Category: Koon Yew Yin

Zahid must be made to withdraw these irresponsible and provocative remarks which in the Malay papers and media will be seen as targeted mainly at the Chinese. Otherwise it will be clear that UMNO and BN have not learned anything at all from the elections – just the need to continue with or condone racist… Continue reading Stop the racist politics of suspicion and hate in the country

In the past week since the election date was announced, I have taken part in numerous rallies held by the Pakatan Rakyat political parties in Perak. During these ceramahs attended by thousands of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Orang Asli and other supporters of the opposition in the large and small towns, and at the grassroots level,… Continue reading BN’s triple cocktail of Race, Hudud and Fear is not working

I recently published an article with the title, ‘ Room for competitive bumiputera companies – A wasteful national mission ’. My intention was to support Petronas chairman Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas who is under fire from the Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) for allegedly marginalizing Bumiputera companies and favouring more competitive foreign companies. In… Continue reading Half-baked contractors are not in our national interest

As the curtain comes down on the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and its demise as a force in Malaysian politics, Malaysians are being treated to demonstrations of desperate behaviour by the MCA top brass to show that they are still relevant. The latest is the attempt by MCA’s Deputy President Liow Tiong Lai to reach… Continue reading MCA: Last chance at changing history for the Better

As election day draws nearer, we will be asked for reasons as to why we should want to change the Barisan Nasional Government (BN). When the question is put to me, I tell people that there is no need to enumerate three, four or five reasons. One reason alone is sufficient for Malaysians to elect… Continue reading Malaysia’s Education Disaster: The power to change the system is in our hands

As the countdown to the general election begins in earnest, we are getting more and more calls from desperate and irresponsible politicians drawing attention to the possibility of a repeat of the infamous May 13 violence if the election results should go against the expectations of various political parties and interests. The fact that these… Continue reading A gulf of 44 years separates us from 13 May 1969

I refer to Ipoh Echo front page article, 16-30 Nov 2012 ‘Perak Water Board, doing it right the first time’. I wish to point out that building the Sultan Azlan Shah dam across Sungai Ulu Kinta was not the right thing to do. About eight years ago, I wrote to the former Perak Menteri Besar… Continue reading Perak’s water system: Doing it wrong

  Last week I received a copy of an email invitation to a joint seminar by two academics, one from University of Malaya and the other from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The title of their talk was “Does race matter in getting an interview? A field experiment of hiring discrimination in Peninsular Malaysia.”. As I have been… Continue reading Hiring discrimination in Peninsular Malaysia study: A half-finished product

Last week, the international financial media carried the story that Canada intended to block the planned $5.3 billion acquisition of Calgary-based Progress Energy Resources by Petronas. According to these reports, the country’s industry minister, Christian Paradis had issued a statement saying he had written to Petronas saying he was “not satisfied that the proposed investment… Continue reading Oil Trading: Dark Side of Petronas

A national news daily had as its front page report a story with the headline title “Keep him locked up”. I am sure that my Barisan Nasional friends are beginning to think of this solution in respect of our former prime minister as the flow of half-baked or senseless suggestions and proposals from Dr Mahathir… Continue reading Dr M’s new preoccupation in lobbying for warship purchases