(Background pic by Sophokles; Queen Elizabeth I pic public domain. Source: Wiki commons) NOT surprisingly, the debate on the reversal of the English for Teaching Science and Mathematics (known by its Malay acronym PPSMI) policy is largely framed as a zero-sum choice between English and the so-called “mother tongue” languages. Many opponents of the reversal […]
Wong Chin Huat
“Democracy crucial to economic progress”
By Deborah Loh“Where is democracy, Mr Najib?” in different languages. (l-r: CIJ’s V Gayathry, JIM’s Zaid Kamaruddin, Wong, and Haris) KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: Slow democratisation will ultimately lead to economic and state failure, civil society groups said today in conjunction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 100 days in office. While praising Najib for […]
Ten KPIs for Najib
By Wong Chin HuatUpdated on 13 July 2009 at 2.10pm (Malaysian flag image source: vigilenzmd.com) THIS Saturday, 11 July 2009, will mark Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 100 days as prime minister. Be prepared for the swamp of praises for Malaysia’s sixth prime minister and for his 1Malaysia vision. Three months ago, upon his succession, even his pinkish skin […]
Police
By The Nut Graph teamA PICTURE paints a thousand words, but how can one paint an accurate picture of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM)? After all, none other than Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan has been a regular headline grabber over the past year. When he came into power in 2004, then Prime Minister Tun […]
Divided we stand
By Wong Chin HuatLET’s think about the following key words in Malaysian politics: unity government, Sisters in Islam (SIS), Chin Peng, government or PSD scholarships, Utusan Malaysia, and the language in education policy. What comes to your mind? Ethnocentrism? Religious fundamentalism? National disunity? Who hasn’t lamented about why our nation cannot be spared such ethno-religious polemics? Why can’t […]
One ummah, two PASes
By Wong Chin HuatNOTHING could be more wrong than to think there is a pro-Umno faction in PAS. Rather, we need to notice nuances in the debate on a possible unity government with Umno and the notorious resolution for the National Fatwa Council to investigate and possibly ban Sisters in Islam (SIS). These issues are symptomatic of two […]
Police summon Chin Huat’s former students
By Zedeck SiewChin Huat Corrected on 3 June 2009 at 7pm PETALING JAYA, 3 June 2009: Two (corrected) former students who participated in a show of support for Wong Chin Huat, following his arrest for allegedly seditious comments, have been served with police notices. “We feel that further interrogation is extremely peculiar and completely unnecessary as we […]
From tsunami to epidemics
By Wong Chin HuatMETAPHORS are more than sound bites. For example, the sea-changing 2008 general election is best represented by the metaphor “tsunami”, first coined by seasoned opposition leader and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang. Why is tsunami an apt metaphor for 8 March 2008? First, a tsunami sweeps away existing structures and leaves a new landscape behind. […]
Undoing the 13 May legacy
By Wong Chin HuatEVERY nation has its dark side of history. Some nations like Japan and Turkey do not have the courage to face their dark past — they would do anything to bury or alter history. Others like Germany, South Africa, and Australia bravely own up their historical sins — whether committed against other nations or their […]
Wong’s arrest stifles academic freedom
By Gan Pei LingPETALING JAYA, 13 May 2009: Academics from the Asian Public Intellectual (API) Fellowships Program have described political scientist Wong Chin Huat‘s recent arrest for sedition as an “assault against academic freedom”. The group of public intellectuals said in a statement today that Wong’s arrest under the Sedition Act on 5 May restricted the academic community’s […]
