Archive for category Articles
Democracy and freedom of expression
Posted by Kit in Articles, nation building on Tuesday, 21 June 2011
By Art Harun
June 21, | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 21 — In The Wolf and The Silence of the Lamb, I said, among others:
“The core of democracy is representation. It is a system of governance where the people are represented by representatives who are elected by the people. These representatives then form a government. The government than governs the people. A state is then formed, consisting of the government and the people it governs.”
More importantly, I attempted to correct the popular notion that democracy was the cause of liberty. After alluding to Marx’ Utopian state, I opined: Read the rest of this entry »
Supporting Bersih 2.0: It’s personal
By Hafidz Baharom
June 21, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 21 — 2008 was the first time I voted, and this was in the state of Selangor, in its capital city of Shah Alam. At the time, I was given the choice, in terms of Parliament members, of either voting for a person the same age as John McCain who had been given a “safe” seat, or vote for a person whose brother in Johore is as honest and true to his conscience in voting.
Of course, one point against the latter was that he was from PAS. However, when you have an 80-year-old aunt from Wangsa Maju suddenly calling you to vote for Umno, you know something’s up, right?
Read the rest of this entry »
Power is duty, not a prize
Posted by Kit in Articles, nation building, Razaleigh Hamzah on Sunday, 19 June 2011
By Razaleigh Hamzah
Jun 19, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Malaysia’s post-colonial history began with optimism and a grand hope in 1957. When Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first prime minister of Malaysia, proclaimed our Independence at the Merdeka Stadium in the unforgettable words that “Malaysia is a parliamentary democracy with an independent judiciary,” he had a vision of a happy people in spite of the formidable economic problems we needed to solve.
After that dawn of independence, there was a search of how we could achieve this happy society, fulfilling the needs and aspirations of all Malaysians which was to continue for the generations to come. He symbolised the concept and conviction of generational responsibility in his vision. Read the rest of this entry »
Growing into my father’s son
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
June 19, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 19 — A grunt, a shadow of a frown or dead silence. These things tell me whether or not Abah is upset with me.
All my life, I’ve known Abah to be a man of few words. A quiet, unassuming type, aunts and uncles call him, but a proud man nevertheless.
Take a walk into Abah’s study at home, or his office at work, and you’ll be greeted by an army of books, yellowed by time and dog-eared with overuse. Read the rest of this entry »
Changing the world in our own little way
By Aidil Rusli
June 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 18 — I’ve never been a voracious reader, though I think I do read quite a bit compared to the average Malaysian. What I do read though is mostly non-fiction stuff, especially articles or interviews where artists I admire talk about their creative process or motivations.
You see, even if I do think of myself as an artist, I’ve never been the cerebral type who can explain exactly why I do this or that with my art. So, it’s pretty fun and revealing to read about what other artists have to say about their creative process because sometimes what they say actually does explain or help me understand how my own creative process works. Read the rest of this entry »
Why the rift?
By Nitya Kamalanathan
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 16 — I am currently a PhD student in the United Kingdom, my first time in England. When people ask me about Malaysia, I beam, telling them how wonderful our country is and our food!
Oh that is my favourite topic of discussion. We come from a country bursting with flavour, warmth, culture and diversity all of which have been the building blocks of the country.
The three representing races of Malaysia each have rich traditions and cultures, which have blended together to produce a Malaysian culture of which I am proud to say I am part. Read the rest of this entry »
And they think we are stupid
By Othman Wahab
June 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 16 — Ibrahim Ali thinks he is a brilliant strategist and Umno is confident that it is onto something and Khalid Abu Bakar, the deputy inspector-general of police for Umno, performed just like a politician did.
Of course, I am referring to the moves to stop civic-minded Malaysians from gathering on July 9 and protesting about election shortcomings. The Bersih 2 rally is now not likely to happen, with police threatening tough action (they can’t nab criminals but they can bully tax payers. That is what happens when an institution becomes politicised).
As pointed out by Raja Petra Kamarudin, blogger extraordinaire, the government is worried at the prospect of huge turnout, concerned that momentum could build towards coming polls. They are also worried about the impact of Arab uprising here, despite protestations by the government that Malaysia is not like Egypt. Read the rest of this entry »
The human face of enterprise
Posted by Kit in Articles, Public policy on Wednesday, 15 June 2011
By KJ John
Jun 14, 11 | The Malaysian Insider
I disagree with Pas president Abdul Hadi Awang about his welfare state idea or ideal. Socialism had the same ideal and idea; but, it is now almost dead. Cuba is its last frontier and is closing down soon. Some others have called the same type of ideal, ‘capitalism with a human face’.
That is much better but not good enough. Capitalism presumes that ‘money is the root of all motivation and life’. But the scriptures say that the love of money is the root of all such evil. I prefer to call such an idea or ideal ‘the human face of enterprise.’
Why cannot man apply enterprise or initiative towards creating good values for all of life? Such enterprise must first subscribe to good universal values, and then create a process which offers a value offering which will transform the quality of human life. When such a creative process is productised into a full value innovation, people are willing to pay money, or even barter for it, and to exchange their personal offering for the new value proposition. Read the rest of this entry »
Why are dinosaurs championing the arts?
