The article focuses on the films of Malaysian Director Yasmin Ahmad and highlights her cosmopolitan sensibility in making Islamic film. Among her films that became the focus of a talk show debate on national television station were “Mukhsin,” “Sepet and Gubra: Cultural Corruptors?,” and “Muallaf.” Most of her films have an Islamic representation, an Islam … Read more
As ASEAN marks its 40 anniversary, US-ASEAN relations show signs of success and potential future growth. Viewed from the perspective of where US-ASEAN relations were four decades ago, signs of structural change and the prospect of a more focused-and action-oriented ASEAN organization, there remains every possibility of further filling a glass of interactions that is … Read more
ASEAN has come a long way since its founding in 1967. It has achieved a certain degree of political cohesion on some regional and international issues. It has helped keep the peace among its members. It has adopted norms for inter-state relations and managed to get others to accede to those norms. It has healed … Read more
The article relates the founding and history of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which was founded on August 8, 1967 by a joint political declaration. The organization fosters the peaceful handling of diplomatic disputes and works as a regional group to foster relations with other areas and nations of the world. The ASEAN … Read more
This article explores the implementation of Gahan’s (1998) model on union strategy which consists of union aims, union methods, union tactics, and level of decision-making. Empirical data are provided from a qualitative analysis in the Indonesian and Malaysian postal industries. Research findings reveal that consultancy unionism is playing important roles in explaining the relationships among … Read more
Malaysia experienced a major shift in language policy in 2003 for the subjects of science and maths. This meant a change in the language of education for both national and national-type schools. For national schools, this resulted in a shift from Bahasa Malaysia, the national language to English. Parallel with this, to ensure homogeneity of … Read more
The article discusses the novel “The Crocodile Fury,” by Beth Yahp. The novel has won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, Sheaffer Pen Prize for First Fiction in 1993, and the New South Wales State Literary Awards. The author argues that there appears to be distinct echoes of occidental myths and metaphors that shape the discursive … Read more
This paper examines how Malaysia’s 1996 Education Act, which is based on a multiculturalism-type approach, has influenced ethnic polarization in primary and secondary education. This is done through research on the enrolment trend of Chinese Malaysians. Most Chinese have not regarded the Act as an expression of a multiculturalism-type approach but rather as a continuation … Read more
This article aims to elucidate key practical issues affecting Christians living in a majority Islamic context. It further proposes significant policy options for managing Muslim-Christian relations in twenty-first-century Malaysia. Education is crucial for promoting interreligious harmony, religious freedom, and respect for people of different traditions. More collaborative endeavours through interfaith dialogue should help Malaysians transcend … Read more
This article explores conceptions of the Malaysian ethnic system from the perspective of certain Bidayuhs, an indigenous group of Sarawak, Borneo. Recent scholarship has highlighted the ‘fluid’ and ‘shifting’ nature of Malay identity; but less attention has been paid to how ethnic minorities in the region depict Malayness. I suggest that for many Bidayuhs, Malay-ness … Read more