Amidst the frenzy of draconian measures to prevent the July 9 Bersih rally from taking place, many Malaysians have begun to wonder: Has Malaysia descended into a state of lawlessness? No sooner had Home Minister declared that wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirt is illegal, the Inspector General of Police ups the ante by announcing that… Continue reading Bersih rally a turning point for democracy
Month: June 2011
The outing of Anas Zubedy
Introduction by CPI Although this rebuttal to an open letter has been posed elsewhere, we feel it deserves wider public attention. This is because the subject matter with which the two letters deal, and the opinions expressed are representative of the divergent perspectives among the Malay and non-Malay elite regarding the rights of the… Continue reading The outing of Anas Zubedy
Academic consensus on unfair elections: Reinforcing the case for Bersih’s march
Many Malaysians may be unaware of the considerable research work by social scientists – both local and foreign – that have unequivocally concluded that the country’s record on free and fair elections has been abysmal. Analysis of this remarkable record of trickery, manipulation and gerrymandering by first the Alliance, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN), goes… Continue reading Academic consensus on unfair elections: Reinforcing the case for Bersih’s march
Hannah’s baby vs. an ‘East Indies’ Chinese
My widowed mother was a rubber tapper who took care of me when I was growing up. My younger sister and I used to sleep on the grounds of the rubber plantation in the dark because we helped our mother to tap rubber at dawn. After finishing the work, we headed to school. Neither… Continue reading Hannah’s baby vs. an ‘East Indies’ Chinese
Politicians playing to the majoritarian gallery
One betrays the cause of the Indian poor when he pretends that for every Indian poor there is a Chinese poor just as badly off. And that a Malay or a Muslim poor is under ‘equal’ duress as the Indian poor. How can they be when for the bumiputera poor the sky is the… Continue reading Politicians playing to the majoritarian gallery
Bersih must march on
A peaceful rally calling for electoral reform would have gone down as almost a non-event in any democracy, but not in Malaysia. Here, the news of such an impending rally has virtually caused the incumbent ruling power to go into a state of panic. Ever since the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections – a… Continue reading Bersih must march on
History or Soviet-style propaganda? That is the question
If anyone from the Ministry of Education held an honest, open and non-patronising discussion with our secondary schoolchildren on the subject of history as it is presently taught in school, they would discover that a huge majority of students view it as a painfully boring and an utterly worthless subject. They would also discover that… Continue reading History or Soviet-style propaganda? That is the question
Isn’t a one-race civil service a form of apartheid?
I remember once as a young medical officer, I was boycotted by operating theatre staff when I wanted stern action taken against a staff nurse who went for a kenduri when she was supposed to scrub for a surgery. An assistant nurse had to cover up for her delinquent senior. Both the nurses –… Continue reading Isn’t a one-race civil service a form of apartheid?
Bye-bye M’sia and sayonara to the govt
Is it true that Malaysians emigrate because “they don’t love their country” as a government minister once suggested? I hardly think so. While every Malaysian has his or her reason for emigrating, their loss to the country is seen in a pattern of discrimination, disillusionment and desertion, or the 3Ds. It is a myth that Malaysians… Continue reading Bye-bye M’sia and sayonara to the govt
PAS tolak negara Islam atau tidak?
Perwakilan PAS telah memilih ahli-ahli jawatankuasa kerja PAS pusat yang baru untuk penggal 2011-2013. Majoriti pasukan ini terdiri daripada golongan profesional (jurutera, doktor dan sebagainya). Mereka merupakan ahli-ahli PAS yang bukan berkelulusan agama atau berpangkatkan ulama. Ekoran ini, sesetengah pihak mendakwa bahawa parti PAS sudah menggadaikan agama Islam. Mereka kononnya kecewa bahawa PAS telah mengkhianati… Continue reading PAS tolak negara Islam atau tidak?