The Malaysian Insider :: Side Views

Writing class for refugees - Chen May Yee

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:34:37 GMT

Recently, I volunteered to teach a writing class at a refugee centre in KL. But where to start? I was stumped. As a journalist, I have done my fair share of mentoring and teaching. One time, I ran a reporting camp for friends' kids where I showed pictures of famous comic-strip reporters before teaching the who, what, when and why of building a ...

IRB should be more efficient in manning taxpayers’ calls - Joe Taxpayer

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:50:40 GMT

WE ALL know how efficient our Inland Revenue Board (IRB) is when it comes to enforcing strict adherence to our tax laws. Its present director-general, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Shukor Mahfar, is well known within the income tax fraternity as being a strict enforcer to ensure that taxpayers comply in terms of filing their tax returns and also payment of ...

Spurs’ Parker has to pass off as he is guarded by Miami Heat’s Bosh and James during Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Miami. - Reuters pic, June 19, 2013.

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:37:48 GMT

The reason cops shouldn’t abuse suspects - Rama Ramanathan

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:25:30 GMT

In my last post about the police, I asked why cops shouldn’t abuse “almost certainly” reprehensible prisoners. Some suggested I should ask how I would wish to be treated if I were the suspect. Some said there’s a chance the person “looks like, but is not” the guilty person. Some reminded me of the axiom “innocent until proven guilty.” There’s ...

Redefining the Malay Agenda - Zaid Ibrahim

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:19:25 GMT

Some of my friends have been somewhat critical of my tweets and blog posts lately, simply because I have been commenting on UMNO and even praising Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The less sophisticated have interpreted this as my way of trying to get back into the UMNO fold. But the truth is it’s UMNO season and whatever happens in the party will affect ...

Malaysia in the Emerging Markets Protests Narrative — Lee Ee May

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:12:17 GMT

The last three weeks saw large scale protests in three forefront countries of the emerging markets. The first protest, started in Turkey, was sparked when the Erdogan government decided to demolish Gezi Park, one of the last remaining green spaces in Istanbul to make way for a new shopping centre. Across the Atlantic in South America, 200 ...

The Opposition’s new mandate — Nurul Izzah Anwar

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:40:06 GMT

JUNE 18 — Thousands of Malaysians voted abroad during the 13th general election. Many more returned from Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, London and Taiwan, traditionally places with large numbers of Malaysians, to exercise their right to suffrage on May 5th. This is a peculiar phenomenon. Why do Malaysians who have found greener pastures abroad ...

A matter of choice — Clive Kessler

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:58:41 GMT

Late last week, an interesting rejoinder was offered to my two-part retrospective account of GE13, Malaysia’s recent national elections “GE13: What happened? And what now?” (The Malaysian Insider, June 12 and 13). A news and political commentary site that goes by the name “The Choice” published a critique of my analysis, and of my attitude and ...

Utusan merrily digging Umno’s grave! - Ahmad Mustapha Hassan

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:29:20 GMT

At one time Malaysia enjoyed a free press. The printed media then competed to let readers know the truth of what was happening in the country. None was directly or indirectly aligned to any political interests or groups. The reports were not biased or tilted to favour any one group. It was a real pleasure and joy to read the newspapers then. ...

A national unity government - Murray Hunter

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:48:02 GMT

With the perceived weakening of Najib Razak’s position of tenure as Malaysian Prime Minister, there is deep speculation within the country about moves afoot to form a national unity government. Since the Barisan National’s re-election on May 5, there has been a distinct shift in stance towards ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ or Malay privilege, at the cost of ...

Where is ASEAN cultural diplomacy? - Verdinand Robertua

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:17:41 GMT

JUNE 16 - With a population of over 500 million people, Southeast Asia is blessed with diverse ethnicities, languages, food and music. Unfortunately, this richness in culture and art has never been explored in order to introduce and promote Asean integration as leaders of the region have opted to focus on security, political and economic ...

Which is which, Datuk Mary Yap? — BH Toh

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:29:35 GMT

JUNE 15 — One of the earliest statement made by Datuk Mary Yap upon her appintment as Deputy Education Minister was “I believe that one of my roles at the ministry will be to ensure the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 is well-implemented” Today, she was reported saying “the shelving of the policy to teach Mathematics and Science in English ...

Transformation plans encounter obstacles — Lim Sue Goan

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:24:36 GMT

JUNE 15 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has insisted to continue his transformation plans after the general election. However, lingering racism and racial politics have made progress difficult for the National Transformation Plan.National transformation requires talents, foreign investment and technology. However, racial clamour has turned ...

