The Malaysian Insider :: Side Views

On a sustainable Malaysia — Yasmin Rasyid

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:30:20 GMT

MAY 19 — I am sitting here on a fine Sunday, reflecting on the front page news in the Star (May 19th 2013), "Hills in Cameron Highlands ‘raped' at an alarming rate", and I was compelled to write this to the editors of all papers, with the aim of expressing my continued disappointment on how this country, rich in natural resources and heritage, is ...

You are racist if you are not racist — conspiracytheor1st

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:10:58 GMT

MAY 19 — You will never read from anywhere that brand Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King as racists. Abraham Lincoln pawned his life to fight against the enslavement of the African Americans, Nelson Mandela traded decades of his freedom to free South Africa from the shackles of the Apartheid policy and Martin Luther King paid ...

PPP, RIP? — Irfan Husain

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:36:00 GMT

MAY 19 — An old Native American saying gives this sage advice: "If you are unfortunate enough to find yourself on a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount immediately." Sadly, I did not follow this wise counsel and found myself on the carcass of a PPP steed that had passed on five years ago. The truth is that the party died the moment ...

The low-down on fighting graft ― Kunjuraman Karuppan

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:51:27 GMT

MAY 19 ― The focus on Transparency International-Malaysia chief Datuk Paul Low’s appointment as a minister in the Najib Cabinet can only mean one thing ― that everyone is depending on him to ramp up the fight against corruption. That includes Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who picked Low to do the job despite a beefed-up Malaysian ...

Whither Dr M? ― Zaid Ibrahim

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:10:25 GMT

MAY 19 ― We know that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had little say in the naming of the new Cabinet. This wasn’t because he didn’t try. Indeed, he was rebuffed by the prime minister who suddenly felt strong and energised by his so-called new mandate after the election. Barisan Nasional (BN) likened Datuk Seri Najib Razak to a rock star, and put ...

Where personal opinions really reflect the official position ― Callistus Antony D’Angelus

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:40:00 GMT

MAY 19 ― Newly-installed Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is now seemingly backtracking on his statement asking people who don’t accept the results of the general elections to leave the country. He is saying that it was his personal opinion and not an official line. Going forward, anytime Ahmad Zahid makes a statement, he should first qualify as ...

Soi Lek’s wrong bet ― Tay Tian Yan

Sun, 19 May 2013 02:34:56 GMT

MAY 19 ― Up till this second I still do not have much idea why Dr Chua Soi Lek made the decision of not joining the Cabinet. And why the presidential council, central committee and general assembly all rushed to echo the decision in unison. What I was trying to say is that it was a very imprudent political gamble, one of inconsiderate ...

BN: A victim of their success ― Terry C

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:57:40 GMT

MAY 19 ― No one is to be blamed for the Malaysian Tsunami except the 55-year-old ruling government. I say this because Malaysians have been spoiled with the opportunity to see the world and be a part of their evolution. Thanks to the infrastructure you built, 60 per cent of the population have access to the Internet, a third use a smartphone. ...

Affordable housing: Political rhetoric or serious solution? — Khairul Anuar Shaharudin

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:58:57 GMT

MAY 18 — As the dust of GE13 settles, maybe the rakyat should start planning for what to demand before GE14. I suggest all politicians from our newly-minted two-party system start to take the issue of affordable housing more seriously. Try to understand why affordable housing is crucial in winning the rakyat’s hearts. The issue of affordable ...

Doing ‘congak’ on transformational Cabinet — A. Kadir Jasin

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:31:06 GMT

MAY 18 — When I came across a Star newspaper report of May 16 headlined “A well-balanced Cabinet of 32 ministers” my brain went into rewind mode, taking me back to my Malay school days in the 1950s when “congak” and “ujian akal” were both loved and loathed by the pupils. “Congak” was mental arithmetic and a regular subject. We would be given, in ...

GE13: We are already the winners! — M.M. Pereira

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:56:49 GMT

MAY 18 — A few days before the historic 505, the then caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said: “The victor or loser of this 13th general election will not be BN or PR. It will be Malaysia, its people and our children.” Immediately after the official results were announced, he blamed the loss of BN seats on a “Chinese tsunami”. In my ...

New Cabinet, new expectations — Lim Mun Fah

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:48:02 GMT

MAY 18 — With a popular vote less than 50 per cent of the total cast and the refusal of two component parties, the MCA and Gerakan, to join the Cabinet, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has finally announced his new Cabinet line-up. Overall, there is no big surprise from the line-up. However, two non-governmental organisation leaders, namely ...

