Recently the New Straits Times ran a front page article on brazen smuggling at our borders with Thailand and Indonesia. In its report, an NST team which joined several Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission covert surveillance operations found that agencies tasked with foiling smuggling attempts were closing an eye to the movement of price-controlled goods by foreigners … Read more
Racism in Malaysia is developing into a subtle, pervasive yet increasingly aggressive form. What started as a defensive affirmative action programme is now fast degenerating into an aggressive form of institutionalized racism. This is sapping the potential of Malaysian society. A future on this trajectory is disastrous for all Malaysians. It will bring ruin. The … Read more
The judge walked into the courtroom, read the judgment in one minute, and disappeared into his chamber. When the flabbergasted Anwar supporters recovered from their shock and realized what it all meant, they jumped in jubilation with shouts of joy, burst of tears, hugging, back-slapping, congratulations and thanks. Within minutes, the same ecstatic outburst also engulfed … Read more
With the acquittal by the High Court of the sodomy charge against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, a key page in the country’s political history has been turned. Immediate winners are of course Anwar, his family, his team of lawyers, and the opposition. For Anwar, it was not only exoneration of the sexual smear charges brought against … Read more
I was in Singapore the last few days for work. Have not been to Singapore for over 20 years. The driver of the taxi that drove me from the airport to my hotel was Malay. On the ride to the hotel he pointed out that all the land along the coast that was now fully … Read more
During the past few months, the government and Felda authorities have been engaged in a public relations exercise aimed at persuading Felda settlers as well as the Malaysian public that the proposal to float Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) on Bursa Malaysia is in the best interests of the settlers. But is it really so? … Read more
The call by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for free and fair media coverage on the imminent polls strikes at the core of what have made Malaysian elections a mockery of democracy. A shackled and unfair media is one of the fundamental flaws because electoral democracy is a game of perception. And perception is shaped by the … Read more
Dua orang ternama meninggal dunia pada awal minggu ini. Pemimpin Korea Utara, meninggal dunia pada 17 Disember 2011 dan bekas presiden Republik Czech, Vaclav Havel pula meninggal dunia pada 18 Disember 2011. Vaclav Havel mungkin tidak begitu terkenal berbanding Kim Jong-Il dalam senario berita dunia akhir-akhir ini. Penglibatan Havel mengubah perjalanan politik di negaranya bermula dengan … Read more
During the last few months, Prime Minister Najib Razak has been pulling out one pre-election carrot after another from his inexhaustible supply of goodies aimed at persuading the electorate to vote BN’s way in the coming general election (GE). These range from indefinite postponement of the long delayed goods and services tax to financial grants … Read more
Lynas has announced that its advanced materials plant will be ready for operation next month despite having their submissions rejected thrice by the permanent waste management and the plant decommissioning plans. At the same time, the government continues to ignore the rakyat’s pleas to cancel this toxic plant and thus prompting various legal teams to … Read more