A person was killed and four were injured in a French nuclear waste treatment plant on Sept 12, 2011. This piece of news drew my mind to the fact that debate over nuclear waste treatment and disposal in the light of Malaysia’s own nuclear plans, is still lacking. More often, worries are focused about potential […]
power
Assessing Pakatan Rakyat in Selangor
By Ding Jo-AnnWHAT 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 […]
The parade of “Muslim sensitivities”: Where is it taking us?
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann SurinAND so Perkasa has made the news again. And this time by its own doing, not because a media bent on sensationalism tried to cultivate the Malay nationalist group in order to increase readership. In the latest of Perkasa moves, its Petaling chairperson, Zainal Abidin Ahmad, lodged a police report against a Protestant church in […]
The Securities Commission’s powers
By Deborah LohThe Securities Commission’s investigation of the Kenmark scandal exposes flaws in the Securities Commission Act 1993. More on this issue in Found in Quotation.
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Khalid vs Azmin?
By Ding Jo-AnnTHIS week, The Nut Graph asks political scientist Wong Chin Huat to comment on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali’s supposed party tussle with Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. TNG: What is the significance, if any, of Azmin Ali replacing Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as PKR Selangor chief? Does this indicate that […]
Media vs LGBTs
By Ding Jo-AnnHOW is our media measuring up to its role? If some newspapers’ treatment of what constitutes news is anything to go by, it is clear that some among the Malaysian media are not only unprofessional. They are also causing harm to vulnerable groups. Without a doubt, there is evidence that some media are targeting the […]
Road to an absolute monarchy?
By Wong Chin HuatTan 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 […]
How democratic are political parties?
By Shanon ShahSINCE the watershed March 2008 elections, intra-party spats and power struggles have become the norm in Malaysia. These problems seem to be an equal opportunity malaise, affecting both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Do our political parties take and share power democratically? (© sanja gjenero | sxc.hu)It could just be that these […]
Using the ISA
By Jacqueline Ann SurinWho is being detained under the Internal Security Act? (Musa Hassan pic by Ridzuan Aziz | Wiki Commons) IMAGINE this. What if Teoh Beng Hock had been taken into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s custody for questioning and nobody had known? And then imagine this. What if A Kugan‘s arrest and detention was also a […]
Azmin Ali
By The Nut Graph teamPARTI Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president Azmin Ali is an intriguing character, to say the least. Here is a man who rose from being a minister’s special officer to becoming a Member of Parliament (MP) and vice-president of an emerging opposition party. In Malaysian political culture, loyalty is often, though not always, rewarded. But Azmin’s loyalty […]