Dear Home Minister — A ready migrant

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:12:46 GMT

MAY 17 — In view of new the new Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s first day on the job and his very first questionable advise or more like a ‘recommendation’ to those who voted for a cleaner government and a better Malaysia and most importantly: those among many who shared the same sentiment in questioning the authenticity of the ...

Low better up the anti-graft fight — The Malaysian Insider

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:51:51 GMT

MAY 17 — There is much more that is expected from Transparency International (TI) chief Datuk Paul Low now that he is a minister in the Najib administration. That Malaysia’s fight to eliminate corruption and be transparent about contracts becomes a reality rather than just a plan or target under its transformation programme. For too long, there ...

Stop the racist politics of suspicion and hate — Koon Yew Yin

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:54:42 GMT

MAY 17 — Even before the elections took place, various Umno leaders led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Utusan Malaysia have led the onslaught against the Chinese in the country. Now that the results are in, they are taking to a new level the politics of suspicion, hatred and revenge in the Malay masses for what they say as a betrayal by the ...

New Cabinet shoulders heavy responsibilities — Lim Sue Goan

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:25:40 GMT

MAY 17 — If the new Cabinet is the engine of national transformation, I’m afraid that it might face some obstacles due to the lack of several conditions. The biggest surprise of the new Cabinet is bringing in two professionals, namely Transparency International Malaysia president Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan and Malayan Banking Bhd president and chief ...

The day after: Where was God? — Bob Teoh

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:16:09 GMT

MAY 17 — My daughter rang me from Sydney first thing on May 6, the day after the ruling coalition was nearly swept out of power, to wish me happy birthday. “Are you disappointed,” she came straight to the point, knowing how hard I had prayed, hoped and campaigned for a new Malaysia. A Malaysia where we can have a diet of hope instead of fear. A ...

Election petitions: The standard of proof — Art Harun (loyarburok.com)

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:12:29 GMT

MAY 17 — The point which I have been trying to make over the last few days is this — if we want to challenge the GE results, we must present evidence/reasons which can satisfy the legal requirements set by the laws. If we could not do that, it means we do not have a VIABLE legal challenge to the results. That would in turn means the results are ...

Najib’s team — Tay Tian Yan

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:13:52 GMT

MAY 17 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet team was put together with the objective of inheriting the previous administration’s work while carrying out some remedial work for government functionality. Overall speaking, the Cabinet line-up is within most people’s expectations, including the exclusion of MCA and Gerakan representatives. In the ...

Cabinet ministers and spin — The Malaysian Insider

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:57:27 GMT

MAY 17 — The new Cabinet is not even 48 hours old and one can already see some of them sketching out an alternative reality of Malaysia. In the last 10 days, the new Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has had the task of being the government’s spokesman with the foreign media — burnishing Malaysia’s image despite the rancour in local ...

For many, the shoebox fits — Richard Hartung

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:49:44 GMT

MAY 17 — Even as criticism of “shoebox” condominiums continues unabated in Singapore and the number of such homes on the market here may have started to drop, the trend is heading in exactly the opposite direction in major cities in other parts of the world. Indeed, city governments in some places are promoting smaller units and there are long ...

Almost as good as individual tutoring — K. Ranga Krishnan

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:10:21 GMT

MAY 17 — Singapore is a nation where coaching and tuition are part and parcel of a child’s education. There are more than 500 tuition centres and Singaporeans reportedly spend more than S$800 million (RM2 billion) a year on tuition. But does this work? Are there alternatives? Well-know education psychologist Benjamin Bloom, in a now-classic report ...

Where are Malaysia’s ‘binders full of women’? — Boo Su-Lyn

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:56:43 GMT

MAY 17 — Unlike Mitt Romney, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak clearly did not have “binders full of women” to choose from when he appointed just two women ministers in the 32-member Cabinet. The two are Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim, who will head the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, and Nancy Shukri, who was appointed minister ...

When, why and how Christians use the word ‘Allah’ – The Christian Federation of Malaysia

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:53:37 GMT

MAY 16 – Introduction and Background. The objective of this document is to explain briefly to those Christians who do not understand when, why and how Churches in Malaysia use the word ‘Allah’. It is also for Christians who are confused about how to respond, when confronted by the ignorance of non-Muslims about the Christian use of the word ...

Time to think about our future — Lim Mun Fah

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:32:44 GMT

MAY 16 — Before the 13th general election was held, I was worried that politicians who repeatedly played up racial issues might win and become even worse after the election in inciting racial sentiments. After the election, I was worried that those with malicious motives might use the voting trend to create trouble and put forward a variety of ...

