COUNCIL of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) Youth is disappointed and deeply regrets the Home Ministry’s lack of order and clarity in its handling of the restriction over the usage of “Allah”, involving the Bahasa Malaysia edition of the Roman Catholic Church’s publication Herald. The lack of order and clarity is obvious from the earlier prohibition […]
Letters to the Editor
Scorn for mobile porn
By R GaneshI READ with disgust the article Ahmad Said: Not fair to link me to son’s offence in The Star, where chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan implied that most Malaysian men carry pornography in their handphones. (Pic by Svilen Mushkatov / sxc.hu)The reality is that most Malaysian men […]
What’s shady about the tree?
By Clive KesslerON 3 March, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said ridiculed the idea of meeting for serious deliberation beneath a tree. Yesterday, on 4 March, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar followed in her dubious footsteps. The Perak representatives’ decision to hold an emergency assembly sitting under a tree on 3 March, he said, had made […]
Investigate first autopsy on Kugan
By Ragunath KesavanTHE results of the second autopsy on A Kugan raise several serious questions, mostly relating to the integrity of the police force and the independence of the pathologist who conducted the initial autopsy. The fact that the results of the second autopsy differ so extensively from that of the first smacks of an apparent attempt […]
Perak tree sitting and a Paris tennis court
By Clive KesslerDATUK Seri Azalina Othman Said has characterised the attempt of the Speaker to convene an emergency sitting of the Perak state assembly as “uncivilised” and as recourse to the “law of the jungle”. Never in the country’s history, she avers, has a state assembly sitting been convened under a tree. Perhaps she is right. But […]
Stop the illegality in Perak (Updated 6pm)
By Tengku Razaleigh HamzahTHE Barisan Nasional (BN)’s takeover of Perak has set off a chain reaction of illegality which has left Perak quite possibly without a legitimate government. One of our most prosperous states has been reduced to a failed state. One lie leads to many lies. Each bad action leads to a cascade of follies, particularly when […]
Let the people decide
By Datuk Ambiga SreenevasanIT must be appreciated that the events unfolding in Perak are unprecedented and involve complex legal issues. It is impossible to provide a conclusive opinion on them. Some matters may, however, be addressed generally as a matter of principle. Today 27 assemblypersons in Perak were prevented by the OCPD from entering the state secretariat building, […]
Debate on royalty suppressed
By Yip Wai Fong(Pic by hinks / sxc.hu) POLICE reports, bullets in the mail, angry protests and police interrogations. These are threats that have been expressed and carried out against individuals who have commented and criticised the monarchical heads in Malaysia. The monarchy appears to have garnered more media attention as newsmakers and opinion leaders in the last […]
“Speaker can call state assembly sitting”
By Tommy ThomasI HAVE been asked to advise whether the Speaker of the Perak legislative assembly was entitled in law to convene the legislative assembly on 3 March 2009. Ultimately, the issue turns on whether the last meeting of the assembly in November 2008 was prorogued (“diberhentikan”) or adjourned (“ditangguhkan”). If it was prorogued, only the Sultan […]
Police need to change
By Datuk Dr Denison JayasooriaTHE recent incident at Brickfields where a group of individuals who went to make police reports were dispersed with chemical-laced water and where subsequently 17 people were arrested raises many concerns. What is important to remember is that a police station is a public place and any individual or group has the right to go […]