“Muslims cannot attend. Non-Muslims can go and have fun.” AN Information, Communication and Culture Ministry official on Guinness’s 25 Sept 2009 Arthur’s Day celebrations at Sunway Lagoon, where music group the Black Eyed Peas is due to perform. The ministry had set out conditions for the organisers, including one stating that Muslims were not allowed […]
Rais Yatim
Internet censorship
By The Nut Graph teamBACKLASH was instantaneous when Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim announced on 7 Aug 2009 that the Malaysian government was planning to filter the internet. Apparently modelled after China’s Green Dam software, Rais said the Malaysian filter was intended to weed out online smut, especially where children were concerned. “Those who […]
Demonising demonstrations
By Deborah Loh“Demonstrations are done out of desperation and selfishness. The majority of the people are uneasy with such action …The majority of the people are rational and want important and basic matters to be made a priority by the government.” HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, calling the 1 Aug 2009 anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) protest […]
“Malays and rulers cannot be separated”
IPOH, 5 Aug 2009: Malay Malaysians and the Malay rulers cannot be separated and whoever thinks that the country’s constitutional monarchy is no longer relevant is a traitor, the 4B Youth Movement said. Its general secretary Datuk Wira Jamaluddin Abdul Rahim added that such a person was also trying to stoke Malay sentiment. “If there […]
Royal commission only after inquest
PEKAN, 4 Aug 2009: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today once again stressed that the Royal Commission of Inquiry to study the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s interrogation methods would only begin its work after the inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock was completed. The prime minister said the inquest into Teoh’s death […]
Unity through division
By Yow Hong ChiehWE need more division in Malaysian society. We need it to foster oneness. It may be pessimistic to think that the goal of inter-ethnic harmony will never be achieved otherwise but the fact is, large-scale relations in our society are still organised exclusively along communal lines. One need only look to the proposed “unity” talks […]
Association supports English as compulsory pass subject
BESUT, 10 June 2009: The Malaysian Malay Language Education Association (PPBMM) fully supports the government’s proposal to make English a compulsory SPM pass subject. Its president, Assoc Prof Dr Hashim Othman, said this was in line with the association’s resolutions in March to raise language proficiency at all levels of education through various strategies and […]
Chin Peng
By The Nut Graph teamLAST week, newspaper headlines — Utusan Malaysia, in particular — were ablaze with red terror. The spectre of communism seemed poised to return to our lands, especially against a backdrop of calls to allow former Public Enemy No 1, Chin Peng, to return. These calls, most notably from Penang Gerakan chairperson Datuk Dr Teng Hock […]
Info ministry wary of blogs highlighting communism
KUALA LUMPUR, 28 May 2009: The Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture will always be wary of blogs or groups trying to highlight issues on communism without taking into account the present background of the country. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the ministry could take action according to the communications and multimedia […]
No place for communists in Malaysia, says Rais
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2009: The communists have no place in the country because their sins for killing thousands of people in the then Malaya cannot be forgotten, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. As such, he urged leaders who had expressed positive sentiments for the former leader of the […]