The myth about vernacular schools being obstacles to unity — Ravinder Singh

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:03:00 GMT

MAY 16 — The myth about multi-stream schools being obstacles to unity keeps on being bandied about by racists who cannot see, or rather refuse to see, the wood for the trees. The latest call for the banning of vernacular schools was by no less a personality than the pro-chancellor of Universiti Technology Mara (UiTM), Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman ...

Time to get it right — Low KO

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:54:08 GMT

MAY 16 — So, Barisan Nasional (BN) has won the election and has been given a further five-year mandate to administer the country. This [BN] is a government which is unpopular and the majority does not want. A look back at the past years’ track record will suggest that Malaysia will have the same nonsense from BN i.e. no action against corrupt and ...

Bersih’s impact on GE13 — Khoo Ying Hooi

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:36:02 GMT

MAY 16 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for rallies nationwide, signalling the beginning of a “movement” to protest alleged electoral fraud at the May 5 polls. Bersih has backed Anwar’s claims that foul play was at hand. In a press statement released on May 5, Bersih (Clean/Movement for free and fair elections) alerted that preliminary ...

Let’s talk, but not only among ourselves — Ng Jing Ying

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:46:01 GMT

MAY 16 — The adage goes that “it takes a village to raise a child”. In the public discussions so far focusing on education — organised by the Ministry of Education as part of the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) project — it seems that not everyone from the “village” had the chance to have their say, at least not in the same room which is, after ...

Why I will not move on — Iishan Low

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:19:03 GMT

MAY 16 — 1. Barisan Nasional (BN) does not have political legitimacy There are two elements to legitimacy — procedural and substantive legitimacy. BN fails on both counts. Procedural legitimacy requires that the instituted election mechanisms (however unfair) are carried out and complied with to the fullest extent. This means that even with an ...

Celebrating diversity — Wui Jia

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:07:41 GMT

MAY 16 — What is referred to as the rural, “impoverished” world has, without a doubt, stuck out like a sore thumb in discourse on the urban-rural divide. The orang kampung and their gap-toothed smiles and scruffy feet seem to be encroaching into our manicured fingernails, white-collared and shiny condominium territory, which, according to dominant ...

Who gets left out of multi-ethnic Malaysia – Amanda Cheong

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:07:47 GMT

MAY 15 – One of the most fascinating things about living in Kuala Lumpur (at least, for a nerdy aspiring sociologist like me) is being able to witness firsthand the disjunctures between Malaysian political rhetoric and the realities of everyday life on the ground. It does not take long to realize that, while the Malaysian state has attempted to ...

Paul Low as marketing gloss for Cabinet – Fakry Osman

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:02:54 GMT

MAY 15 – The appointment of Datuk Paul Low as a minister today appears to be another symbolic gesture in the fight against corruption and to promote transparency in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. On the face of it the Transparency International president’s appointment is a nod towards how serious the government is in tackling graft. But is ...

Eyeing both Umno polls and GE14, a new Cabinet forms – The Malaysian Insider

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:45:19 GMT

MAY 15 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s choices for his new Cabinet named today appear dictated by elections – the Umno polls later this year and concern that Sabah and Sarawak will not tolerate any more snubbing in the government. Including both minister and deputy minister posts, the prime minister rewarded Umno with 18 posts (including the party’s ...

Eyeing both Umno polls and GE14, a new Cabinet forms – The Malaysian Insider

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:41:34 GMT

Ethnic-based voting and young urban voters in GE13 ― David CE Tneh

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:57:49 GMT

MAY 15 ― With the 13th general election in Malaysia officially over, political analysts are now dissecting the results keenly, and with the recent catch phrase “Chinese Tsunami” being openly repudiated by countless political analysts, one can conclude that voting trends that are based on race-based political parties in Malaysia are now becoming ...

Singapore cannot afford to import Malaysian politics — Bilveer Singh

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:33:12 GMT

MAY 15 — As a Singapore citizen, and student of politics and security, it was gravely troubling to witness the knock-on effect of the Malaysian general election on Singapore. Not only were some Singaporeans partaking in Malaysian politics, but Malaysians working and staying in Singapore also chose to actively express their political views on ...

From ballots to protests — Khoo Ying Hooi

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:10:21 GMT

MAY 14 — In the immediate aftermath of Malaysia’s closely contested polls on 5 May, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called on Malaysians to protest the results in what he said as the worst electoral fraud in Malaysian’s history. In the 13th General Election, the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional won 133 of 222 parliamentary seats, its worst ...

