Opinion

From our columnists

Dina Zaman

Meet the guys with the deals

NOV 6 — They are young, hungry, with a displaced sense of humour of the Beavis and Butthead kind. They...

Breaking fast with thugs

OCT 21 — It certainly felt like a moment out of the Last Supper. With Azhar seated at the middle...

The Malay dilemma Edisi XYZ

OCT 7 — My brother-in-law wrote this in his Facebook notes: My Thoughts On the First Week of Syawal On...

The lives and times of two ustaz

SEPT 23 — These are men and women whom you will never read or hear about. They may be well...

So who’s the controversial one?

JULY 31 — Does it not strike anyone as strange that a filmmaker best known for making some of the...

A powerful force called death

JULY 24 — For all the hype about the cultural and political impact of social networking technologies like Facebook and...

Time all parties got their act together

JULY 17 — If it wasn't already obvious before, the events of the past year or so have surely made...

Top Umno leaders lack humility and good judgment

JULY 10 — The recently deceased Robert McNamara was long despised as the architect of the Vietnam War. In his...

Nationalisation of toll operators not viable?

JULY 15 — There seems to be a misconception regarding my proposal to nationalise PLUS, the company which operates our...

Proposed version of payment scheme for property purchase

JULY 7 — Most housing developments in Malaysia are undertaken by private developers who use the concept of sell then...

Revamp taxi service to benefit drivers and public

MAY 27 — It was recently reported that taxi drivers may soon get their long awaited fare increase. It was...

How about property liberalisation?

MAY 4 – Recently, the Government announced a few major decisions that have been positive and I hope that there...

A taste of what’s to come

OCT 11 – MCA is now leaderless. Both the President and Deputy President of MCA have been rejected by delegates...

Why I shall not be accepting Zaid’s offer

JULY 22 — I am honoured that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim should speak so highly of me, and consider me worthy...

Petronas governance, oil and talent

JUNE 29 — There are reports of a supposed tussle of wills between the prime minister and the board of...

Hari-hari Terakhir Seorang Mufti

DEC 10 - Semalam saya terbaca dalam sebuah laman web berita yang Mufti Perlis, Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, telah...

Ini bukan satu review

DEC 4 — Sabtu lalu saya sempat tonton Muallaf, filem terbaru Yasmin Ahmad, di sebuah pawagam di negara jiran kita,...

Cabaran yang belum tersahut

By Fahmi Fadzil Nov 19 – Tiga senario mutakhir yang bagi saya mencerminkan perjalanan auh yang masih harus kita tempuhi...

Harapan Kita

NOV 12 - Mac 8. November 4. 2008 ternyata sungguh bermakna untuk kita. Dari sudut makronya, dua pentas besar politik...

How you become a racist ...

NOV 2 — In the past week, newspapers in Sarawak have been covering a story of an Iban-Chinese girl who...

East Malaysia is 1 Malaysia?

OCT 28 — I always laugh when I hear politicians claim that Sabah and Sarawak epitomises 1 Malaysia. In the...

Déjà ‘vu: Is it 2004 again?

OCT 19 — I spent most of last week watching the Umno AGM. Several things struck me (I’m sure you...

MCA, don’t go the feudal way

OCT 14 — If today’s news and blog entries are correct, Ong Tee Keat will resign tomorrow and Liow Tiong...

Americans stuck with the devils they know

NOV 4 – The US foreign policy under President Barack Obama has taken a more conciliatory approach as compared to the swashbuckling style of his predecessor George Bush Jr. US...

Cheap stunts threaten to take the shine off the pearl

OCT 2 — Just as the contentious issue of Kampung Buah Pala has more or less died down, the issue involving the Malay kampung of Tanjong Tokong is now threatening...

Heads must roll after town hall fiasco

SEPT 8 – Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was given a rude awakening when the meeting that was meant to discuss the relocation of a 150-year old...

Umno reaps what it sowed

AUG 29 – Just days before the nation celebrates its 52nd Independence Day, the action by some mongrels who stamped and spat on a severed head of a cow in...

If you liked this book, maybe you will like...

NOV 1 — How do you find new books to read? Do you just go by who the “hottest” author is right now or do you just browse the bookstores...

