DATUK Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz is being hailed as a hero in some quarters for his “Malaysian first, Malay second” remarks in an open letter responding to Utusan Malaysia’s Awang Selamat. The minister in the prime minister’s department also said that “being civil to the opposition is the right thing to do in a democracy” as they are also elected by the people. But has Nazri always been civil to the opposition?
Archives for September 2010
Holding IOI accountable
By Gan Pei Ling
THE indigenous peoples in Long Teran Kanan, Sarawak have been engaged in a legal battle with an oil palm plantation over their native customary land for more than a decade. In 1996, Rinwood Pelita Plantation, a joint venture between Rinwood and Sarawak’s Land Custody and Development Authority, bulldozed everything on the community’s land. Outraged, the […]
The making of Ibrahim Ali
By Deborah Loh
WHATEVER you may think about him, Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali is found in Malaysia, too. The Nut Graph gets a glimpse into what shaped this combative right-wing politician during an interview in his Kuala Lumpur office on 10 Aug 2010. Ibrahim, who is also independent Member of Parliament for Pasir Mas, talks about the […]
To brand or not to brand?
Ampersand by KW Mak
SELANGOR Speaker Teng Chang Kim recently got some flak for the placement of his name on park facilities. A news report focused on the DAP politician alone, even though other politicians from both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat also imprint their names on public amenities. This left the impression that the news article […]
Threatening the turtles
As If Earth Matters by Gan Pei Ling
WHEN a friend said he wanted a photo of himself riding on a sea turtle’s back, it made me flinch. And yet, I doubt I would have winced had I not heard stories about how divers and snorkelers have disturbed and distressed turtles in the sea. If not for my marine-biologist friends, I probably would […]
Why the government fears satire
Holding Court by Ding Jo-Ann
WHY is the government charging someone for writing a satirical piece? On 2 Sep 2010, Irwan Abdul Rahman, a Malay Mail executive editor was charged over a blog posting entitled “TNB to sue WWF over earth hour.” Irwan’s posting on his website Nose4news was below a huge banner with the words “The truth is out […]
Assessing Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor
By Ding Jo-Ann
WHAT has the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Selangor government achieved after two and a half years in power? If one relied on traditional media reports or Umno’s “Save Selangor” roadshow, the answer may well be, “Not very much”. But the reality is much more nuanced, as demonstrated in the book The Road to Reform: Pakatan Rakyat […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Can PAS and DAP survive hudud law dispute?
By Ding Jo-AnnMALAYSIANS have been seeing PAS and DAP cooperate on a level not thought possible before. When DAP Member of Parliament Teo Nie Ching received brickbats from Umno for speaking in a surau’s prayer room, PAS leaders spoke up in her defence, saying non-Muslims are allowed in Muslim houses of worship. Earlier this year, Umno leaders […]
Umno’s Perkasa dilemma
By Koh Lay Chin
What exactly is Umno’s stand on Malay rights group Perkasa? At one time, Umno leaders appeared to lend Perkasa their tacit support. But recently, a few have sought to dissociate Umno from the group. Is there a real split in the party over Perkasa, or is Umno just weighing its rhetoric carefully? However it plays out, Perkasa seems to have caught Umno between a rock and a hard place.
More than Sri Lankan Tamil
By Ding Jo-Ann
WOMEN’S rights activist Meera Samanther left legal practice in 1995, thinking she would have a short break after a difficult pregnancy. “I thought I would volunteer for a while, do some charity work,” she tells The Nut Graph. She started helping at the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)’s shelter and ended up becoming its president, actively advocating for […]
