SAME circus, different act. The dramatic highlight of the Perak legislative assembly sitting on 7 May 2009 was the violent removal of Speaker V Sivakumar by police officers. The highlight of Wednesday’s 28 Oct sitting was the simultaneous running of two separate assemblies under the same roof. Was anything achieved? Sure, Barisan Nasional (BN) passed […]
Features
Democratic rights still far off
By Ding Jo-Ann“POST-8 March, [the election results] left civil society exhilarated and giddy knowing that change is possible,” says Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah. “It has strengthened Malaysians as a whole to speak up, organise and demand reform.” Candlelight vigils have become part of the fabric of city life Indeed, since the last general election, Malaysians have been upping their […]
Umno still leads the way
By Deborah LohWill Najib wait for the MIC, MCA, Gerakan and PPP to play catch-up? AFTER the March 2008 general election, when public sentiment against the Barisan Nasional (BN) swirled dark and hopes were bright for the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s multicultural politics, Umno was everybody’s favourite punching bag. Perhaps riding on public sentiment that favoured the opposition, […]
Small parties, big questions
By Shanon Shah(Pic by barunpatro / sxc.hu) POP quiz — how many registered political parties are there in Malaysia? This is not such an easy question to answer. The official website for the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia says there are 31 registered political parties to date. But a quick browse shows that the EC actually lists […]
Why PR will not take disciplinary action
By Deborah Loh(Bucket of apples by Teresa Kenney; bad apple by Artography / Dreamstime) THEY drive up temperatures within the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and invite criticisms of the fledging alliance to no end, but the likes of Datuk Dr Hasan Ali and Zulkifli Noordin are here to stay. Both men are self-styled defenders of Islam: PAS’s Hasan […]
Making it right in the courts
By Ding Jo-AnnIS the setting of key performance indicators (KPIs) for judges just trading in justice for efficiency? In The deal about judicial KPIs, lawyers wondered whether the backlog of cases being solved through KPIs is only creating a larger problem of injustice. Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi, for one, believes the new system is working. At […]
The deal about judicial KPIs
By Ding Jo-AnnChief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi THE setting of key performance indicators (KPIs) for judges is being touted as the mechanism that will turn Malaysia’s beleaguered judiciary into an efficient, justice-dispensing system. Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi has made improving judicial efficiency his personal mission. “I want to ensure that justice is produced fast. Clear the […]
Lessons from Manohara
By Deborah LohBeware the big bad wolf (Ralf Kraft / Dreamstime) BACK in May and June this year, the story of Indonesian teen model Manohara Odelia Pinot and her escape from her Kelantanese prince husband dominated headlines for its sensationalism and high drama. Who could resist a real-life soap opera with allegations of mental and physical abuse […]
Will the Penan survive?
By Koh Lay ChinPenan child EIGHT hours in a four-by-four, and no sleep. One is forced to pay quite a bit of attention to flashing scenes of logging roads outside. These lead to Sarawak’s hinterland where the Penan communities and other indigenous groups live. I had been unable to get a flight on a small plane from Miri […]
PKR’s growing pains?
By Shanon ShahIs PKR having teething problems? (pacifier © yenhoon / sxc.hu) THE Bagan Pinang by-election on 11 Oct 2009 initially looked like it was going to be a three-cornered fight. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s former Teluk Kemang branch leader Shahruddin Abdul Hamid tried to submit his nomination on 3 Oct 2009, but it was rejected by […]