Books through the ages

OCT 25 — I look at my bookshelves now and see books there I would never have read — much less even bought — when I was younger. I was...

The thrill of the (pur)chase

OCT 18 – Most people probably have this idea that bookworms are generally a nerdy and quiet bunch. After all, how noisy or boisterous an activity can reading be? While...

A life of crime

OCT 11 – Did you read Agatha Christie crime stories growing up? Raised on a diet of Enid Blyton adventures and mysteries courtesy of the Secret Seven and Famous Five...

A Premier League success story

NOV 7 — A poll in Britain once rated Arsene Wenger the most influential manager in the English Premier League....

No stars, no win as Liverpool fans cry in desperation

OCT 24 — After all the hope that last season’s title run brought to the red half of the city...

Face-off: Ancelotti vs Benitez, Part Tres

OCT 3 — What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago Chelsea were unbeaten and doing a fancy jig...

EPL weekend offers a tale of two halves

SEPT 26 — Part of the excitement surrounding this season is the promise of fresh upheaval at either ends of...

A national buffoonery

AUG 20 — "All great world-historic facts and personages appear twice. The first time as tragedy, the second time as...

The morality of defection

AUG 12 — Crossing over is too neutral. Let’s call it defection. I have forgotten the exact date of Dr...

Gem of an eatery by a gem of a friend

FEB 14 — Each time I make a trip to KL, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have just that few handful of good pals (I am...

Nascent nasi Padang

JAN 31 — It escapes me why but somehow nasi Padang, resplendent with a range of drool-inducing offerings like rendang, telor dadah, ayam korma and bakar, ikan assam, babat lemak...

Sharks ahead!

DEC 27 — I've always had this thing about those television clips that portray just how sinful and even wasteful it is when fishermen catch a seemingly endangered shark, trim...

Downtime in Singapore

DEC 13 — Now, more than ever, must be the best time to visit Singapore with a skimpy budget. This city state is the first in Asia to buckle and...

Penang needs an economic plan, not tigers

MARCH 27 — I am amused by the tiger talk in Penang. In actual fact, we need a forwarding-looking and...

Economic stimulus: It is not just the size that matters

MARCH 6 — The government yesterday tabled a RM10 billion allocation as part of the proposed second economic stimulus package....

Karpal’s calling a spade a spade

FEB 13 — There is one thing I like about DAP chairman Karpal Singh — his bluntness. Karpal is calling...

Perak — a failed democracy

FEB 7 — From a legal point of view I was made to understand that the power of the Sultan...

A devil’s life

JULY 28 — We live in hard times. Hard times, indeed. What with the tanking economy and a political arena seemingly occupied by idiots[1] on one side and morons on...

What kind of crazy is this?

JUNE 19 — What makes a person do something absolutely crazy? There's compassion, like someone who cannot swim jumping into a freezing lake to save a child from drowning[1]. There's...

Cadangan isi kandungan program 1 Malaysia bagi Biro Tatanegara

JUN 10 —Sebagai sebuah institusi bukan berkerajaan bersifat maya, Yayasan Institut Pendidikan Untuk Penyelidikan Politik Nasionalisme Malaysia (YATUKATULIPONAMA)[1] menyambut baik pengumuman Ketua Penerangan Umno, Datuk Ahmad Maslan yang menyatakan bahawa...

Stronger, faster, better

JUNE 6 — For the sake of not arguing, let’s take a few things as given. What things, you ask? Well, let’s take it as a given that the Malays...

Don’t be fooled by Western environmentalists (and their parrots)

SEPT 8 – A few days ago Christian Aid put a full-page advert in a London newspaper. They asked readers to urge Gordon Brown to call the European Union to...

Water supply: Privatisation is not always bad

AUG 17 – This week (16 – 22, August 2009) is World Water Week. Hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, the theme this year is “Accessing Water for the...

Liberalisasi ekonomi tindakan bermoral

JULAI 27 — Sekiranya kita hanya berbicara mengenai persoalan ekonomi dan bukan hal-hal lain, maka saya memuji tindakan Datuk Seri Najib Razak menjadikan ekonomi negara kita lebih liberal. Walaupun ekonomi...

