January 20, 2011 The Latest Gyrations of Zed Eye (ZI) at KITA Launch by Terence Netto@www.malaysiakini.com Zed Eye launch his Parti KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) COMMENT: The Zaid Ibrahim show ran its opening credits yesterday in what appears to have been a show business-style unveiling, with the Rolling Stones’ anthem of 1960s angst, [...]
Archive for January 2011
Zed Eye Launches Parti KITA
January 20, 2011Tsunami in Tunisia
January 20, 2011January 20, 2011 Happy Thaipusam to our Malaysian Indian brothers and sisters. Let there be peace, harmony and goodwill in our great country. Tunisia’s Revolution has a familiar ring to it, not unlike Malaysia’s 2008 Political Tsunami One of the top news websites in the United States referred to Tunisia’s revolution as a “tsunami” (read [...]
Back to the 1960s
January 19, 2011January 19, 2011 Back to the 1960s by Barry Eichengreen Complaints about the inflationary effects of American monetary policy are rampant, despite there being barely a hint of inflation in the United States. Rapidly growing catch-up economies are paddling furiously to avoid being dragged down by a torrent of capital inflows. Prominent policymakers, desperate for [...]
The INTERLOK controversy
January 19, 2011January 19, 2011 www.nst.com.my Censorship and Book Burning: The INTERLOK controversy by Umapagan Ampikaipakan THERE is something deeply ironic about Hindus burning books. It is, after all, a religious and cultural tradition that places such a high value on knowledge, on education. So much so that in the hierarchy of things to be worshipped, God [...]
Corruption Kills
January 19, 2011January 19, 2011 Corruption Kills A new assessment of global earthquake fatalities over the past three decades indicates that 83 percent of all deaths caused by the collapse of buildings during earthquakes occurred in countries considered to be unusually corrupt. Read more here at Science Daily. Fighting corruption must now take the center stage in [...]
Mahathir’ Legacy: An Open Verdict?
January 18, 2011January 18, 2011 Mahathir’s Legacy: An Open Verdict? www.themalaysianinsider.com Let us disabuse ourselves, quickly, of the notion that 2011 would be an improvement over last year. Nothing so far has given us any reason for optimism. Just look at the way the affairs of the nation were being conducted in the first week of the [...]
Thanks for Your Message of Goodwill and Kindness
January 18, 2011January 18, 2011 Thank You Very Much for Your Message of Goodwill and Kindness Dear Friends, It is not possible for Dr. Kamsiah and I to thank you individually for your congratulatory messages on the award of the Dato Setia DiRaja Kedah (DSDK) which I received from DYMM Tuanku Sultan Kedah , Sultan Abdul Halim [...]
Is Education pointless without Free Speech?
January 17, 2011Alor Setar, Kedah January 17, 2011 Free Speech is a Foundational Freedom: We need a new generation of critical, articulate and high performing Malaysians Is free speech the foundational freedom? Is education worth anything when the education system is stifled by the lack of free speech and academic freedom? Of course technical training, and developing [...]
A Response to Netto on Interlok
January 16, 2011January 16, 2010 Interlok, Pariah dan Sikap Kita by HarisZ @ http://diskopi.wordpress.com Aku mula mengenali Abdullah Hussain bukan melalui Interlok, tapi Imam (yang aku rasa jauh lebih baik daripada Interlok-nya itu), malah aku lebih akrab dengan novelnya yang lebih lewat seperti Masuk ke dalam Cahaya dan pastinya aku sangat menyenangi Perjalanan Mencari Bahasa yang sangat [...]
The Malaysian Problem
January 15, 2011January 15, 2011 From Alor Setar, Kedah Darul Aman Our friend, Frank, a frequent interlocutor on this blog who is known for his biting comments and passion for our country brought AB Sulaiman’s comment in Malaysiakini (January 6, 2011) to my attention. I think it is appropriate that after my piece on developments in Tunisia, [...]
Lifestyles of the Rich and Powerful – The Tunisian Experience
January 15, 2011January 15, 2011 Lifestyles of the Rich and Powerful–The Tunisian Experience by Din Merican Word to the wise. Today’s revolution in Tunisia was driven not necessarily by calls for democracy or the rule of law (although that certainly played a role) but by popular dissatisfaction with the conspicuous consumption of the ruling class. There are [...]
Weekend Entertainment from Alor Setar, Kedah
January 15, 2011January 15, 2011 Alor Setar, Kedah Darul Aman For Your Weekend Entertainment Dr Kamsiah and I arrived in Alor Setar on Firefly which landed on schedule at the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport. It was indeed a very pleasant flight. The weather on route was great and Alor Setar is also enjoying good weather after the [...]
Interlok distorts history
January 14, 2011January 14, 2011 Interlok gets its history wrong By Terence Netto Abdullah Hussain’s literary work is weakened by historical canards that ought to embarrass a national laureate.–Netto Potential readers of Interlok, the Malay literature text presently the subject of raging controversy, may no longer be that keen to procure copies after having searched in vain [...]
Is Malaysia becoming more like Saudi Arabia?
January 14, 2011January 14, 2011 Malaysia like Saudi Arabia? Pray Not by Din Merican Next month all bloggers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will have to obtain licenses. If you are in Saudi Arabia, you’re going to need a license to blog starting next month. The Middle Eastern country is requiring anyone who posts anything online [...]
Mr Hu goes to Washington
January 13, 2011January 13, 2010 Mr Hu Goes to Washington by Lord Patten (Chris Patten) President Hu Jintao will travel to the United States for his third official visit as China’s leader on January 19. It may be his last before he hands over power to his apparently designated successor, Vice President Xi Jinping, in 2012 – [...]
“We either live together, or we die together”
January 13, 2011January 13, 2011 Respect the Dignity of Difference: “We either live together, or we die together” A year after Churches were attacked in Malaysia, Christians in Egypt and Nigeria were unjustly attacked in terrible bombings. But, as in Malaysia, there are stories of people banding together in the spirit of humanity to defend their fellow [...]
A-G Gani Patail should be suspended!
January 13, 2011January 13, 2010 A-G Gani Patail should be suspended! by Din Merican On Wednesday January 5, 2011, the MACC Corruption Prevention Panel Chairman, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, declared that AG Gani Patail has been cleared of his relationship with former MAS Chairman, Tajuddin Ramli’s proxy, Shahidan Shafie. The very next day, his colleague Tan Sri [...]