Misplaced enthusiasm with Bursa’s FBM-KLCI performance — Dzulkefly Ahmad

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:51:24 GMT

JUNE 15 —We believe that the statement of PM Najib Razak that the FBMKLCI (capitalization-weighted stock market index) rally due to BN electoral results is at best an inaccurate exaggeration. The FBMKLCI gained by six per cent year-to-date is mostly due to regional foreign funds which incidentally is already a regional trend and not a specific ...

Najib’s campaign style and Mahathir’s influence – conspiracytheor1st

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:04:13 GMT

JUNE 15 – Umno’s party election is around the corner and rumour is swirling that Najib Razak presidency might be challenged this time by the prominent Tengku Razaleigh who once almost defeated Mahathir Mohamad - a turn of event which would have definitely rewritten the history of Malaysia. Prior to the emergence of the Tengku Razaleigh’s rumour, ...

We need our police to be human again — May Chee

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:30:13 GMT

JUNE 13 — Ours is supposed to be the time of humanism, yet many have died in custody. Some went for supper, their last. They never made it home. God must have cried an ocean when He saw the police stapling Dharmendran’s ears. How could one creation of His torture another, just as precious in His eyes? Would anyone dare to surrender himself to the ...

GE13: What happened? And what now? (Part 2) — Clive Kessler

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:29:21 GMT

JUNE 13 — The first part of this commentary analysed the paradoxical outcome of GE13. It traced how the election of a reduced Barisan Nasional (BN) presence and increased opposition numbers in Parliament has amplified, not diminished, Umno’s power — here meaning specifically its power within the nation’s government and over the formation of ...

Obstacles to restructuring EAIC — Lim Sue Goan

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:44:20 GMT

JUNE 13 — After a number of custodial deaths, the Cabinet did not approve the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). Instead, it decided to comprehensively restructure and grant greater power to the existing Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC). The Cabinet believes that it is better to ...

Lost for the last half century: Will it be the same for the next five years? — Ahmad Mustapha Hassan

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:09:11 GMT

JUNE 13 — We left a path that we had created to travel forth to achieve what we had desired when this blessed motherland of ours was freed from the colonial yoke in1957. Now in order for us presently to go forward, we need to reflect whether we had moved in the right direction or had we wandered away from what our founding fathers wanted to ...

The changing face of Thai populism — Peter Warr

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:59:11 GMT

JUNE 13 — In Thailand, the term “populism” does not yet have the negative connotations it has earned in Latin America and Europe, but the trend is in that direction. This was the message of a seminar entitled “Rethinking Populist Policy: From Thaksin to Yingluck”, held on May 30 at the Thailand Development Research Institute in Bangkok. Under the ...

Does ‘free money’ really boost spending? — Sumit Agarwal

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 23:51:49 GMT

JUNE 13 — Everybody loves free money, especially getting money back from the government. We all wish there were helicopter drops of free money on a regular basis. However, in reality we only get free money very rarely. So, the interesting question is what we do with this free money. Do we spend it or save it? If we do spend it, then is this an ...

On election petitions — Art Harun

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:21:23 GMT

JUNE 12 — I refer to the report on Free Malaysia Today dated June 5 titled “Impossible To Win Election Petition”. I have written before on the standard of proof in election petitions. Thus I will not comment on YB Rafizi Ramli’s statement on the same subject. I wish to however address two issues. Firstly, allow me to state the reason for the high ...

GE13: What happened? And what now? (Part 1) ― Clive Kessler

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:51:55 GMT

JUNE 12 ― In a brief commentary elsewhere (“Malaysia’s election result — no surprise to the knowledgeable,” Asian Currents, June 2013), I have noted one paradoxical but hugely important consequence of Malaysia’s recent national elections held on 5 May. A paradox: anomalous domination The remarkable, perhaps “counter-intuitive”, fact is that, ...

Women’s exodus from the work force: Not just brain drain ― Alicia Izharuddin, Clarissa AL Lee, Dahlia Martin and Fiona Lee

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:10:10 GMT

JUNE 12 ― A recent BFM podcast episode, “The New Brain Drain,” discussed the relatively low rate of women’s participation in the Malaysian workforce, focusing specifically on the challenges faced by mothers working outside the home. The government is showing an interest in women’s contribution to the national economy: Prime Minister Najib Razak ...

COEs and urban planning: Time to think big and bold ― Devadas Krishnadas

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:14:04 GMT

JUNE 12 ― Singapore’s Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system was first introduced to control demand for private vehicles and to serve the larger goal of keeping traffic flow efficient. With land becoming increasingly scarce, adjustments to vehicle-related taxes need to be seen in the context of the larger challenge of land scarcity. This ...