Dear Erdogans, please don’t die now

JULY 1 — The article by Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad MP makes a very interesting read. The way he presented his ideas shows just how risky it is to speak up...

Time to get down to work

JULY 28 — The days of hard-sell politics are over. Talk is cheap, and rhetoric, even cheaper. Empty slogans and clever but meaningless sound bites don’t matter much these days....

Time to make the change

JUNE 20 — Change is inevitable and irresistible. And change has hit politics hard, globally. We have seen governments tumble and leaders change in many parts of the world, for...

The Tree of Democracy, Cendol and Rojak

NOV 4 — As many of you should know, I am rather biased when it comes to writing about Malaysian politics. Which side you may ask? Well my previous article...

Umno dan Zaidel

OKT 21 — Pernah satu ketika dahulu ada kawan bertanyakan sebuah soalan cepumas kepada saya “Zaidel, awak tak nampak macam seseorang yang bersifat perkauman? Kenapa awak boleh masuk Umno?” Maka...

Facebookakke

OCT 8 — First and foremost I would like to wish everyone out there Selamat Hari Raya Aildilfitri and Maaf Zahir Batin if any of my articles offended you in...

A Ramadan love story

SEPT 9 — Yes... even cockroaches like me have a love story. It’s not dramatic, it does not involve many people nor did anyone else get hurt. It’s not worth...

SPR perlu diletakkan dibawah Parlimen

NOV 2 — Sebuah badan penggendali pilihanraya seperti Suruhanjaya Pilhanraya (SPR) bukan sahaja perlu bebas dari campurtangan mana-mana parti politik atau pemerintah, tetapi perlu juga dilihat bebas dari pengaruh mana-mana...

Langkah terakhir Nik Aziz untuk selamatkan PAS

OKT 27 — Pilihanraya Umum (PRU) ke 10 pada tahun 1999 menyaksikan PAS meraih keuntungan dari gerakan Reformasi dimana negeri Terengganu Berjaya dirampas, negeri Kelantan dipertahankan dan dikalangan Barisan Alternatif...

Umno dan reformasi

OKT 19 — Tamat sudah perhimpunan agung tahun ini bagi parti Melayu terbesar, United Malay National Organisation (Umno). Selepas 52 tahun Semenanjung Malaysia bebas dari penjajahan dan 46 tahun Malaysia...

Keunikan Malaysia

OKT 12 — Malaysia adalah sebuah negara yang unik. Keunikan Malaysia tidak dapat dinafikan oleh mana-mana negara di dunia ini. Selain daripada rakyatnya yang terdiri dari pelbagai agama dan bangsa,...

Be constructive when we rip into our leaders

NOV 6 — Malaysia's “Drama Minggu Ini” appears to be rich in political parties apparently entering self-destruct mode. High up...

Memali, sejarah dan masa depan Pakatan Rakyat

OKT 27 — Saya terharu, menonton filem Al-Fatehah Memali hasil karya Rahmat Haron. Dokumentari beliau memberi kesempatan untuk merenung dengan...

Jeremiah Mahadevan

On cow heads, Nina Simone and 15 Malaysia

OCT 12 — I remember being back in school, in my then-still-small hometown of Banting, seated alongside many other little sons and daughters of the land and being imparted with...

A Merdeka message from Kampung Buah Pala

AUG 31 — Among the many headaches that Penang’s former Barisan Nasional administration left for its Pakatan Rakyat replacement, Kampung Buah Pala must command a particularly high painkiller budget. As...

The politics of language

MARCH 9 — It may have been overshadowed by a farcical constitutional crisis and a prehistorically sexist fixation on the bedroom time of a politician, but the groundswell of popular...

JBJ's was the good fight

OCT 8 — One of my most vivid memories of the late former Singaporean opposition leader Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam dates back to 1986. I was waiting in a car, with...

The Texture Of Justice

MAY 12 - It was to be expected. As news of the decision of the High Court in the matter of Nizar v Zambry filtered out, many were quick to...

They play, we all pay

MARCH 31 – The Umno Assembly has come and gone and, as has been the case for at least the last three assemblies, in its wake many of us have...

