Archive for category nation building
Building a new ‘We’ for the nation
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, nation building on Saturday, 16 July 2011
By M Nadarajah
Jul 16, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Recently, I had to go to IJN to be with my brother-in-law who recently went through open-heart surgery to replace a faulty valve in his heart. He was in ICU.
As my trip was from PJ during peak hours, I had time to chat with the taxi driver – something I normally do with drivers who are friendly and willing to chat.
Most of the time, such conversations lapse into topical political issues, race relations, the economic situation and sometimes, personal challenges.
This time it led to conversation on Bersih and what it stood for. He was completely for it, showing a lot of knowledge about it. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: I will wear yellow every Saturday
Posted by Kit in Bersih, nation building, Police on Thursday, 14 July 2011
Malaysiakini | Jul 13, 11
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has vowed to wear yellow every Saturday until the government accedes to the demands of civil society and political activists pertaining to electoral and political reform.
The demands include the release of the six PSM activists currently detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO), the end to the ban on materials promoting the Bersih 2.0 coalition and the BN-led government’s xanthophobia (‘fear of yellow’), and the implementation of Bersih 2.0’s eight demands for electoral reforms.
The eight demands are for a clean electoral roll, reform of postal voting, the use of indelible ink, a minimum 21-day campaign period, free and fair media access, the strengthening of public institutions, and the end to corruption and dirty politics.
Read the rest of this entry »
When the ordinary became extraordinary
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, Human Rights, nation building on Tuesday, 12 July 2011
— Scuba gal
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 12, 2011
JULY 12 — I’m as ordinary as it gets. I live in a decent-sized condo, in a fairly popular middle-upper class neighbourhood. I married my husband in my early 30s. I’ve got a decent job in a well-regarded private corporation, where I’m middle management.
No children just yet but we’re trying for the average number of two. On the weekends, we do what most Malaysians in our circumstances might do — head to the cinema, have a meal at one of KL’s many malls, catch up with family and friends.
Recently, I had to answer a little profile write-up for work. When asked “what’s your biggest achievement?”, I could think of nothing I’d done so far that qualified. Yes, I’m that ordinary. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2 – no “Bodoh Melayu, Babi Cina or India Keling” feeling
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Bersih, Letters, nation building on Tuesday, 12 July 2011
by KennyChang
Letter
11.7.11
Let me Introduce myself,I’m a normal Malaysian Citizen 32 years old.
Never Had i have any interest in politics or whatsoever is happening in politics.I never vote before or have any urge to register as a voter.
I only know Dr Mahathir and Samy Vellu [Of course which Malaysian does not know this 2 person?]. My late father and relative did told me Dr Mahathir is a great man this and that and would vote for him anytime he call elections.
I never did really study or learn about him in depth, so i just follow my late fathers,friends and relatives to consider him my idol.So after my all this introduction that i wrote i might just now realised i’m maybe a Pro Umno/Bn unexpectedly. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih supporters are Malaysians too
Posted by Kit in Bersih, nation building on Friday, 8 July 2011
By Emmanuel Joseph | July 08, 2011
The Malaysian Insider
JULY 8 — Every single Malaysian should be outraged .The government’s response on Bersih so far has been disappointing, rash, highly immature, overtly political and downright ridiculous. The response of enforcement agencies supposedly independent of the government appears to mimic this incredulous, fear-mongering answer to calls for what are essentially the right of every basic democracy — proper elections.
Objections to this peaceful rally has been prayerfully chanted every 30 minutes or so on television, condemning, and mocking this rally, almost as if Bersih was conjuring a merry band of thugs to terrorise the neighbourhoods of KL. The confiscation of Bersih-related items are also uncalled for and with little basis. What harm can yellow T shirts and logos do the country?
The police’s absurd and outlandish reaction by posting roadblocks across the capital is a gross waste of resources. Given our police force still cannot nab, say the Bangsar acid splasher, what good will manning 240 stations across the city do other than bring traffic to a near standstill? I remember an MCA leader proclaiming Bersih would stop ambulances in their tracks. Whose conscience would it be if someone died because of these desperately illogical actions?
Read the rest of this entry »
Can Putrajaya be trusted?
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, nation building on Thursday, 7 July 2011
By The Malaysian Insider
July 07, 2011
JULY 7 — Events over the past week have brought to question whether Malaysians can trust the Barisan Nasional (BN) government? And if not, can Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has made great strides to reclaim the coalition’s popularity, regain the people’s trust?
