KUALA LUMPUR, 5 Dec 2008: Former US president Bill Clinton today heaped praises on Malaysia, saying that the world would be a better place if it emulated the country’s harmony and social tolerance. “Malaysia is the model that there is hope for the future. The people here who are from varied races, religions and all […]
Malaysia
Shahrizat backs national child support agency
by Zedeck SiewKUALA LUMPUR, 5 Dec 2008: Wanita Umno deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil supports the formation of a national child support agency. “That will be one of our top priorities,” Shahrizat said, speaking as chairperson of the Muslim Women Protection and Empowerment Secretariat (Senada) during a press conference, yesterday. Shahrizat puts formation of national child […]
Blogging the Mumbai attacks
By Cindy Tham(© Rodolfo Clix / sxc.hu) SOCIAL networking sites and blogs already bustle with messages and images on normal days. Last week, traffic shot up, as eyewitnesses posted gruesome reports on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on 26 Nov 2008. Other than going to the websites of news organisations for the latest reports and other […]
Book seized due to missing address (Updated)
By Zedeck SiewBook cover of From Majapahit to Putrajaya PETALING JAYA, 4 Dec 2008: The Home Ministry confiscated a book by public intellectual Dr Farish Noor on the grounds that it did not contain the publisher’s or printer’s address. “This book has no full address,” the Home Ministry’s acting director for Selangor, Zainal Osman, told The Nut […]
Art’s sketchy existence in schools
By Ooi Ying NeeStudents at Chua Chong Yong’s art workshop (pic courtesy of Cais Project) ART and creativity are no longer the dominions of the bohemians or the elite. Increasingly, countries like Malaysia and Singapore are acknowledging that creativity has a direct economic manifestation — the creative industries — and are incorporating it into the economic agenda. The […]
Agong never had veto power
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 3 DEC 2008: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is “misrepresenting” the Federal Constitution in calling for a return of royal veto on legislation as the monarchy never had such power in the first place. The constitution, prior to being amended, only gave the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong the power to delay indefinitely bills passed by […]
Monetising music
By Ooi Ying Nee(© Sherri Camp/Dreamstime) NOTHING worries independent recording artist Jerome Kugan more than the fact that there is a generation of music lovers who have never paid for music. “Lots of these kids love music and they download a lot of stuff. One day I casually asked one of them, ‘What was the last CD you […]
Political parties unite against Mukhriz
By Deborah LohUpdated 6:52pm, 2 Dec 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Dec 2008: Umno Youth chief aspirant Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir continues to draw flak for suggesting that vernacular schools are the cause of racial polarisation. Datuk Mukhriz MahathirMCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said a common language alone did not determine national unity, and described Mukhriz […]
Two reform bills in five days
By Elizabeth Looi(Corrected) Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz Corrected on 3 Dec 2008 at 11.50am KUALA LUMPUR, 2 Dec 2008: Parliament will have only five days to debate two important reform bills before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi retires in March 2009. The bills are the Malaysian Commission Anti-Corruption (MCAC) Bill and the Judicial Appointments Commission […]
Mukhriz’s proposal is unconstitutional
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 2 Dec 2008: Kedah Gerakan Youth says the proposal to abolish vernacular schools is against the Federal Constitution which allows the teaching and learning of other languages besides Bahasa Malaysia. The state youth chief Tan Keng Liang was responding to a suggestion by Umno Youth exco member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir. Mukhriz said yesterday […]