PUTRAJAYA, 3 Feb 2009: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants all plans for the economic stimulus packages to be implemented immediately. The prime minister said the first stimulus package and the yet-to-be announced second package were efforts to stimulate the country’s economy to cushion the effects of the global economic meltdown. They were also preparations […]
Archives for February 2009
Nazrin: Ruler must be neutral
KUALA KANGSAR, 3 Feb 2009: The Ruler, as the head of state and the country needs to be neutral, non-partisan and free of personal interest to ensure justice for the people, said the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah. He said: “As the Head of State at the state level and Head of […]
Nazir: Review NEP
KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Feb 2009: The government must show economic leadership beyond just orthodox fiscal stimulus and monetary measures, Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd’s group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said today. Among other things, Nazir suggested for the government to consider re-examining the New Economic Policy (NEP). Nazir, who is the brother of prime-minister-in-waiting Datuk […]
Defections unethical, says Khairy
By Jacqueline Ann Surin and Shanon ShahKUALA LUMPUR, 3 Feb 2009: Umno Youth chief aspirant Khairy Jamaluddin said he is opposed to party-hopping because it is unethical, but he will not support anti-hopping legislation. “I personally have written and spoken about party-hopping being unethical, and I would hold that line. “But when there’s no legislation preventing it from happening, you can […]
Dirty Malay phrasebook!
By Zedeck SiewTHIS gem was spotted on the blog of one Anthony Monteiro, the sadly underappreciated Malaysian art critic. He wrote it in November 2008, but recent events have made the subject more topical than ever, so he has consented to my reproducing his work here: (Source: Wikipedia) You probably know the British sextet Monty Python, whether […]
Religion, crime and politics
Translation by Zedeck SiewUSE of the word “Allah”, A Kugan’s death in custody, and political party-hopping were some of the concerns the Malay-language press was engrossed in between 28 Jan to 2 Feb 2009. “Don’t challenge Islam” The headline for Mingguan Malaysia‘s 1 Feb edition was Jangan cabar Islam, and the lead read: “Don’t challenge the sanctity of […]
Defections and dengue
Translation by Leong Lai MingFROM 26 Jan to 1 Feb 2009, besides ushering in the Year of the Ox, the Chinese press highlighted speculation that MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek would cross over to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR); reactions towards defecting politicians in Perak; and squabbles over managing the dengue outbreak. Another defection? On 29 […]
Death and the horrors of war
Translation by Sharmila Valli NarayananGLOOMY news dominated the Tamil papers for the week of 26 Jan to 1 Feb 2009. A Kugan’s death, the ongoing war in Sri Lanka, and the death of a young man in Chennai were widely discussed in the papers. Death in detention Like all other papers in the country, 22-year-old Kugan’s death while in […]
RM25 million enticement to Perak reps “illogical”
IPOH, 2 Feb 2009: The claim that the Barisan Nasional (BN is offering RM25 million to each Pakatan Rakyat state assemblyperson and member of parliament to cross over to any of its component parties is absurd, said a political scientist. Senior lecturer of the Social Science Studies Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Dr Sivamurugan Pandian […]
PKR says it can retain Behrang, Changkat Jering
IPOH, 2 Feb 2009: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is confident of retaining the Changkat Jering and Behrang state seats in the event of by-elections. Perak PKR chairperson Osman Abdul Rahman also said that the party would have no problem choosing candidates for the two seats. “We are confident that the voters will support our candidates […]