Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, one of the judges on the Perak menteri besar caseREMEMBER these names: Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, Datuk Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Datuk Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusoff and Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong. They have fundamentally transformed the nature and prospects of the Malaysian state with their 9 Feb […]
Perak
Perak: Losing confidence
By Ding Jo-AnnIT is a cardinal rule in the game of musical chairs that once someone has occupied a seat, no one else can validly sit in it. The Federal Court however, appears to think otherwise in declaring the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir the rightful Perak Menteri Besar. This is despite the […]
Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (Bukit Gantang)
By Deborah LohBUKIT Gantang Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin responds to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs the same six questions about parliamentary democracy in Malaysia. Three of the questions were selected by readers and three others by The Nut Graph. (Source: parlimen.gov.my) Name: Mohammad Nizar JamaluddinConstituency: […]
Confessions of a “Melayu celup”
By Shanon ShahDATUK Zahim Albakri, 47, has had a brilliant end to 2009. He co-directed Cuci the Musical, which played from 23 Oct to 8 Nov at Istana Budaya, to much critical and commercial acclaim. Zahim also executive produced Jit Murad’s successful One Load of Bull Jit show at PJ Live Arts Theatre from 24 to 29 […]
Pakatan Rakyat vs local elections
By Wong Chin HuatIT is funny to hear my friends in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) complaining that civil society is pressuring only the opposition coalition to revive local elections and not the Barisan Nasional (BN). It becomes more hilarious now that the PR has reportedly reduced its commitment to merely “strengthening local democracy.” One unnamed leader defends it […]
Kota Siputeh: Testing the courts
By Ding Jo-AnnEC chairperson Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof THE nationwide constitutional law tutorial continues with the latest Kota Siputeh case. The court has had to intervene once again to arbitrate between the speaker of a legislative assembly and the Election Commission (EC). This time, the 16 Nov 2009 High Court decision ruled that the EC […]
The problem with silence
By KW MakSssh (Pic by ehlert / sxc.hu)DING Jo-Ann‘s commentary about the government’s policy of silence got me wondering if the same holds true for the Petaling Jaya City Council, or MBPJ. Do we practise the same deafening silence? I shall answer that question with a story. Not mine to give Once, a group of Section 19, […]
Hurdles for local govt elections
By KW MakTHE promise by the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to have local government elections has been made yet again, this time by their politicians from Perak. The PR in Penang made a similar pledge during one of the state assembly sittings, while the PR in Selangor has largely kept mum about the manifesto. Hurdles (Pic by Foxtongue […]
The big deal about a full bench
By Deborah LohGetting the full 11-member bench to hear the case is atall order A FULL bench of judges to hear appeals at the federal court has never been granted in Malaysia’s judicial history, lawyers recall. Some say this is not surprising. For administrative, procedural or logistical reasons, having all judges of the highest court available at […]
Perak’s tarnished state
By Deborah LohSAME circus, different act. The dramatic highlight of the Perak legislative assembly sitting on 7 May 2009 was the violent removal of Speaker V Sivakumar by police officers. The highlight of Wednesday’s 28 Oct sitting was the simultaneous running of two separate assemblies under the same roof. Was anything achieved? Sure, Barisan Nasional (BN) passed […]