Assault on Legislature, Constitution dead

By Malik Imtiaz Sarwar MARCH 7 — Discussing the Perak situation with specificity is, by this stage, a difficult thing to do. So much has happened so quickly. Nuanced actions...

Perak: A constitutional crisis

By Malik Imtiaz Sarwar FEB 6 — Now that the dust is settling, it is becoming clearer what it is that took place in Perak over the last 24 hours....

Najib defends the indefensible Isa

OCT 7 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak gave the following justification for fielding Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad as Umno’s candidate in Bagan Pinang: “The offence committed by Isa was...

Abolish ISA, not amend it!

JUNE 29 — The government is looking into a proposal to reduce the detention period under the Internal Security Act from 60 to 28 days, said Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein....

Beware of a serial constitutional killer

JUNE 1 - It is 2.30 am in January 2010. Najib and Rosmah have just reached their official residence in Putrajaya. Their arrival is met with a letter by the...

Perplexing judiciary in Perak lawsuit

MAY 18 — As of today it is undisputable that Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir is a confirmed unlawful mentri besar of Perak. On the other hand Datuk Seri Nizar...

The madness called mini buses

OCT 20 — I was recently asked the following question: “what was the greatest challenge during my 14 years of working life?” I thought long and hard about it —...

I just want things fixed

SEPT 20 — I am in Brisbane, Australia as I write this [1] having rather nervously travelled to this country/island/continent on the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Flying nine...

The world is ending, have a nice day

SEPT 6 — Originally, I was going to write an insightful and penetrating piece about something clever like the removal of petrol subsidy or the decay of the nation’s judiciary...

Don’t kill the Golden Goose, but don’t get fat on it either

AUG 25 — Football fans and their long-suffering spouses will have noticed the huge acres of newsprint (and Internet coverage) devoted recently to Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to...

Najib does not disappoint

OCT 10 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak does not disappoint. He is true to his values whatever they might be. He upholds his principles with messianic zeal. His principles are...

Living in the shadow of Najib’s 1 Malaysia

SEPT 26 — I was in Seoul last Monday to participate in the World Forum for Democratisation in Asia (Third Biennial Conference) on “Sustaining Democratisation in Asia: Challenges of Economic...

Demonstrations: A fundamental right of citizens

AUG 6 — It would be an untruth if I said I was ever a fan of Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Be that as it may, I am sorry about...

Nazri: An unrepentant boor

JULY 18 — Accustomed as I am to Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s often outlandishly over the top and predictably uncharitable innuendoes about people and their integrity, coupled with...

It’s colonialism under another name

NOV 7 — Why do we have different states in Malaysia? If we are one country, why don’t we get rid of the states and centralise our government? The correct...

Barisan is arrogant and drunk on power

OCT 30 — So, the Perak farce grabbed the headlines again this week, while in my home state, Badrul Hisham Abdullah crossed over to the Barisan Nasional side of the...

Weak reasons for dropping Lingam case

OCT 23 — The anti-climactic resolution of the V.K. Lingam saga has not been getting a great deal of press time, even in the alternative media. It’s not a particularly...

Barisan promises must become a reality

OCT 16 — Khairy Jamaluddin’s maiden policy speech as Umno Youth leader is making waves, and rightly so. For the first time in living memory, the Umno Youth AGM is...

Good ol’ days? It’s never been this good

SEPT 24 — I spent a few useless hours this week listening to old television theme songs on Youtube. And listening to the old tunes — from “Rockford Files”, “Magnum...

You can call me ‘Chinaman’ and I can call you ‘Melayu’

JUNE 27 – One of my fondest memories as a young college student is sitting on the cement stoop outside my friend Fairuz’s father’s house in SS2 in Petaling Jaya,...

On dissent, is Najib worse than Dr M?

MAY 31 – Is the current government worse than the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration in its response to dissent? Consider the use, or rather abuse, of the police force...

National unity cannot be taught in classrooms

By Leslie LauConsultant Editor Dec 13 — As the debate rages over the existence of vernacular schools, the effect of such institutions on national unity and the countless arguments over...

