KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 2009: Police fired tear gas and arrested several people during a march to Istana Negara today to protest the use of English in the teaching of maths and science. The march, involving more than 2,000 protesters, was organised by the Movement for the Abolition of the Teaching of Mathematics and Science […]
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Convoluted Perak crisis
Pictures by Wong Shu QiON 3 March 2009, the Perak state assembly convened an “emergency sitting” under a tree about 100m away from the state secretariat building. The sitting, called by assembly Speaker V Sivakumar, was held at 10.20am in an open car park after police blocked assemblypersons from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) from entering the Perak Darul Ridzuan […]
Anguish in Perak
By Deborah Loh and Zedeck SiewANGER. Shock. Sadness. Defiance. These were the emotions that permeated the atmosphere of the 8,000 to 10,000-strong gathering of Pakatan Rakyat supporters inside and outside the official residence of the Perak Menteri Besar in Ipoh on the night of 5 Feb 2009. The public started trickling in through the gates of the residence as early […]
Kugan’s final journey
By Deborah Loh and Zedeck SiewCorrected on 28 Jan 2009 at 11.30pm IT was not an ordinary death, and so it was not an ordinary funeral. A Kugan’s funeral on 28 Jan 2009 drew hundreds of people who followed his body in a procession from the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) across Petaling Jaya to Puchong Batu 14, where he […]
PAS celebrates BN setback
By Danny Lim and Deborah LohEVERYONE knew it was a tight race between two Malay Muslim parties. On the night of 17 Jan 2009, as the votes were counted for the Kuala Terengganu by-election, the ebb and flow of emotions outside the tallying centre was both audible and palpable. Tens of thousands had gathered outside the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin […]
Sunny start to polling day in KT
by Danny Lim and Deborah LohNO matter how hard they tried, politicians from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat could not supplant the relaxed vibe of Kuala Terengganu. And so the calm mood persisted into the morning of polling day, 17 Jan, even as the cloudy weather of late gave way to a rare sunny day. All across the […]
The art of campaigning
By Cindy Tham and Lainie YeohTHERE appears to be an art to displaying election campaign flags and flyers. The sights that greeted us as we drove around Kuala Terengganu from 10 to 12 Jan 2009 seemed to indicate that. The size of the flags, the effect of putting them against contrasting colours or a significant landmark, using tall flagpoles versus […]
KT’s decorative touch
By Danny Lim and Lainie YeohWHAT’S an election campaign without a poster and banner war? As expected, the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat have gone all out to decorate Kuala Terengganu with posters, banners and billboards for the parliamentary by-election. Messages reflect the issues of the day, such as oil royalty, racial relations and hudud. There are attempts to […]
Getting the message across in KT
By Deborah LohELECTION ceramahs are always interesting to attend not just to listen to the speakers, but to see who else shows up. Chinese Malaysians attending a PAS event always raise eyebrows, because they are traditionally seen as Barisan Nasional supporters. Their presence is even more interesting in the Kuala Terengganu by-election where they are said to […]
Nomination day in KT
By Danny Lim and Deborah LohNOMINATION day in Kuala Terengganu dawned with clear skies instead of the usual morning drizzle common during the monsoon season. With roadblocks in place, the police were at their stations on roads leading to the nomination centre at Stadium Negeri by 5am. Supporters of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat had gathered at their […]