Let’s look at some of the events this week that has likely undermined not only his support but also his 1 Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.
Najib’s offer of a stadium for rally instead of electoral reforms movement Bersih marching through town pressing for free and fair elections. Read the rest of this entry »
The day when the people rise up: July 9
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, Human Rights, nation building, Police on Thursday, 7 July 2011
By Kim Quek
July 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
JULY 7 — That’s it! Bersih finally has had enough of the treacherous conduct of a shameless government which has lost all sense of decency!
In a firmly worded statement released late last night, Bersih effectively said “come what may, we will have our rally at the Stadium Merdeka on July 9 at 2 pm!”.
This is Bersih’s final answer to a battery of ridiculous obstructions, warnings and excuses put up by the Najib government to obstruct a Bersih rally in the stadium.
This is despite Bersih having made a major concession to shift the rally from the streets to a stadium under the unprecedented intervention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and after Prime Minister Najib Razak’s offer of a suitable stadium for the purpose. Read the rest of this entry »
PR backs Bersih’s Merdeka Stadium plan, expects 300,000
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, nation building, Pakatan Rakyat on Wednesday, 6 July 2011
By Melissa Chi and Lisa J. Ariffin
July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) announced today that they supported Bersih 2.0’s proposal to have the rally in Merdeka Stadium on July 9, although the request to use the stadium has yet to be approved.
“So Pakatan Rakyat supports Bersih to hold their rally in Stadium Merdeka although in the latest report, the prime minister, especially the home minister, took a turn and had purposely given all kinds of excuses not to allow the use of the stadium,” Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters here after a PR Leadership Council meeting. Read the rest of this entry »
A royal rebuke for Umno, says Aussie don
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Election, nation building, UMNO on Wednesday, 6 July 2011
By Stephanie Sta Maria
July 6, 201 | Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Bersih earned a spot on Australia’s airwaves today with an Australian sociologist describing the royal intervention as a “rebuke” to Umno and the government and an acknowledgement of the organisation’s legitimacy.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Abidin issued a statement on Monday saying street demonstrations would do more harm than good.
This prompted Bersih to request an audience with him, which he granted with rare speed yesterday. Bersih afterwards announced its decision to move the rally off the streets and into a stadium. Read the rest of this entry »
Bersih 2.0: A long march to freedom
Posted by Kit in Bersih, Elections, nation building on Wednesday, 6 July 2011
By Keruah Usit
Jul 6, 11 | MalaysiaKini
ANTIDOTE The new sanitised Bersih 2.0 rally is now purer and whiter. Thanks to the Agong’s intervention, the rally for free and fair elections will be confined to a stadium.
This change of scene will make the rally easier to control, from premier Najib Abdul Razak’s point of view. It will also dampen some of the supporters’ enthusiasm.
Being hemmed in, demonstrators will inevitably curb some of their long suppressed drive to show their defiance of the ruling coalition and its faithful enforcers in the police force. Read the rest of this entry »
The outing of Anas Zubedy
Posted by Kit in nation building on Thursday, 30 June 2011
By Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan | 29 June 2011
CPIAsia
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 various communities and their proper place in the country.
We will leave it to readers to decide on which one is the more persuasive perspective intellectually and morally.
******************
The outing of Anas Zubedy
Commander (Rtd) S. Thayaparan, Royal Malaysian Navy, is a regular kopi-tiam kaki of mine. He graduated from the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1965. His tour of duty saw him as Commanding Officer of KD Tombak, KD Gempita, KD Ganyang and Executive Officer on Training Frigate KD Hang Tuah.
Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Brother Anas
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Lim Guan Eng, nation building on Tuesday, 28 June 2011
by Art Harun
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 27, 2011
JUNE 27 — I am moved to comment on your “Open letter to Lim Guan Eng.”
First of all, I have no doubt of your centrist stance. Having known you for close to 27 years, I think I could state, with some level of authority, that your centrist stance is one which you have embraced all this while. Now you are just utilising that stance for what you think is for the good of the society. I respect that.
As unity is a subject which is really close to your heart, allow me to put my thought to that subject, especially in relation to what you had written in your said open letter. Read the rest of this entry »
Hannah’s baby vs. an ‘East Indies’ Chinese
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Articles, nation building on Saturday, 25 June 2011
By Dr Boo Cheng Hau
25 June 2011 | Centre for Policy Initiatives
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 we nor my mom ever groaned about our poverty. All by herself, she managed to put me through medical school.
