IT’S easy to be swept away in the hyped-up euphoria surrounding Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 100 days in office. The Star, for example, celebrated Najib’s 11 gifts to the rakyat, announced on 11 July 2009, with a blown-up picture of Najib occupying more than half its front page in its 12 July publication. Other traditional […]
100 days
Najib & Co. (Part II)
By Gan Pei LingOn the media: “I firmly believe that there is vital place…for a vibrant, free and informed media. If we are truly to build a democracy that is responsive to the needs of all the people, we need a media — both old and new — that is empowered to responsibly report what they see, without […]
Lessons from a king
By Chan Kheng HoeLet me tell you a story. Mind you, it’s a story with absolutely no application at all. We are all adults, and need no moral lectures. It is a story of two kings, but I’m only going to tell you about the first one. He was a famous king, the son of a former famous […]
“Democracy crucial to economic progress”
By Deborah Loh“Where is democracy, Mr Najib?” in different languages. (l-r: CIJ’s V Gayathry, JIM’s Zaid Kamaruddin, Wong, and Haris) KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: Slow democratisation will ultimately lead to economic and state failure, civil society groups said today in conjunction with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 100 days in office. While praising Najib for […]
Zaid slams Najib’s administration
By Deborah LohUpdated 12 July 2009 at 11.05pm KUALA LUMPUR, 10 July 2009: In a blistering speech last night, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim attacked Datuk Seri Najib Razak on almost every score of the prime minister’s100-day administration. The former minister and former Umno member said Najib should have acted in his first three months of office “as if […]
Najib & Co. (Part 1)
By Gan Pei Ling“Give me a chance. I will reform and I will make changes.” Then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, speaking at a press conference at the Umno general assembly in April 2009, days before he was made prime minister. He said he was aware that some parties expected him to act in an authoritarian […]
Najib’s performance
By Deborah LohCorrected on 15 July 2009 at 12.30am GOOD news for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. His approval ratings jumped from 45% in mid-May to 65% by 1 June, according to a poll by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research released ahead of his first 100 days in office on 11 July. The increase follows […]
Most believe Najib can improve race relations
PETALING JAYA, 8 July 2009: Most peninsular Malaysians think Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be able to improve race relations, according to the latest Merdeka Centre poll. The survey, titled 100 days of the Najib administration, found that 60% of respondents, comprising 72% Indian, 71% Malay and 40% Chinese Malaysians, were confident that […]