(Corrected at 12:35pm, 1 Feb 2010) THE Home Ministry’s ban on the use of “Allah” by the Catholic Herald publication has once again raised the issue of Islam’s position in Malaysia. “The special position of Islam is enshrined and protected under the constitution,” said senior federal counsel Mahamad Naser Disa during arguments in Herald’s suit […]
Malaysian
Wayang ways
By Nick ChooWayang Rakyat at The Curve, 2007 (© Khoo Eng Yow) THE Malay word for “theatre” is “wayang”. But say the word “wayang” and the first thing many of us would associate it with is “kulit”. Small-scale, community-focused, traditional; of yellow lights and opaque screens; tinny voices, dalang and gamelan. Funny how the multifaceted nature of […]
Fatine’s right to dignity
By Awam, WAO and Seksualiti MerdekaWITH reference to news reports on Malaysian transsexual Fatine‘s potential deportation from the United Kingdom, we wish to register our grave concerns at statements by Immigration Department director-general Abdul Rahman Othman and at how the story was reported. We question why Abdul Rahman singled out Ms Fatine as having “brought great shame upon us”, allegedly […]
Dismantling divisive barriers
By Ding Jo-AnnDATUK Karam Chand Vohrah, better known as KC Vohrah, almost didn’t study law. “I was supposed to have been a medical student,” the respected former Court of Appeal judge says. “I won an award to study medicine in India but when I arrived there, I was rejected because I had problems with one eye. They […]
“We were Malaysians first”
By Ding Jo-Ann“DREAM the undreamable, believe the impossible, and never take no for an answer.” AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes certainly lives by his company’s creed. Under his leadership, AirAsia and Air Asia X have just won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation award, beating airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Not […]
The meaning of “Malay”
By Shanon ShahAnthony Milner“BIAR mati anak, jangan mati adat.” Quoting the Malay proverb that places culture above one’s child, Prof Anthony Milner argued on 21 Oct 2009 during a lecture in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) that Malay-ness was defined by civilisation, and not descent or bloodlines. The lecture by Milner, who is Basham Professor of Asian History […]
Cultivating a theatre of Malaysian stories
By Nick ChooPLAYWRIGHT and performer Leow Puay Tin has been involved in the theatre scene for more than 20 years. Working alongside the late, renowned Malaysian director Krishen Jit, she devised Tikam-Tikam: And Her Grandmother Said in 1983, and later wrote acclaimed plays, Three Children (1984), Ang Tau Mui (1993) and Family (1995). A common thread running […]
Getting our act together
By Shanon ShahTENGKU Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, 36, is the group director of investment group K & N Kenanga Holdings Bhd. He was previously the chief executive officer of Tune Money, described as Malaysia’s first online “budget” finance house. In October 2008, he quit abruptly from Tune Money. But Zafrul was surprisingly candid and reflective about this […]
“100% Malaysian”
By Nick ChooCOLIN Kirton is a multitalented artist who, among others things, acts, directs, sings, plays the piano and provides training in theatre. He studied at Rosebud School of the Arts in Alberta, Canada from 1996 to 1998. Since returning to Malaysia, he has worked with the likes of the Instant Café Theatre Company, Enfiniti Productions, Dama […]
“That means you’re Chinese”
By Nick ChooAT five foot five, Terry Ong says he has never been made to feel insecure about his height as much as he has been made to feel insecure about a more fundamental and unalterable aspect: his own heritage. Ong, 29, is an emcee and voiceover talent. But he is also known because he is a […]