Beyond one-power hegemony: Asia seeks a new model — Simon Tay

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:57:36 GMT

JUNE 11 — When they met in California at the weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping and United States President Barack Obama discussed a long list of disputes, from trade to climate change to cyber hacking. Both were anxious to get along and only small steps forward will directly result from the meeting. The key deliverable for the first US-China ...

Beyond passwords: Safeguarding your online data — Faraz Ahmed

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:26:11 GMT

JUNE 11 — The Internet has fundamentally changed the way we buy and sell things, the way we manage our money, and the way we communicate. We are now in an age where a large part of the world conducts more transactions online than ever before. With so much of our sensitive personal data online, the security of financial information online is an ...

Apa lagi rakyat mahu? — Sheila Santharamohana

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:53:59 GMT

JUNE 11 — Never has there been a time in Malaysian history where the prime minister could do so little yet achieve so much to restore the faith of Malaysians in this beleaguered country of ours. But then, it all boils down to a deep sense of purpose and duty — and our current PM’s are, unfortunately, toward his self-preservation and that of his ...

Sick projects — Lim Sue Goan

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:36:44 GMT

JUNE 10 — The quality of public works has been gradually declining and, thus, it was not surprising when we heard about the collapse of a section of the ramp connecting the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway to the Second Penang bridge in Batu Maung. It is not new to find flaws in public works and the lack of an accountability system. The problem is, ...

Is ‘Talibanisation’ taking root in Aceh? — Pandaya

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:22:37 GMT

JUNE 10 — “I love greeting my guests with Acehnese hospitality,” said North Aceh Regent Muhammad Thaib. “But I believe that the effort to preserve local culture, such as female dance performances, should not hurt Islamic values.” Thaib was announcing his latest sharia policy on May 25 to ban women from dancing in public because of the view that ...

For Southeast Asia, climate change is just as dangerous — Le Dinh Tinh

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:24:14 GMT

JUNE 10 — The big question facing Southeast Asia’s policymakers today is not making a choice between butter and guns, but how to face the growing threats from other various sources, including climate change. Given the chronic scarcity of resources, can countries in Southeast Asia cope with the long-term impact of climate change not just on their ...

A reply to Petronas’ response — Dzulkefly Ahmad

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:16:48 GMT

JUNE 10 — The government and Petronas’ responses to our call for an audit of Petronas’ businesses and tendering processes in Malaysia have been evasive at best and pathetic at worst. Evasive because they tried to de-emphasise the real reason of our call for the audit by putting the blame on constraints in disclosing information about their ...

Adventures at the Asian Festival for Children’s Content in Singapore — Hamizah Adzmi

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:44:10 GMT

JUNE 9 — There is this feeling that the world is closing in on me sometimes when I’m sitting at my desk, typing away on my laptop. Especially when I’m done with the day, and I realise how many hours had passed of me doing the routine thing I’ve done for more than a year now. Isn’t it scary, when you pause for a moment, when you let yourself think ...

Whither MSM? — Damian Murphy Denis

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:37:48 GMT

JUNE 9 — During my Form 5 or 6 I read about an incident that was hotly debated and it was taking place in Kedah at that time. It was in 1993 and it was the Kerpan prawn breeding project financed by the Ben Laden group from Saudi and the Malaysian government. I remember this particular news quite well as the news about this project was not well ...

Perceptions and cybertroopers — conspiracytheor1st

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 07:27:03 GMT

JUNE 9 — “Cybertroopers” is a term I suppose originated from Malaysia. I would rank it as the next best Malaysian invention after err… belacan (did belacan originate from Malaysia?). A short search of “cybertroopers” on Google would yield hundreds of results, all related to Malaysian politics. However, there is no one exact definition of the term ...

A ‘C.I.D’ Cabinet — The Malaysian Insider

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:38:23 GMT

JUNE 9 — Compromised. Insulting. Dangerous. These three words describe aptly members of the Malaysian Cabinet formed following GE13. * Compromised Tengku Adnan Mansor is the least qualified to speak about the rule of law and following the law. This politician was found guilty by the Royal Commission of Inquiry of subverting the course of justice ...

Is Uthaya an easy target, like all Indians? – Anusha Arumugam

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 05:12:06 GMT

JUNE 8 – It is unfathomable, absurd almost, how Zulkifli Noordin was not in the slightest reprimanded for his seditious remarks against Indians while P. Uthayakumar has been slapped iclwith a 30-month jail sentence. Zulkifli publicly insulted and viciously mocked Hindu-worship idols, inciting anger and hostility among Indians. Uthayakumar in a ...