By Erna Mahyuni
Jun 15, 2011
JUNE 15 — As anyone in the arts will tell you, the government has consistently failed both the arts and its practitioners.
Take the recent debacle involving Artistes Day 2011, where Bernama reported Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim bemoaning the lacklustre response of arts practitioners.
Bernama had initially reported the celebration cost RM100 million, when in actual fact it had only cost RM97,800. DAP was only too happy to use the issue for political traction when, frankly, the party couldn’t give a toss about the arts either. Posturing on both sides and who benefits? It definitely isn’t the arts.
Now, some of you would probably start the usual hue-and-cry about where the money could have been better spent on non-arts related expenditure. Schools, roads, healthcare and the like. I respectfully disagree. Read the rest of this entry »
Perkauman sempit Utusan: Said Zahari
Posted by Kit in Articles, DAP, Media, nation building on Saturday, 11 June 2011
Oleh Amaluddin Zhafir
10 June 2011 | Roketkini.com
“Kenapa tidak? Kalau ramai orang Melayu dalam DAP, boleh jadi calon DAP, itu bermakna satu perkembangan dalam kesedaran politik orang Melayu.”
Kata-kata di atas dilontar penuh semangat oleh tokoh wartawan Said Zahari ketika saya bertandang ke rumahnya di Subang Jaya semalam (9 Jun).
Pertama kali ketika menjejak ke ‘kubu’ beliau – yang dipenuhi dengan ratusan buku di rak-rak – Said Zahari atau terkenal dengan panggilan Pak Said yang sudah berusia 83 tahun sedang merenung luar dari jendela biliknya. Read the rest of this entry »
Why I’m Returning Home to Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Articles, Brain drain on Wednesday, 8 June 2011
By Idzwan Husaini
8 June, 2011 | LoyarBurok
While The Malaysian Insider asks readers to reveal why people choose to leave or stay in the country, Idzwan Husaini, a medical undergraduate shares why he is coming back to stay in the country. Hopefully in the near future.
I have been studying in the United Kingdom for almost three years now and I have enjoyed the enormous sense of freedom, liberty and equality that is widespread in this country.
Freedom of expression is celebrated here. Rather than oppressing the movement or suppressing the voice of the minority, they are given a chance to prove to the majority their abilities and worth. I was surprised to see an entire family of grandparents, parents and little children joining the throng of people watching the parade during the London Gay Pride summer last year. Rather than teaching their kids to hate people who have, and are proud of their differing sexualities, the parents chose to expose their children to a completely different lifestyle so they can later choose what is best for them in the future. Freedom of expression is allowed to take place in all forms and shapes. I do not remember ever hearing any agencies involved in banning books, films, songs or even cartoons for that matter! Read the rest of this entry »
Knowledge not fear in religion
By Dina Zaman
June 08, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 8 — A reader asked me in an email what my thoughts were on the “… religious management in the country…” and what I would do about the disarray.
I was quite stumped by the question. While I read in dismay about what was happening to our country, I had to admit, I didn’t have the answers.
Malaysia is obsessed with titles and credentials, and I was a highly improbable person to answer such a question. Perhaps, I replied to the reader, this was something best left to politicians, activists and religious authorities.
He wrote back, “… but if you could, what would you do?”
It is obvious to most thinking Malaysians that there is a serious disconnect between the real lives of Malaysians and the perceived notions of our lives by (self) appointed leaders of our faiths and authority. And that there are gaps among ourselves, within our own communities, and when combined, these only aggravate the situation. Read the rest of this entry »
Aku Melayu keliru
By Ezlan Mohsen
June 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
7 JUN — Aku belia Melayu, rakyat Malaysia. Ibubapa aku dua-dua Melayu, rakyat Malaysia.
Masa aku kecil, ayah aku selalu cakap, bila aku sudah besar nanti, mesti tolong bangsa aku. Tapi dia juga cakap, tolong dengan cara majukan bangsa sendiri, dan jangan jatuhkan orang lain. Tapi bila aku sudah besar, banyak aku tengok pemimpin negara aku cuba nak tolong bangsa aku, tapi mereka sekat peluang bangsa lain. Aku keliru.
Ibubapa aku cakap sekolah itu penting, dan perpaduan juga sangat penting. Bila sudah besar, aku dapat masuk sekolah asrama penuh, ada Melayu, India, dan Cina. Siam pun ada. Aku tiada masalah nak bergaul. Aku jarang dengar pasal masalah perkauman, cuma daripada buku teks sejarah. Tapi bila aku keluar, aku jumpa ramai kawan lain. Bila borak-borak, mereka kata sekolah mereka dipenuhi satu bangsa saja, sama ada Melayu, Cina atau India. Mereka jadi terlalu selesa bergaul dengan bangsa sendiri. Aku keliru lagi. Read the rest of this entry »
Spirit of adventure
Posted by Kit in Articles, Brain drain on Monday, 6 June 2011
By A. Razak
June 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 6 — I left Malaysia many years ago in the spirit of adventure. I went simply because the idea of doing something new in unfamiliar territory sounded like a lot of fun. I have now lived in the UK for 10 years.
