The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and the Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) are alarmed that six people have been charged for making comments about the Perak royal family. The use of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) violates the Act’s stated promise that it would not be used to censor the internet. […]
Wong Chin Huat
Taming the unelected
By Wong Chin Huat(Illustration by Nick Choo) AS we celebrate the first anniversary of the historic 8 March 2008 general election, our democratic institutions are now in danger of being attacked by unelected institutions. These include the palace, the bureaucracy, the police, the judiciary, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). And if the last and the most powerful […]
Perak today, Malaysia tomorrow?
By Wong Chin HuatCorrected on 6 March 2009 at 3.50pm (Corrected) PERAK was one of the biggest surprises after 8 March 2008. After some early difficulty in appointing the menteri besar (MB), the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government went on to perform well beyond expectations. The PR government has not only increased the state’s revenue by RM97 million or […]
Scaling the language barrier
By Wong Chin HuatTHE English language is now promoting interethnic unity in Malaysia, albeit unintentionally. Malay, Chinese and Tamil educationists who were once natural enemies have now joined forces to oppose the English for Teaching Mathematics and Science (ETeMS) policy. Politically, leaders in the Barisan Nasional (BN) are divided on whether to continue the policy, while the Pakatan […]
Perak Sultan’s writing may be misconstrued
By Zedeck SiewA QUOTE by the Perak sultan, cited by many political commentators and legal minds to illustrate the ruler’s contradiction in his decision not to dissolve the state assembly, may have been taken out of context. “Under normal circumstances, it is taken for granted that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would not withhold his consent to a […]
The politics of decency
By Wong Chin Huat(Pic by striatic / Flickr) LET’S get something straight. What has happened to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s Selangor state assemblyperson for Bukit Lanjan, Elizabeth Wong, is nothing unprecedented or unimaginable. All you need to do to potentially get your nude pictures circulated is to share your private life with a person who could one day […]
For the love of the sultan
By Wong Chin HuatSultan Azlan Shah (Source: sultan.perak.gov.my) AS in most other monarchies, Malaysians have been taught to love king and country. But rarely have we asked or been told why. This appeared to be okay until innocence was lost. For some of us, this occurred during the recent Perak crisis; for others, it could have occurred earlier. […]
Pakatan Rakyat beyond Anwar
By Wong Chin HuatWHAT is the honourable thing for political leaders to do when they lead their party on the wrong path and land the party in trouble? Resign. That was the demand made of MCA’s Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and MIC’s Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu when their parties’ parliamentary seats were reduced by more than […]
Snap poll best bet
By Wong Chin HuatMALAYSIA’S political and economic stability now hangs on the developments in Perak. The Pakatan Rakyat state government has now effectively collapsed because it has lost four state assemblypersons. With the return of Bota state assemblyperson Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim to Umno, the Barisan Nasional (BN) now holds 28 seats — the same number as Pakatan Rakyat […]
BN will not win from Perak defections
By Wong Chin HuatEVENTS are moving so fast in Perak that by the time this column is published, the Barisan Nasional (BN) may be in control of the state legislative assembly if there are enough defections to its side from Pakatan Rakyat. Even though the two Pakatan Rakyat elected representatives who were tipped to cross over to the […]
