I SOMETIMES wonder whether government leaders and politicians review what they have said in the media. Over the past few months, it seems that several leaders would benefit from paying attention to how their words are actually more applicable to themselves. The Nut Graph tried to demonstrate this through a series of comics that captured […]
Penang
The politics of dialogue
By K ShanmugaSome people just don’t understand dialogue… SO now the government wants a formalised interfaith dialogue mechanism? Going by the history of the state’s response to attempts by civil society to initiate interfaith dialogue, I am not holding my breath. In 2005, various members of civil society had a conference proposing a statutory Interfaith Commission (IFC) […]
“Hokkien is my second language”
By Shanon ShahAnas Zubedy (all pictures below courtesy of Anas Zubedy) ANAS Zubedy, 46, sent out an appeal in September 2008, pleading for politicians from both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to stop politicking and focus on the economy instead. In addition to uploading it on his company website, Anas also published the appeal […]
Singing Penang stories
Compiled by Nick Choo
OMBAK Ombak ARTStudio presents KO-TAI Penang (Penang’s Song Stage), a 40-minute musical drama that traces Penang’s journey from Merdeka and the founding of George Town to today. It features the stories of multiethnic Penang residents, some of whom have been displaced as a result of development and the repeal of the Rent Control Act. Based […]
Celebrating the clan jetty community
Compiled by Nick Choo
FROM 28 to 30 Aug 2009, artist collective Lost Generation Space (Kuala Lumpur) collaborated with Anak-Anak Kota (Penang) to present Bangun: Penang Clan Jetties Community Arts Project. The multimedia arts festival was held on and around the clan jetties of Penang. Among the project’s objectives was to involve the clan jetty community in the arts. […]
Saya Anak Bangsa M’sia on road show
PETALING JAYA, 6 Nov 2009: The public’s response to programmes by Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) has been more encouraging than from political parties, a SABM core group member said. Jayanath Appudurai said “grassroots response has been very encouraging” to previous public activities organised by SABM. However, in a recent attempt to engage political parties […]
“That means you’re Chinese”
By Nick ChooAT five foot five, Terry Ong says he has never been made to feel insecure about his height as much as he has been made to feel insecure about a more fundamental and unalterable aspect: his own heritage. Ong, 29, is an emcee and voiceover talent. But he is also known because he is a […]
Where’s Penang’s heritage money?
By Ding Jo-Ann“The Government will provide an allocation of RM50 million for conservation works of heritage sites in Malacca and Penang, to support activities undertaken by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and [the] private sector.” Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during his 2009 budget speech in Parliament. The former prime minister, who was also finance minister, referred to Malacca and […]
No Islamic prohibition against temple
By Ding Jo-AnnPARTICIPANTS of the 28 Aug 2009 cow-head protest claim that a Hindu temple cannot be built in a Muslim-majority area as this would affect the way they function as Muslims. Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was even labelled a “traitor to the Malay race and Islam” because of the state government’s proposal to […]
The vegetable basket baby
By Zedeck SiewVISUAL artist Wong Hoy Cheong is probably Malaysia’s most internationally-renowned modern cultural export. While a fixture on the biennial — or repeating art exhibitions — circuit, he has nevertheless continued to make work deeply engaged with the Malaysian context. Take his Vitrine of Contemporary Events, for example. Made in 1999, post-Reformasi, the work is an illuminated […]
