WHAT is the real intent behind giving Sabah and Sarawak their own autonomy over immigration matters, including the right to ban people from entering these states? Political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat looks at how a good intention has been abused and no longer serves its original purpose.
Sarawak
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Can Sabah and Sarawak secede?
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
There have been renewed calls for Sabah and Sarawak to assert its interests and rights within the federation of Malaysia. These calls have even included proposals to consider secession. The Nut Graph finds out what’s behind these calls and whether secession by any state in the federation would even be possible.
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Beyond GE13 (Part 2)
By Ding Jo Ann
WITH the DAP’s strong showing at GE13, should the Opposition Leader come from DAP? And will PAS continue with its calls for an Islamic state and hudud? And why didn’t Sabah and Sarawak deliver much-needed votes to PR?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Reimagining Malaysia
By Ding Jo-Ann
UNTIL recently, Malaysia had been celebrating independence with parades and banners proclaiming the number of years that have passed since 1957. This inaccuracy has been brought to light over the past few years as more people begin to understand the significance of 16 Sept 1963, when Malaysia was formed. People and politicians alike have now […]
How Sarawakians became Malaysians
By Shanon Shah
THE normative story of Malaysia goes something like this: in 1961, the newly independent Federation of Malaya’s Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, suggested the formation of a wider federation. This would consist of Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah. Malayans and Singaporeans agreed, but Sabahans and Sarawakians were not wholly convinced. Neighbouring Philippines objected, asserting […]
“Saya bukan Melayu, saya Orang Asli”
By Gan Pei Ling
ONCE, when she attended a job interview in the Klang Valley, Tijah Yok Chopil’s Malaysian employer did not get it when she told him she was an Orang Asli. “Dia ingat saya orang Indonesia atau Melayu … Saya beritahunya [selalu kita cakap] Melayu, Cina, India dan lain-lain, saya [sebahagian daripada] dan lain-lain … Apabila saya […]
When will Taib really go?
By Ding Jo-Ann
IN the lead-up to the Sarawak elections, the prime minister and his deputy went all out to convince voters that Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud would step down after the state election because he was “ready”. But what does “after” and “ready” really mean? Is it “someday” as the deputy prime minister has stated or in “two to three years” as Taib has claimed? Clearly, vague rhetoric is useful for politicians to keep their options open especially now that the Barisan Nasional has again secured its two-thirds majority in the state assembly.
Umno’s tangle over “Allah”
By Jacqueline Ann Surin
YET again, in the tussle over “Allah” and Malay-language Bibles, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government shows how unclear it is about what it means to respect the religious rights of non-Muslims.
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: The return of BN?
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE Barisan Nasional (BN) has recently emerged triumphant from two by-election victories in Kerdau and Merlimau, its fourth and fifth consecutive victories so far. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has said the wins showed the people’s growing support for the BN. Can these BN achievements be interpreted as such? And what does this mean […]
“I don’t know if I can really call myself a Malaysian”
By Gan Pei Ling
IN Oct 2010, indigenous rights activist Nicholas Mujah was arrested and remanded for three days with seven others from his village for an alleged fire in a logging camp. The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) secretary-general has been fighting for the rights of Sarawak indigenous peoples to their native customary land since around 1980 and […]