Middle ground is battle ground

SEPT 27 — Going by our newspapers, Malaysia seems to be on the path of polarisation, politically or otherwise. But a 10 per cent vote swing either way will finish...

Malaysia deserves better

SEPT 3 — Exactly eleven years after Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking as deputy prime minister sparked the reformasi movement; Malaysia is still in a limbo. But there is an...

Najib’s plots

JULY 13 — The unexpectedly favourable approval rating for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is a timely reminder to those who labour hard to see the end of Barisan...

The never-ending public transport story

APRIL 17 — Can the Prime Minister’s Department resolve the ever increasing public transportation woes in the country? The Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board, formerly under the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development...

Only two games in, fans are baying for blood

AUG 21 — I thought I should wait till the mid-week fixtures were out of the way before sharing my opinion on what has been an outstanding start to the...

Football or Powerman?

AUG 13 — It’s off topic a little as I share my exploits during two recent weekends. On July 25, I was at Uniten to witness the Malakoff Universities Duathlon...

Much anticipation but expect little to change in top Euro leagues

AUG 4 — The new European football season will be upon us soon and for argument’s sake, Spain’s La Liga will be grabbing the limelight for obvious reasons. The battle...

Shebby’s short cuts

JULY 13 — This is my take on a few of the highlights in the world of football over the past couple of weeks. Malaysia Boleh My first comment is...

Kemelut Pakatan

OKT 23 — Tuah ayam nampak di kaki, tuah manusia siapa yang tahu. Malah kalau bertuah awal pun, kadang-kadang tuah itu hanya sebesar bukit sedangkan celaka yang datang pula sebesar...

Menanti di Penanti

APRIL 28 — Adalah lebih baik bagi Barisan Nasional (BN) untuk tidak menyertai pilihan raya kecil (PRK) Penanti di Pulau Pinang pada Mei 31 depan. Apa pun keputusannya, Pakatan Rakyat...

1 Malaysia untuk semua?

APRIL 17 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak telah pun menjelaskan bahawa konsep 1 Malaysia ciptaannya tidak sama dengan konsep “Malaysian Malaysia” yang dibawakan oleh DAP pada tahun 1960-an dahulu. Bagi...

Tembam tapi pragmatik?

APRIL 10 — Saiz kabinet Datuk Seri Najib Razak kini tidak lagi boroi seperti barisan kepimpinan negara zaman Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Tetapi kabinet ini, yang baru sahaja selesai mengangkat...

Pegawai kerajaan dan kerajaan

OKT 1 — “Tahu tak, kerajaan negeri Kelantan yang ada ini dapat bertahan hampir 20 tahun kini kerana telah menubuhkan...

Najib hilang kawalan ke atas Umno

SEPT 2 — Apakah Datuk Seri Najib Razak mengawal penuh Umno kini? Nampaknya ramai yang tidak bersetuju dengannya. Kawalan beliau...

Jatuh Nik Aziz, jatuhlah icon Pakatan

OGOS 15 — Nampaknya, Umno menjadikan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat sebagai target serangan mereka akhir-akhir...

Pengajaran untuk PAS dan Pakatan Rakyat

JULAI 17 — Kira-kira jam 4 petang Julai 14, ketika pengundi Manek Urai masih sibuk mengundi, Pengarah Operasi pilihan raya...

Professor Obama teaches Reform 101

SEPT 28 — By the end of this year, US President Barack Obama would either be seen as a legislative...

A new economic model for a changing economic landscape

AUG 28 — In the recent few months, the government has indicated that it is currently working on developing a...

Who’s afraid of big, bad liberalisation?

MAY 16 — The concept of liberalisation has long been "The L Word" for some: a dirty word; a battering...

Hard choices

APRIL 27 – Malaysia is certainly facing tough times. The political upheavals which have rocked the country since March 8,...

An album on a tight budget

OCT 31 — I think we’re about two or three weeks away from the release of my band’s new album,...

You’re so vain

OCT 17 — It’s simply amazing observing the things that people are willing to do to differentiate themselves from the...

Local celebrities as role models?

OCT 3 — After one month of fasting and trying our darn best at being holy, things are finally getting...

