Khairy, after he was elected Umno Youth chief during party elections in March 2009 (Pic courtesy of theSun) KHAIRY Jamaluddin wasn’t the clear favourite when he was elected Umno Youth chief. A jeering crowd accused him of bribery after he trounced two other contenders in the party elections in March 2009. But Khairy has emerged […]
Exclusives
Khairy Jamaluddin’s new image?
By Deborah LohIS Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin crafting a new image for himself? Gone are the years when he was dogged by rumours of scandal while his father-in-law, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was prime minister. Indeed, there is a new, though still emerging, picture of the 34-year-old politician. But what is this emerging identity all about? […]
“Christians won’t stop using Allah”
By Ding Jo-AnnTHE attacks on Malaysian churches were a shocking way to start 2010. The unprecedented violence made headlines internationally as the foreign media pulled apart Malaysia’s carefully constructed image as a moderate Muslim nation. Following the attacks, there have been calls for Christians to drop their claim to refer to God as “Allah” for the sake […]
“Respect the syariah courts”
By Ding Jo-AnnLINA Joy. Indira Gandhi. S Banggarma. M Moorthy. R Subashini. M Revathi. S Shamala. The list of individuals whose rights the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and the courts have failed to protect grows long. In its efforts to out-Islamise PAS and protect its “champion of Malay-Muslim Malaysians” tag, the Umno-led BN has been unable to […]
“NEP must end”
By Ding Jo-AnnPARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)’s Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has been very busy for a 27-year-old. At 26, he was the youngest candidate in the 2008 general election, defeating the Umno incumbent in the Seri Setia state seat in Selangor by almost 3,000 votes. Nik Nazmi is now Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s political […]
“Why are Chinese [Malaysians] dangerous?”
By Shanon ShahARIF Johny Abdullah, 34, attended his Biro Tata Negara (BTN) programme back in the 1990s when he was in secondary school. He has blogged about his experiences at the camp, including an escape from camp grounds to find replacements for participants who had broken their eggs. Arif is a Sino-Kadazan from Sabah and officially converted […]
Anwar Ibrahim, Jewish agent?
By Shanon ShahLOH Jia Liang, 23, attended his Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course in April 2008. It was during the end of his second year at a Malaysian public university and after the historic March 2008 general election which reduced the Barisan Nasional’s power. Now in his fourth year, Loh is an avid graphic novel fan. After […]
Learning about “hak istimewa orang Melayu”
By Shanon ShahDR Harvin Kaur, 25, attended the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) pre-employment induction course in October 2008. A recent medical graduate who started her house officer year in Malaysia, Harvin has since resigned to follow her husband to Australia. With the ongoing controversy regarding the government-run BTN, Harvin agreed to an exclusive e-mail interview, from India […]
Keeping citizens loyal
By Deborah LohTO Umno veteran Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, loyalty is a lost virtue in politics. In his recently published memoir, Umno: Akhir Sebuah Impian, Mohamed laments Umno’s other disease besides money politics: the culture of backstabbing to further self-interests. Mohamed was information minister from 1987 to 1999. He served under no one less formidable than former […]
Leaving religious extremism
By Deborah LohMaajid Nawaz (Pic courtesy of Quilliam Foundation) FORMER British Muslim extremist Maajid Nawaz told The Nut Graph in an interview published yesterday about how he embraced radical Islamic thought. In this second and final part of an e-mail interview, the former Hizb ut-Tahrir member talks about how he began renouncing extremism after his arrest in […]
