t they telling us?
Voting for an “Islamic state”
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
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?
Promoting Malaysian mediocrity
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
What really is all the fuss over the theme, logo and song lyrics of our upcoming Merdeka celebrations? Is it really a case of political manoeuvrings by the Barisan Nasional (BN)? Or poor judgement by the government of the day? Or both? Or does it say something more about what the current federal leadership promotes?
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?
What’s wrong with Bersih 3.0?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
IF we were to believe everything the Barisan Nasional (BN) is saying about Bersih 3.0, the movement for free and fair elections is indeed problematic in several ways. According to BN elected representatives, the planned 28 April 2012 sit-down protest at Dataran Merdeka, known as Bersih 3.0, is “unnecessary”. It has been hijacked by, or […]
Why I don’t want to vote for the BN
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-Yi
IF only voting were easy. For one thing, I’m still waiting for the Election Commission (EC) secretariat to tell me why my absent voter application was rejected. If the EC eventually approves my application — or if the elections coincide with my summer research at home — and if intra-party seat allocations don’t change, I’ll […]