Why we travel — Ariel Rahman (Loyarburok.com)

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:54:25 GMT

JUNE 8 — “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” — Marcel Proust Why do we travel? Ask any businessman with links to UMNO who annually takes his first wife and numerous children to holidays in the West, and he would probably answer “to makan angin”. Travelling is treated as an end in itself ...

Poser over Sabah natives — Bob Teoh

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:33:40 GMT

JUNE 8 — An intriguing poser was raised at last week’s continued hearing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Sabah’s illegal immigrant problem as to who qualifies to be a native. The question was raised by RCI commissioner Herman J Luping whether under the Interpretation Ordinance Sabah Chapter 64 Sabah indigenous peoples from ...

Political cyber warfare — Lim Sue Goan

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:31:52 GMT

JUNE8 — The DAP has been accused of spending RM100 million to RM1 billion on recruiting 3,000 cybertroopers to launch cyber attacks against the BN over the past six years. No one can ascertain whether the allegation is true, unless evidence is found. However, the cyber warfare between the ruling and alternative coalitions has long existed and not ...

Cultivating a peaceful change — Rakyat Jelata

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:29:09 GMT

JUNE 8 — A letter to The Herald (‘Letters To the Editor’, 19 May 2013, “Look to P121 constituents for example of peaceful change”) reassured me that solidarity, harmony and peaceful resistance are the most powerful ‘weapons’ we have against threats of violence and imprisonment. These qualities of gentleness, love, mercy and beauty are capable of ...

Enlightenment? — Syafiq Borhannuddin

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 08:47:06 GMT

JUNE 7 — I read with great interest to Anas Alam Faizli’s article which deserves to be lauded for its noble intentions. I am in agreement with him on the need for thinkers and inculcate knowledgeable persons within our society and that the core problem has to do with education. However, there are certain points that needs to be further ...

Accepting criticism with an open mind — Douglas Teoh

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:11:04 GMT

JUNE 7 — I have little difficulty in confessing that I am a Pakatan Rakyat supporter. After weighing the pros and cons of either coalition, the answer that emerges seems rather intuitive in nature. The current Barisan Nasional (BN) is corrupt, greedy and tyrannical — the worst kind of democratic government possible. Compare that to Pakatan — ...

What makes a good political movie — Tan Tian Yan

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:45:41 GMT

JUNE 7 — I have a special affinity for political movies. Anything themed after politics, be it a biography of politicians, political history or movies evolving from political developments, is bound to steal my attention. The problem is, there aren’t too many good ones around, given the fact that such movies are challenging for the directors who ...

Fears of a split in Umno party election — Lim Sue Goan

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:23:14 GMT

JUNE 7 — The greatest suspense in Umno’s party election, scheduled for the end of this year, is whether there will be contests for the party’s top posts? If party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are challenged, would it lead to a split in the party? Since the 1987 party crisis, the fear of a split has ...

Tolerate neither the big nor the small fishes — Lim Mun Fah

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:05:24 GMT

JUNE 7 — A few days ago, the Court of Appeal rejected the application filed by former Selangor Mentri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in his graft case and upheld the High Court’s conviction and the one-year jail sentence meted out to him, as well as the order of forfeiting his ownership on the property obtained and hand it over to the government, for ...

The perception of politics must change — Mark Tan

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:37:35 GMT

JUNE 7 — Politics seems to be the focal point of Malaysian society today. The conversations that we strike, at least in a personal setting, often involve some discussion on some political issue. This seems to be the case even a month after GE13. It is safe then to say that politics is an important aspect of Malaysian life, especially now. Hence, ...

Education should begin with the end in mind — K. Ranga Krishnan

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:27:08 GMT

JUNE 7 — In education, as in other endeavours, having a clear set of goals in mind is critical — whether for ourselves or for any programme we are involved in. It provides an important underpinning of success. Goals help us focus on energy, drive and actions; they give us a measure to assess progress and achieve planned results. But there is a ...

Why Singapore’s wage policy must evolve — Randolph Tan

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:11:40 GMT

JUNE 7 — Despite not being mandatory, the Singapore National Wages Council’s (NWC) recommendations have never lacked clout when addressing the impact of economic downturns in the past. In contrast, the actual implementation rate of last year’s recommendations has been low. Judging by its reiteration along the same lines this year, the NWC appears ...

Malaysians deserve a police force they can trust — Eu Hong Seng

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:48:28 GMT

JUNE 6 — The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) views with great alarm the reported three deaths in police custody over the past 11 days from May 21 to June 1. These three men were remanded for police investigations but met untimely deaths in the police lock-ups in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Tampin. The names of N. Dharmendran, R. Jamesh Ramesh ...