Here in the UK we live a life of “relative isolation.” My wife is the third of seven siblings while I am second of five. My kids are two of 11 grandchildren. When you include uncles, aunties and family friends, life becomes a circus of birthdays, weddings and family functions. When you live thousands of miles away from your relatives, weekends are exclusively for your precious little family. Read the rest of this entry »
Umno’s nightmares are becoming reality
By Sakmongkol AK47
June 05, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 5 — Umno’s worse nightmares are now becoming a reality. PAS is transforming itself into a credible and viable alternative. If it links up with likeminded people from other parties and the combined forces are led by someone with stature, they will form the next government.
Will PAS implode? It will only if it has the Umno culture. What differentiates PAS from Umno is the existence of an eternal idealism. To see the application of more Islamic content in the running of the country wherever and whenever they are applicable. Read the rest of this entry »
Berani pilih sedia berjuang
Posted by Kit in Articles, Pakatan Rakyat, PAS on Sunday, 5 June 2011
By Wan Hamidi Hamid
June 05, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
5 JUN — Ulama tidak kalah, profesional tidak menang dalam pemilihan PAS. Yang membentuk wajah PAS sekarang ialah gabungan kedua-dua kumpulan di samping mereka yang bukan ulama dan bukan profesional — guru, pegawai perkhidmatan awam, peniaga dan aktivis.
Pemisahan antara kumpulan-kumpulan itu yang wujud lebih sedekad lalu tidak lagi menjadi isu dalam PAS kerana latar belakang mereka disatukan atas kesetiaan perjuangan mereka berlandaskan perlembagaan parti.
Yang menang adalah para perwakilan yang dilihat kecewa dengan kelembapan kepimpinan PAS dalam Pakatan Rakyat yang selama ini terganggu dek pujuk rayu Umno yang kononnya mahu mewujudkan perpaduan Melayu. Read the rest of this entry »
Why needs-based affirmative action makes no sense
By Lee Hwok Aun
June 01, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 1 — We commonly hear these days that Malaysia should shift from a race-based affirmative action (AA) to needs-based affirmative action. Pakatan Rakyat started advocating this; Barisan Nasional followed.
The idea seems too nice, constructive, and harmonious to criticise. Both political alliances believe they have found a formula that can gain popular support and shift us away from the testy and rancorous debates over race-based AA and the New Economic Policy.
Unfortunately, needs-based affirmative action makes no sense, much as even I want to believe in it. The notion is, at best, imprecise and partial; at worst, incoherent and delusional. Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t turn talent outflow into brain drain
Posted by Kit in Articles, Brain drain on Sunday, 5 June 2011
By Lim Mun Fah
June 04, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 4 — The world is fighting for talents. We can hardly find another country having a messy overseas scholarship system and yet blames the media for causing chaos, like Malaysia.
I have a book entitled “The Talent War” on my bookshelf. It wrote: “Talent outflow in European countries has made the United States the first country to successfully detonate atomic and hydrogen bombs, as well as send satellites into space and astronauts to land on the moon. Meanwhile, talent outflow in China and India has created Silicon Valley, a home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations, in the US. Talents are more important to a country compared to oil, financial streets and nuclear weapons.” Read the rest of this entry »
I’m no expert in Islam but…
By Zan Azlee
June 03, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JUNE 3 — Religion seems to be quite a hot topic whenever it is discussed. This is especially so when it comes to Islam. And even more so when it challenges conventional thought.
I’ve learnt this over the course of writing my thoughts and opinions openly and frankly all this while and receiving the opinions and thoughts of the readers as well.
Sometimes the comments that I get are just okay and sometimes, they can be quite passionate. The latter is when I feel obligated to respond.
My column last week received quite a range of comments that I felt warranted a proper response from me this week.
There were many that concurred with my thoughts, but no point responding to them. That would just be preaching to the converted.
What I really want to do is to respond to those who disagreed with me. Everyone is definitely entitled to his or her opinion, but right now I have the pen in hand! Read the rest of this entry »
The clueless person’s guide to Sarawak
By Erna Mahyuni
March 30, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
MARCH 30 — Hello, West Malaysians! Most of you have not visited the lovely state of Sarawak though you at least know that it’s not in the peninsula.
If you don’t know that, I am afraid there is no help for you so stop reading.
For the rest of you, you first need to know the following fact. Remember it. Commit it to memory.
Kota Kinabalu is not in Sarawak. No. It is the capital of Sabah so please get your geography straight. There is no faster way to alienate an East Malaysian than by mixing up Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. Kota Kinabalu is in Sabah; Kuching is in Sarawak.
If you still find that hard to remember, imagine a big smiling fat cat in the chief minister’s office when you think of Sarawak. Geography teachers, feel free to thank me.
On to other essential facts for you West Malaysians to know so the natives will dislike you less. Read the rest of this entry »
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