Art Harun

Eh, Tun dah lupa?

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  Every year, during the first two or three days of fasting, I suffer from headaches. That is because my blood sugar level drops. Thank God this will go away after the 3rd day of fasting. Low blood sugar level may cause hypoglycemia. In some cases, symptoms of hypoglycemia include impaired judgment; irritability; belligerence; confusion; … Read more

Isu sebatan wanita – Islam atau Politik?

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  I have been meaning to write about the abundance of hypocrisy in the caning of the three women for their alleged voluntary confession of illicit sex. However, the universe connived to prevent me from doing so in a timely manner. However, a learned friend of mine, Shaikh Saleem, has written an excellent article about … Read more

Happy New Ear, Dr M

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  At least 30% of shares must go to Bumiputeras. If so, how come only 20% are now being held by them? Where did the 10% go? If ever there was a wish which I could be granted when I grow really old — this is not to say that I am not already old, … Read more

Please, Don’t Turn Our Children Into Guinea Pigs

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http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-dont-turn-our-children-into.html

25 June, 2009

Some years ago, my friend interviewed a local graduate for pupilage. The interviewee spoke flawless Bahasa Malaysia. He carried himself well and answered all my friend’s questions confidently. Until, of course, my friend started speaking English. He asked the interviewee, “Why did you read law???? The interviewee looked into my friend’s eyes for a moment and appeared to be in deep thought. Finally he said, “Because I want pass my exam.???

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CPI Columnist Art Harun on “Visiting The Malay Rights”

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http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/06/visiting-malay-rights.html

I have been labelled anti this and that. Apparently, I am also pro this and that, or the other. As such, I am going to begin this article with a disclaimer, just as all accountants do on their reports. This article contains my interpretation of the relevant Constitutional provisions in respect of the “rights??? of the Malays. And please read the next sentence real slowly. It is not intended to question anything, whether rights or otherwise, belonging to anybody, regardless of his or her race, faith or political leaning.

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PAS Should Be Banned?

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June 12, 2009
 
And so, it needs no further proof that political assemblies could churn out rationalities which could sit anywhere between the state of burlesque and the city of grotesque. Just look at the recently concluded PAS muktamar.

Apparently in Malaysia, no political assembly could be completed — and probably regarded as meaningful — without the usual mega important gimmick or resolution. In Malaysian politics, perhaps the two are even one and the same. Hence the unsheathing of the keris and the subsequent kissing of it during the Umno general assembly. That was the gimmick. That was to be followed by the usual we-are-the-Malays-and-we-have-our-rights-and-don’t-challenge-us-or-else-we-would-run-amok rants. That was the resolution. After that, everybody had tea and curry puffs and went home.

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Columnist Art Harun on The RPK case

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http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/06/rpk-case-significant-victory.html

The RPK case – A significant Victory

9th June, 2009

Civil societies advocates today gained a significant victory in the Federal Court in the case involving the appeal by the Home Minister against the release of Raja Petra Kamaruddin from his ISA detention.

Briefly, the Federal Court today declared that the last sitting of the Federal Court which heard and dismissed four applications (motions) by RPK was not properly convened. Consequently, the Federal Court today set aside all orders made on the said motions.

In order to appreciate the significance of today’s order, allow me to give a chronology of events.

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CPI columnist Art Harun on Missing the Concept

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http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/04/missing-concept.html

Missing The Concept

April 14, 2009

In image building, it is good to have a concept. But the trouble with having a concept is that the concept should be followed up with or backed by a blueprinted plan to achieve whatever is set out to be achieved by the concept. It must be borne in mind however, having a concept is one thing, implementing a concept is another and of course, missing a concept, especially in Malaysia, is as easy as getting dead or into a coma in a police lock-up.

So, let us say we have a concept and our concept is “change”. We should then have some ideas as to what change we want to achieve. Then we should have a plan on how to achieve that change which we want. After that, we should all go out and do whatever is being planned in order to achieve that change. That is how it works. Well, at least, that is how I think it should work.

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Lament for the Fall of Saville – an analysis of UMNO’s undoing

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http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/03/lament-for-fall-of-saville-analysis-of.html

Introduction

I am writing this because I have not forsaken my friends, some of whom are within the inner circle of power in UMNO. I shall not name them. They know who they are. We have known each other before their UMNO days. To me, they are human beings first and politicians second. We are all subjects of a set of higher moral law, which, unlike the man made laws, cannot be changed or altered. Which, unlike the man made laws, reside somewhere within the recesses of our mind and will not go away, no matter how hard we try to ignore them, no matter how many times we have walked away from them. Although to a certain extent we cannot deny that we are what we are because of UMNO, I would prefer to say that I am what I am in spite of UMNO. This post is dedicated to them.

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