To err is human

SEPT 19 — For artists in Malaysia, the arrival of Ramadan also means the arrival of an opportunity to spend...

MCA’s infernal affairs

NOV 1 — MCA’s larger crisis, no small thing considering the ongoing hydra-headed leadership wrangle, is that the Chinese community...

If only Lotus ran on dreams

OCT 18 — I always get nervous when people start spouting terms like “dreams”. “Vision”. “Golden opportunity”. But for Lotus...

So you want to be prime minister?

OCT 11 — Some of you wanted to be firefighters. Others wanted to be policemen. The more starry-eyed dreamt of...

Ops! We did it again

OCT 4 — The Hari Raya festivities are generally over. All the hometowns have been visited, all the lemang eaten,...

When bells peal and muezzins call

OCT 21 — When a Malay wedding is over in some kampungs in Malacca, the custom is to welcome the...

Reforming race: A matter of forms?

AUG 28 — It has been more than 50 years since our independence. Yet, today, we are still apparently debating...

Courting trouble

AUG 7 — Much has been said and written about last Saturday’s Gabungan Mansuhkan ISA (“GMI”) rally. Most notably, the...

The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled

JULY 21 — Charles Baudelaire once said that the greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing the world...

Enigmatic Ancelotti moulding formidable force at Chelsea

NOV 7 — Given time, football teams invariably start to reflect the personality of their manager. It’s probably an unconscious...

Keane’s baseless boast exposes Tottenham’s need for stability

NOV 2 — Tottenham striker Robbie Keane has made himself look rather foolish. Speaking to the media ahead of this...

Hull’s Brown under pressure as sack race heats up

OCT 31 — In the last few weeks I’ve focused on the goings-on at the bigger clubs in the Premier...

World’s best Torres fires Reds’ title ambition

OCT 26 — All hail Fernando Torres! Forget Michael Owen’s emotional return to Anfield, Steven Gerrard’s much publicised injury, David...

When right is wrong

OCT 28 — I recently went out with a group of friends I haven’t seen since college and one of...

Give us a chance!

OCT 7 — I actually wanted to avoid saying or writing anything about Bagan Pinang because, to be honestly truthful,...

Arguing cowardice, rejecting hypocrisy

SEPT 30 — I love reading the comments in my entries because they highlight one thing for me. Malaysians are...

1 Malaysia: A Personal Look

SEPT 16 — Sincerely, since I’ve yet to actually figure out just what the heck 1 Malaysia is, or who...

Spend that RM1 billion wisely

OCT 30 — In his recent Budget 2010 speech, our Prime Minister announced that RM1 billion will be spent to...

Drive like an Egyptian... or not!

OCT 17 — I’ve written before about how Egyptians love to honk continually when they are driving, and so in...

A ‘source of pride’ we can do without

OCT 3 — Egyptians are a very proud people. And why shouldn’t they be? They have an almost bottomless pit...

Blame it on the bogey

SEPT 19 — “Jangan bawak dia keluar — dah senja, nak masuk Maghrib dah”, my father admonished, just as I...

Progressing from Noah’s Ark to a shoebox

NOV 6 — Some years ago, I unintentionally offended someone by referring to her property as a “flat.” She snapped...

A show of solidarity

OCT 13 — “Makan habis lah, Ah Gong…” T pleaded with my grandfather in broken Malay. “Orang-orang di Philippines sudah...

Hell hath no fury...

SEPT 29 — To date, some 250,000 viewers (on Youtube and stomp.com.sg) have watched a clip of a Singaporean woman...

Working at friendships

SEPT 15 – During my years in university, I had two other good friends. We lived, worked and played together....

Overcoming our democratic deficit

NOV 7 — I am currently in Britain meeting Malaysians and talking to them about politics. I was also recently...

Menyambut Hari Malaysia

Sept 16 — Perhimpunan Khas Sambutan Hari Malaysia di Dewan Jubli Perak Selangor baru sahaja selesai. Sebagai anggota jawatankuasa penganjur...

Kemenangan DPJ di Jepun: 4 Pengajaran untuk Pakatan

SEPT 4 — Baru-baru ini Parti Demokratik Jepun (DPJ) mencipta sejarah apabila memenangi pilihan raya umum Jepun menewaskan Parti Liberal...

