Introductory note by CPI This article first appeared under the title ‘Umno is winning the propaganda wars again’ on Jan 11, 2010 in the Hartal MSM blog. It has been edited by CPI with permission from its author – the blogger Eyes Wide Open (EWO) who is part of the Hartal MSM mediawatch team. … Read more
The less than coincidental trumpeting of “missing Indians??? in the country’s three leading English papers (Jan 13, 2010) can be read in a number of ways. One interpretation – the fact that more than 39,000 citizens of India are ‘missing’ in Malaysia – is that this disclosure was a preventive strike by PM Najib during … Read more
Masyarakat kita hari ini dikelilingi kepelbagaian. Kita terdedah dengan individu-individu yang berbeza warna kulit, budaya dan pegangan hidup berbanding diri kita sendiri. Maka dalam keadaan ini, dilema yang menanti adalah samada kita tetap teguh dengan cara dan budaya kita sendiri atau perlu kita mengalah dan menerapkan budaya orang lain. Tidak kira siapa, Melayu, Cina, India, … Read more
Buku Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times tulisan Barry Wain sudah mendapat publisiti meluas. Akan tetapi, yang kurang mendapat liputan media ialah buku Wain yang ditulisnya sebelum itu berjudul Najib’s Challenge: Glory or Oblivion yang menceritakan mengenai Perdana Menteri Najib Razak. Malaysian Maverick dikhabarkan masih ‘tersangkut’ di kastam. Barangkali mereka belum mendapat ‘arahan’ … Read more
The scheme by Umno to boost its fortunes by using the ‘Allah’ controversy has backfired, and destabilised religious harmony in a multi-religious society. A campaign was launched by Umno to reverse a High Court judgment that ‘Allah’ could be used by The Herald, a Catholic weekly. It was supposed to be a brainwave – an … Read more
A long lighted fuse led to the fire bombings. These were not isolated events done on sudden impulse. This was a part of the political calculus of racist and religiously bigoted leaders to drive home to their opponents that they can at any time incite their followers to whatever actions necessary to demonstrate their might … Read more
Joint statement of civil society on Jan 9, 2010 We civil society groups from different spiritual, cultural and ideological backgrounds condemn unconditionally in the strongest possible terms the arson against at least three churches following the controversy over the use of the word Allah. We express our solidarity with the Metro Tabernacle Church at … Read more
Condensed and translated by Centre for Policy Initiatives Picture courtesy of Merdeka Review This is my home. I care about it and I want to make it better,??? said Jayanath Appudurai, an Anak Bangsa Malaysia core member. (CPI editor’s note: Jayanath is also our Malay section columnist). Yet many are disappointed, sad and … Read more
Dr Mahathir Mohamad tegas dengan penetapannya bahawa terjemahan ‘God’ kepada ‘Allah’ oleh orang Kristian adalah salah. Sepatutnya perkataan ‘Tuhan’ digunakan untuk God, ujarnya. Kalimah ‘Allah’ sebenarnya mula diharamkan penggunaaannya oleh masyarakat Kristian tatkala beliau sendiri masih menerajui negara, Dr Mahathir menulis di ‘Che Det’ pada Jan 5, 2010. “Pendapat Kabinet pada masa itu ialah … Read more
Delegasi M’sia bagi memantau pilihan raya Uzbekistan sebenarnya tidak layak dan hanyalah sama seperti Sheikh Muzaffar yang diberi pengiktirafan sebagai ‘angkasawan’ sedangkan dia sebenarnya ‘pelancong angkasa’. Semasa Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia (SPR) menghantar delegasinya ke pilihan raya umum Uzbekistan baru-baru ini, Timbalan Pengerusinya Wan Ahmad Wan Omar dengan tidak malu mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa pemantauan delegasinya … Read more