AS Malaysia faces the most keenly-contested general election since independence (GE13), what are both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat coalitions saying about their respective chances of forming government?
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If I were Chua Soi Lek
Reductio ad Absurdum by Chan Kheng Hoe
CHAN Kheng Hoe reflects on how he would hate to be Chua Soi Lek at this point in time, with Chinese Malaysian support for the Barisan Nasional at an all-time low. What would he do if he were leading the MCA into the toughest fight of its political life?
MPs and lawmaking
By Ding Jo-Ann and Koh Lay Chin
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) are also sometimes called legislators or lawmakers as they sit in the legislature and pass laws. But how far do Malaysian MPs play this role?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The battle for Johor
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE Nut Graph speaks to political scientist Wong Chin Huat on the exciting contest in Johor this coming general election. Will Pakatan Rakyat (PR) make significant inroads in this Barisan Nasional (BN) bastion? Or is BN support in Johor just too strong to overcome?
New Year resolutions for Pakatan Rakyat
Uncommon Sense by Wong Chin Huat
PAKATAN Rakyat’s People’s Uprising Rally, dubbed KL112 by some, passed without any major incidents last Saturday. Is Pakatan Rakyat (PR) any closer to winning power federally? What resolutions should PR parties be making if they want to stand a good chance of making it to Putrajaya at the next general election? Political scientist Wong Chin Huat writes.
Looking beyond the Chua-Lim debate
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-Yi
MUCH has been said about the 8 July debate between DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. The debate, titled “Whose policies benefit the country more?”, drew conflicting responses. For example, theSun reported that “Lim went on the offensive”, while Malaysiakini said it was Chua who took […]
Doubtful votes — can they change an election outcome?
By Deborah Loh
Are Malaysians sufficiently educated on how to vote? It is widely assumed that marking “X” next to a candidate’s name is the only legitimate way to vote. It is not. Civil society groups now train volunteers to be election monitors, booth agents and polling and counting agents. They also cover training on doubtful votes, due to concerns that dubiously marked ballots could end up influencing an election outcome. Can this really happen?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Penang, Pakatan and local government elections
By Ding Jo-Ann
IF all goes smoothly, Penang will hold local government elections by year end, something not done in Malaysia for almost 50 years, because of the Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012. What challenges are in store for the return of local government elections? And how will citizens benefit?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Has Najib won over Indian Malaysians?
By Ding Jo-Ann
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has obviously been trying to win the Indian Malaysian community’s votes ahead of the impending general election. The list of government initiatives for the Indian community in the recent months has been long. These initiatives range from funding new school blocks to increasing allocated seats for Indian matriculation students; […]
“There’s nothing to stop us from being Malaysian first”
By Deborah Loh
(Corrected at 1:20pm, 7 June 2011) THE vocal and articulate Lim Kit Siang many of us know in Parliament, through his blog and from news reports, is reticent when it comes to talking about himself. The veteran politician is slow to reveal what makes him tick or where he draws his ideals and inspirations from. […]