Burgers, Bangladeshis and a better Malaysian — Alexandra Wong

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:02:47 GMT

MAY 14 — Right about 9pm I started having burger cravings. Frank was too lazy to drive to Ampang for Burger Om, so I suggested SS2’s Gerai AI instead. My footsteps slowed as we reached the food court. I remembered a friend’s wisecrack a few days ago. Visions of being confronted by the burger guy, baring his teeth, floated across my ...

Hello, we are Malaysians — Tih Seong Pin

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:40:41 GMT

MAY 14 — The call by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad for the abolition of Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools in favour of a single stream school which uses Malay-language as a medium is unconstitutional,backward,impractical,irresponsible and unMalaysian. To abolish Chinese and Tamil vernacular ...

Judging racism — A Malaysian

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:38:06 GMT

MAY 14 — There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong. It’s the simple principle that underpins the functions of any judicial system. And those we entrust to apply this principle and pass final judgment on others execute a duty that is heavy and almost divine in nature. Through the ages, it’s the reason why society ...

GE13 and the politics of urban chauvinism — Eric C. Thompson

Tue, 14 May 2013 02:22:10 GMT

MAY 14 — As pundits and political analysts dissect the outcome and meaning of the 13th general election (GE13), one prominent explanation for the results has been a supposed gulf between urban and rural voters. As one online commentator put it: “The urban-rural divide was clear. Pakatan won votes from all races and religions in the urban areas ...

Continued disillusion or evolution — K. Haridas

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:48:59 GMT

MAY 14 — What would the Indians in the MIC do when they gather? Obviously they would not speak about what they could do to help Malays or even the Bumiputeras out of poverty or help increase their share of the economic cake. The same would hold true for the MCA. To think of helping the Malays or the Indians would be outside their scope and ...

Increase use of English language, have only one type of school — Hussaini Abdul Karim

Tue, 14 May 2013 01:12:59 GMT

MAY 14 — At the Malay Professional Thinkers Forum held in Kuala Lumpur recently, it was noted that forging national unity was one of the foremost items on the agenda discussed. It is also refreshing to note that Universiti Teknologi Mara pro-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad noted only 10 per cent of non-Malays study in national primary ...

Reframing May 13 ― Pravin Pillai

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:34:38 GMT

MAY 13 ― It may sound absurd, even disrespectful, that I propose a merry greeting to commemorate the bloodiest act of sectarian violence committed on our soil. I hope it is. I hope it is the most absurd notion ever heard by the architects of the bloodshed whose main intentions were to sacrifice a few pawns to restore order. I hope these ...

Does MCA still have a future? — Tay Tian Yan

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:07:18 GMT

MAY 13 — More than a dozen of MCA veterans have urged party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek to step down to save the party. How could we be indifferent to the earnest call of these white-haired veterans? The point is not their call for Dr Chua’s resignation. To be honest, regardless of how hard the veterans press on it or plead with him, Dr ...

Competing on political ideas — Lim Sue Goan

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:03:00 GMT

MAY 13 — DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang stressed that Pakatan Rakyat will not form a coalition government with the BN, but may consider it only if the BN endorses Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto. It is impossible for Pakatan Rakyat and the BN to work together in forming a coalition government as the two coalitions have completely different political ideas. ...

I am Malaysia — Jun Watanabe

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:03:46 GMT

MAY 13 — I cannot seem to shake off this feeling of grief. Like many other urbanite non-malays I had voted for an non-BN candidate in my constituency, and the indelible ink on my finger was coming off. At 40 I had just taken part in my first elections, fueled by the responsibility I felt as a parent and a tax paying citizen. But I never used to ...

Analysis of the Malaysian Indian votes at GE13 — Satees Muniandy

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:01:57 GMT

MAY 13 — In the recently concluded GE13, we have witnessed quite an obvious trend of the chinese predominantly voting for the federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat. The malays on the other hand had been generally supportive of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), barring a few states like Selangor, Kelantan and Terengganu. There has been very ...

Down, but not out — Lim Hoang Hoang

Mon, 13 May 2013 03:52:09 GMT

MAY 13 — Like many of you, I am still suffering from post-election blues. I was up all night on 505, with Notebook on, TV on, I-Pad on and calculator in hand. (I lost my ability to do mental arithmetic to the value of 222 in the midst of prevailing tension!) When the EC announced that BN had garnered enough votes to form a new government, I was ...