Religion and society in Malaysia

By Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad AUG 23 — As Muslims the world over begin their fast with the blessed month...

Najib’s Umno: is it really back to basics?

OCT 19 — Umno must return to its roots to be an all-inclusive party. That was the main theme of...

Annus horribilis

OCT 4 — Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It is exactly a year since I offered myself for the Umno deputy...

Kungfu fighting

SEPT 9 — It has been 23 years since a Malay became the leader of MCA. It’s not a joke....

The Royal Malaysian Police farce

AUG 17 – As a Member of Parliament, I used to defend the police when faced with numerous complaints from...

A liberal separation between state and religion

NOV 3 – An optimist may take the view that politics is unifying. A realist will understand that politics is...

The government continues to expand under the 2010 budget

OCT 27 — As the libertarian I am, I can only sigh reading the 2010 federal budget speech delivered by...

One data point

OCT 12 — I am unsure if I am recalling this accurately but in the back of my mind, amid...

In praise of trivial choices

OCT 5 — It is easy to dismiss the triviality, for instance, of choosing a pair of high heels out...

PKFZ now! National interest first!

NOV 4 — In the triple jump, a jumper has to accelerate, hop, step and jump. The step must not...

That time of the year again

OCT 22 — It is that time of the year again. No, I am not referring to the durian season,...

Winning the ‘penny’ but losing the ‘pound’

SEPT 29 — From reliable sources, the Umno candidate for the coming by-election in Negeri Sembilan will most likely to...

A most frustrating hassle to become citizens

SEPT 18 — Two days ago, 92 “lucky” people became Malaysian citizens, many of them after a wait of many...

Persoalan kuil Seksyen 19 dan tindakan Pewaris

OGOS 30 — (Artikel ini diterbitkan pertama kali pada Jan 10, 2009) Kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) telah meninggalkan banyak perkara...

The case of Indira Gandhi and Rizuan Abdullah

MAY 7 — Much has been said about this case. I have been quoted twice. The first quote agrees with...

The ‘debate’ on human rights

APRIL 3 — Malaysia has many things which are unique. Its multiracial, multireligious and multilingual nature. Its flora and fauna....

The Bukit Gantang by-election

APRIL 2 — I arrived in Bukit Gantang at 5 in the morning of March 29. Headed straight for the...

Remember, remember, it’s all made up

NOV 5 — What do fireworks and a big bonfire each year on this night mean? Aside from some inherent,...

Who needs pundits anyway?

OCT 22 — I mean, seriously, does anyone really need to point out how Rafael Benitez is in trouble? Four...

Shadows must start to move on their own

OCT 20 — The story of how Damien Hirst became arguably the most well-known name in British contemporary art may...

Should the media wot influence it?

OCT 6 — The past week has seen the UK media in a frenzy over this headline: “The Sun Says:...

Imagine no Umno-MCA symbiosis

OCT 24 — The crisis within MCA is different from earlier ones because, no matter how it is solved, not...

BN infighting is just beginning

SEPT 19 — Aftershocks of the dismal showing by Malaysia’s ruling coalition in last year’s general election continue to reverberate...

No strong MCA without a strong UMNO

SEPT 5 — Undoubtedly, the 60-year-old MCA, just like the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), its senior partner in the...

Can Najib drop ‘Malays’ from Umno?

AUG 22 — Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak is reportedly trying to get his Cabinet to drop...

Nick Griffin for PM... of Malaysia

OCT 29 — Ahh, so yes, they let Nick Griffin, the leader of the “racist” British National Party, on BBC’s...

The solution to all our problems? Get people to sit in a room together... and wait

OCT 14 — So a couple of days ago we had a hotshot from Hong Kong’s hotshotting Independent Commission Against...

First World? Mana ada First World? Satu dunia pun kampung

SEPT 28 — Aiyo, what is all this. Go clubbing then pissed drunk already, start peeing in public. Some more...

Understanding misunderstanding

SEPT 5 — I’ve figured it out. Yes, I have. The whole problem here is that people are misinformed. Everything...

