KUALA KRAI, 13 July 2009: Manik Urai voters living outside the constituency must consider the plight and development needs of the locals in Manik Urai when casting their vote in the by-election tomorrow, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said though these outstation voters may be […]
Archives for July 2009
Promise of bridge is “election graft”
By Zedeck SiewKUALA KRAI, 13 July 2009: An independent election watchdog has slammed Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin‘s promise of a bridge in Manik Urai, should BN win in the by-election there, describing it as election graft. “The promise to give a bridge to Manik Urai voters if they vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) breaches […]
A tough battle for BN in Manik Urai
By Zedeck SiewTuan Aziz visiting a school in Manik Urai Baru FOR the past week of the Manik Urai by-election, Abdul Aziz has been sitting on the porch of the Manik Urai Baru home of the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, overseeing a daily serving of breakfast. “Looking after the food,” Abdul Aziz says. “I support BN because […]
Lessons from a king
By Chan Kheng HoeLet me tell you a story. Mind you, it’s a story with absolutely no application at all. We are all adults, and need no moral lectures. It is a story of two kings, but I’m only going to tell you about the first one. He was a famous king, the son of a former famous […]
Najib & Co. (Part II)
By Gan Pei LingOn the media: “I firmly believe that there is vital place…for a vibrant, free and informed media. If we are truly to build a democracy that is responsive to the needs of all the people, we need a media — both old and new — that is empowered to responsibly report what they see, without […]
Catholics lodge report against Al Islam
By Deborah LohPETALING JAYA, 10 July 2009: The two Catholics who lodged a police report against the Al Islam magazine over an article in which the journalist took the holy communion wafer out of his mouth and photographed it, have started a peaceful protest campaign against the magazine. Joachim Francis Xavier and Sundhagaran Stanley, from Penang, are […]
“Democracy crucial to economic progress”
By Deborah Loh“Where is democracy, Mr Najib?” in different languages. (l-r: CIJ’s V Gayathry, JIM’s Zaid Kamaruddin, Wong, and Haris) KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: Slow democratisation will ultimately lead to economic and state failure, civil society groups said today in conjunction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 100 days in office. While praising Najib for […]
Zaid slams Najib’s administration
By Deborah LohUpdated 12 July 2009 at 11.05pm KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: In a blistering speech last night, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim attacked Datuk Seri Najib Razak on almost every score of the prime minister’s100-day administration. The former minister and former Umno member said Najib should have acted in his first three months of office “as if […]
Najib’s performance
By Deborah LohCorrected on 15 July 2009 at 12.30am GOOD news for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. His approval ratings jumped from 45% in mid-May to 65% by 1 June, according to a poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research released ahead of his first 100 days in office on 11 July. The increase follows […]
Najib & Co. (Part 1)
By Gan Pei Ling“Give me a chance. I will reform and I will make changes.” Then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, speaking at a press conference at the Umno general assembly in April 2009, days before he was made prime minister. He said he was aware that some parties expected him to act in an authoritarian […]