TIME Magazine has just named The Protestor its Person of the Year for 2011. Malaysians would count among protestors that made headlines this year, if not internationally than nationally. But what is the point of continuing to protest when something – like the Peaceful Assembly Law – is a foregone conclusion? Political scientist Wong Chin Huat explains the value of civil disobedience and how it can work.
protest
The year of being Malaysian
Work in Progress by Hwa Yue-Yi
I WOULDN’T normally consider myself an outlaw. Last month, for example, I submitted another deferment request for the six-year-old National Service summons that I have yet to fulfil because of school calendars. I also don’t buy pirated DVDs. But recently I have found myself among the many in a position where democratic citizenship conflicts with […]
Bersih: It’s not about black or white
By Koh Lay Chin
TO go yellow or not to go yellow? This seems to be the question among Malaysians these days. In cyberspace, Malaysians of all backgrounds are writing, forwarding and sharing comments and articles about the planned 9 July Bersih 2.0 march. But what exactly are people saying about the ideas and principles behind the march itself? […]
Mustaffa Kamil Ayub’s “ultimatum” to PKR
By Ding Jo-Ann
PKR deputy president candidate Mustaffa Kamil Ayub announced on 9 Nov 2010 that he would give 48 hours for the party leadership to postpone or call off the PKR elections or face “firm action”. Almost two weeks later, he’s still in the race and affirming his loyalty to the party leadership. Whatever happened to Mustaffa’s ultimatum?
Student activism: The struggle continues
By Gan Pei Ling
(Corrected at 6:15pm, 4 Sept 2010) THE student movement in Malaysia was once vibrant, independent and autonomous. “Mahasiswa jurubicara rakyat” was the students’ motto in the 1960s. However, the government enacted the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) in 1971 to restrict students’ freedom and their rising influence. Thereafter, the student movement suffered a decline. […]
Bung Mokhtar: Lawmaker or breaker?
By Ding Jo-AnnProtestors outside the Gombak Timur Syariah Court (pic courtesy of Women’s Aid Organisation) “(Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin) is a lawmaker and he is breaking the law, but the way the issue is highlighted makes it seem like there’s nothing wrong.” “(He) should step down and should not represent Malaysians (in Parliament) any more. That would […]
Protesting RTM’s censorship
By Ding Jo-Ann
A DEMONSTRATION was held on 19 May 2010 outside RTM headquarters Angkasapuri in Kuala Lumpur calling for media freedom and to protest the termination of former RTM producer Chou Z Lam. Chou alleges that his documentary over the impact of the Bakun Dam on indigenous people in Sarawak was cancelled because of RTM’s leadership’s fears […]
Hishammuddin’s incompetence
By Jacqueline Ann SurinHERE’S what I want to know: why was Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein appointed to the cabinet, and why is he still a minister despite an appalling track record of saying and doing the wrong things? Hishammuddin’s statements as Home Minister since he was sworn into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration in April 2009, […]
Whose truth?
By Deborah LohAYM logo (source: Facebook.com) WHERE lies the future of traditional media outlets in the face of blogs and other new media sources? This is not a new discussion, but my thoughts on the subject became more solidified over the past week. At the Alliance of Youth Movements (AYM) 2009 summit in Mexico City which I […]
The furore over Hindu temples
By Deborah LohTHE cow head protest over the relocation of the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple from Section 19 to Section 23 in Shah Alam shows, on one hand, the existence of racial and religious bigotry. But it also points to a deeper, more systemic neglect by town planners to adequately provide land for non-Muslim places of […]