I did medicine in Jamaica where the University of the West Indies (UWI) charged an annual tuition fee about RM3,000 (the amount at that time) – which was more of a token sum really. I obtained a seat under the two places reserved in the medical faculty for non-West Indian students. Read the rest of this entry »
Land Bill aimed at ‘punishing natives’
Posted by Kit in nation building, Sarawak, State Assembly on Thursday, 23 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The bill to bar Sarawak natives from seeking legal redress for grievances involving their native customary rights (NCR) to land is draconian, says Sarawak DAP.
State chairman Wong Ho Leng said the move clearly showed that the government of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was bent on depriving the natives of their legal rights to their land.
“This bill is draconian in the topmost degree. It is unfair to stop the natives from going to court, even when they receive no dividends or benefits from joint ventures (to develop the land).
“It is a draconian law which only the Barisan Nasional (BN) has the audacity to introduce,” he said when debating the Land Custody and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 at the 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib says 1 Malaysia more than just rhetoric
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Najib Razak, nation building on Wednesday, 22 June 2011
By Shannon Teoh
June 22, 201 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Two years after coming to office with his 1 Malaysia concept, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that the slogan was more than empty rhetoric but a policy that will improve the lives of the public.
He said the 1 Malaysia concept promises to prioritise the people with improvements in public service delivery and economic reforms.
“1 Malaysia is also products and services which will lighten the burden of the people and improve their quality of life,” the prime minister said at the launch of the pioneer Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia (KR1M) thrift store at the Kelana Jaya LRT station today. Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
A nation divided?
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, nation building on Monday, 20 June 2011
by Kapil Sethi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 19, 2011
JUNE 19 — On the one hand there are the Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia Truly Asia, Vision 2020, the Economic Transformation Programme, the Government Transformation Programme, National Key Result Areas and the prime minister’s international call towards moderate Islam.
On the other hand is Malay First, Malaysia Second, Perkasa calling for jihad against Christians trying to take over Malaysia, the cow head and Allah controversies, the failure of the New Economic Model, legalised child marriage, female genital mutilation and the latest additions being the Obedient Wives Club and the Polygamists Club.
The former aims to project Malaysia as a responsible, progressive member of the community of nations committed to inclusive spiritual and material growth. The latter reflects the changing social realities on the ground, where there seems to be a regression of sorts towards a narrow backward looking society, distrustful of multiracialism, insecure about its own identity and religious practices, and hell bent on seeking comfort in extreme traditionalism.
At a deeper level, this points towards a fundamental shift away from the quintessential Malaysian belief in the middle way, where everyone understood the fragility of the peace between the races and instinctively stayed away from trampling on the sensitivities of others. 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 »
Christian leader wants Putrajaya tested over Alkitab vows
Posted by Kit in nation building, Religion, Sarawak on Wednesday, 15 June 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — The leader of the country’s evangelical churches has asked Christians to hold the government accountable to its promises during the recent Sarawak elections by importing more Malay bibles.
“Go and import more Bibles and see if the [Home Ministry] stops us. Print the Bibles and see if the [Home Ministry] harasses us again. Being polite and positive does not mean we are naive,” National Evangelical Christian Fellowship chairman Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng wrote in the umbrella body’s quarterly newsletter published this week.
The import of the Alkitab — as the Malay-language bible is called — is among a laundry list of Christian woes that have piled up over the years
“The government has said they want to work towards the religious aspirations of all. Find out what that means. Can our Bibles be declassified as they are now considered ‘prejudicial to the security of the country’? Be proactive. Saying ‘thank you’ does not mean we have accepted the 10-point resolution in totality,” wrote Rev Eu. Read the rest of this entry »
A nation in crisis
Posted by Kit in 1Malaysia, Elections, nation building on Wednesday, 15 June 2011
by Stanley Koh
Free Malaysia Today
June 15, 2011
Is the barometer of our nation’s social health showing critical signs of a national coma? Is our nation mentally sick?
COMMENT
Between now and the first quarter of 2012, the temperature in anticipation of the next general election is likely to heighten as Malaysians will go to the polls to elect their government.
After the shocking results of the 2008 general election which saw the ruling Barisan Nasional regime losing its two-thirds majority and its 53-year authoritarian style of governance shattered, Malaysians are gradually awakening to the fact that there is no more justification for their leaders knowing what is best for the nation.
This approach which worked well for decades due to the wisdom of the founding fathers is obviously eroding with the new generation of leaders and the one-party state system.
What aspects of society should matter to Malaysians at the coming election? Read the rest of this entry »
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