NO, The Nut Graph did not forget that 16 Sept is Malaysia’s real birthday, and that in 2009, Malaysia turns 46, not 52. Discussions on 16 Sept seem less passionate and visible this year, unlike last year when the date was also the subject of a much-hyped takeover of the federal government by the Pakatan […]
The Other Malaysia
Power, politicians and brutality
By Dr Farish A NoorFOR a region that prides itself for its so-called Asian values, we in Southeast Asia don’t seem to practise what we preach. We talk about how the region’s peoples are peace-loving, but we forget — and we continue to erase and forget — the historical fact that Southeast Asia has been one of the world’s […]
The hybrid-Malay Malaysian dilemma
By Shanon ShahDR Farish Noor is a prolific academic. The founder of The Other Malaysia project writes on the politics of Malaysia, Indonesia, Islamism, and old Malay hikayats with gusto and insight. He has been published everywhere. Well, nearly. It makes one wonder what he does to de-stress. “I repair old batik, I knit and I stitch,” […]
Gerindra’s rise in Indonesian politics
By Dr Farish A NoorFORMER military commander Prabowo Subianto has been a household name in Indonesia for several decades now, but at present he is among the most talked-about aspiring politicians in the country as Indonesians prepare for the next general election in early April. The former son-in-law of President Suharto and the former head of the Komando Pasukan […]
The cost of invading privacy
By Dr Farish A Noor(Keyhole image by Craig Jewell; bedroom image by Lillian Nelson; source: sxc.hu) ONCE again, privacy — or the invasion of privacy, to be precise — has become the subject of debate in Malaysian politics. Behind the morality and moralising that we hear from certain conservative quarters lies something more insidious, which is the call for […]