A dearth of death inquests

JAN 26 – Custodial death often brings with it an air of suspicion. The suspicion may be real or misplaced;...

A shoe-in for Worst US President Ever

George W Bush does not have much time left. At noon on Jan 20, he will be out of office,...

Murderous lot are just misguided criminals

DEC 7 - Politico-religious murders and destruction of property have in the last half century taken a new dimension. Killing...

Politics of judicial appointment

OCT 14 - Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamed, the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, will be retiring in a few...

No refuge

OCT 18 – Her eyes are empty as she stares into the distance. She balances a child on her body,...

'Real People, Real Needs': World Refugee Day 2009

JUNE 20 — My first encounter with a refugee who sought safety in Malaysia occurred quite unexpectedly. I was 19...

Unnecessary deaths in detention

APRIL 24 — Last Sunday, a newspaper in Bangladesh reported on the case of 30-year-old Ikhtiar Uddin, a Bangladeshi migrant...

A regional solution for Rohingyas

MARCH 20 — In January this year, shocking news emerged of the mistreatment by Thai security forces of over a...

Towards a golden age of discourse

OCT 17 — Fair but robust criticism of legal judgments and laws is a wholly acceptable practice. In every democratic State it is a frequent occurrence. It is what makes...

We live in confusing times

MARCH 27 — On Tuesday, we read about the call for change and improvement by our leaders. However, just a day or two before that, we also read about the...

1 Merdeka

SEPT 2 — This week was an anniversary week, a week of remembrances and of forgetting. It was a rainy week, one in which Malaysians should have been proudly united...

School kids issue

AUG 22 — This week saw welcome rain in the desert I call home. Every day now, for the past few afternoons, there has been rain, cooling, wonderful rain, plant...

Eco – Logical?

AUG 15 — Hello . . . hello . . . er . . . hello. Is there anyone out there – does my small, almost inconsequential, voice echo in...

O what a carry on …

AUG 8 — And what a carry on it has been over the past week. It has been a salacious week, a downright dirty, rumbustious, saucy, libidinous week worthy of...

I want my YouTube!

OCT 18 – I’m sure you’ve heard the news – one billion customers served! Just like that popular fast food franchise company that has a clown as its number one...

An encounter with the ‘powers above’

SEPT 18 — Once upon a time, there was a guy named… Zac! Zac Azron. Quite a good-looking guy, in fact. Most girls wanted to be with him while most...

Facebook is a crime

JUNE 21 — Zan Azlee scours the Internet for interesting videos. The abundance of idle time forces him to write responses to the videos he views. This week's video can...

Marilah samak!

JUNE 3 — “Assalamualaikum,” said the woman on the other line. “Wa’alaikumsalam,” I replied. “Boleh saya bercakap dengan Ustaz Zan Azlee?” “Err… Zan Azlee bercakap.” “Saya nak bertanya, saya baru...

Difficult conversations

NOV 5 — They were three and it was unnerving but you just have to, you know. It was a...

Hurt lessons

OCT 29 — I won’t forget. “Boys, everyone in this class can become prime minister except Praba.” You think at...

Downsizing Polis Diraja

OCT 22 — Occam’s Razor dictates that the time has come to shrink the Royal Malaysian Police (Polis Diraja Malaysia)....

We are Malaysia

OCT 15 — He ran to finish the race. Everyone else was packing up. The chatter quietened down when it...

From our columnists

Dina Zaman

Brian Yap

Chua Tee Yong

Tengku Razaleigh

Fahmi Fadzil

James Chin

Muaz Omar

Joan Lau

K Anand

Khalid Jaafar

KF Seetoh

Khoo Kay Peng

Yusseri Yusoff

Wan Saiful Wan Jan

Ahmad Zaki Zahid

Zaidel Baharudin

Amin Iskandar

Nathaniel Tan

Cheah Sin Ann

Jeremiah Mahadevan

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar

Hanipa Maidin

Suhaimy Kamaruddin

Tunku Aziz

John Lee

Leslie Lau

Liew Chin Tong

Shebby Singh

Wan Hamidi Hamid

Zulkifli Sulong

Ziad Razak

Aidil Rusli