WHAT has the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Selangor government achieved after two and a half years in power? If one relied on traditional media reports or Umno’s “Save Selangor” roadshow, the answer may well be, “Not very much”. But the reality is much more nuanced, as demonstrated in the book The Road to Reform: Pakatan Rakyat […]
8 March
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 […]
Taming the unelected
By Wong Chin Huat(Illustration by Nick Choo) AS we celebrate the first anniversary of the historic 8 March 2008 general election, our democratic institutions are now in danger of being attacked by unelected institutions. These include the palace, the bureaucracy, the police, the judiciary, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). And if the last and the most powerful […]
8 March outcome of changing society
By Chan Kok LeongKUALA LUMPUR, 10 March 2009: One year on after the nation’s groundbreaking general election, there is yet a firm analysis on what caused Barisan Nasional (BN)’s huge setback on 8 March 2008. While analysts offer reasons such as new voters, stronger opposition, the inability of the government to fulfil its 2004 pledges, internal party strife, […]
Samy Vellu challenges Anwar on hudud
KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Dec 2008: MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu has asked Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to state his stand on PAS’s intention to introduce hudud laws in the country. He said Anwar, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser, should not remain silent on the issue as failure to state his […]
2008: A year of political drama
KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Dec 2008: Undoubtedly, this year’s political dramas have kept Malaysians and interested parties on the edge, as unexpected plots unfolded one after another. People were left breathless right after the curtains were raised on 8 March as Malaysian voters cast their ballots in the 12th general election. Only four days earlier the […]
8 March &mdash just a fluke?
By Wong Chin HuatNine months have passed since Malaysia’s sea-changing March elections (pic by Lainie Yeoh) MONDAY, 8 Dec 2008, will mark nine months after the supposedly sea-changing 8 March elections. This author, however, is getting increasingly confused in his interactions with opposition leaders and supporters. This is the confusion: was the general election an indicator of the […]
