Police, media and the majority Malay Malaysian crowd during the GMP gathering on 7 March 2009 PERHAPS the easiest observation one could make about the Gerakan Mansuhkan PPSMI (GMP) gathering on 7 March 2009 is that it was mono-cultural. While there were representatives from Chinese-language education proponents in the thousands-strong crowd, these numbered in the […]
Zedeck Siew
One, two, tree!
By Zedeck SiewJust begging to be climbed… (Source: arborsmith.com) THE Perak state assembly’s recent sitting, under the rain tree of a parking lot close to the Perak Darul Ridzuan complex, has been inspirational to many. Who would have thought politicians, with their natural inclination towards leisure, had the mettle to brave the late-morning sun in full regalia? […]
Making Kugan’s death matter
By Zedeck Siew(Pic by Mark Coggins / Flickr) THE fresh findings on what caused A Kugan’s death while in police custody are horrific and outrageous. Politicians, civil society groups and citizens have all expressed shock and anger. Unfortunately, Kugan’s death is not an isolated incident. In February 2005, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in his capacity as […]
Tear gas and arrests at GMP march
By Zedeck Siew
KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 2009: Police fired tear gas and arrested several people during a march to Istana Negara today to protest the use of English in the teaching of maths and science. The march, involving more than 2,000 protesters, was organised by the Movement for the Abolition of the Teaching of Mathematics and Science […]
Tear gas and arrests at GMP march (Updated 7.25pm)
By Zedeck Siew(Updated 7 March 2009, 7.25pm) 39 KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 2009: Police fired tear gas and arrested several people during a march to Istana Negara today to protest the use of English in the teaching of maths and science. The march, involving more than 2,000 protesters, was organised by the Movement for the Abolition of […]
Struggling with identity
By Zedeck SiewRONNIE Khoo, 31-year-old composer and Furniture frontperson, once had his photograph taken with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In the photo, a prepubescent Khoo, smiling broadly, has his hands in his pockets and looks directly at the camera. The former prime minister, also smiling, clutches the young boy’s shoulders paternally. “This picture was taken in Club […]
Preoccupied with sex
Translation by Zedeck SiewINATTENTIVE wives, horny teenagers, Umno’s upcoming polls, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s bad image, and the Arab siege on Malay culture were some of the issues covered by the traditional Malay-language press from 23 Feb to 1 March 2009. “Misguided” sexual practices Moral outrage over “unnatural” sexual practices make for striking headlines. The cover story […]
Christian publications can use“Allah”
By Zedeck SiewPETALING JAYA, 26 Feb 2009: The government has gazetted a ruling that prohibits Christian publications from using the word “Allah”, unless they carry the disclaimer “For Christianity” on their front covers. While the ruling, published in the Government Gazette on 16 Feb, allows publications like the Catholic weekly Herald to continue using the word in […]
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 […]
PKR support for Wong conditional
By Zedeck SiewKUALA LUMPUR, 24 Feb 2009: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s continued support for Selangor state assemblyperson Elizabeth Wong will depend on the content of any new photographs which may surface. “It depends on what the pictures are,” PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali told The Nut Graph last night, when asked whether the party would […]
