WHAT’S wrong with a Muslim saying that religious pluralism is harmful to Muslims? Or for a believer of any faith to say that his or her religion is the true one? Or even for an atheist to be adamant that there is no God? Nothing. As personal statements of belief, most persons of faith would […]
Sideways
Azan issue: A missed opportunity for BN
Sideways by Deborah Loh
THE recent azan controversy was a missed opportunity for the Barisan Nasional (BN) to show how it can be a government for all Malaysians. It could have been a chance for the BN to lead instead of react, by fostering dialogue, understanding and respect among different ethnic groups and religions. But the government and some […]
Why fast during Ramadan if one is non-Muslim?
Sideways by Deborah Loh
HOW many non-Muslims do you know who fast during Ramadan? And why would they? So far, I’ve found two non-Muslims who are conscientiously fasting the whole of Ramadan. Of these two, one fasts the Muslim way, eating only at sahur and iftar in accordance with the Muslim prayer times. The other doesn’t follow the fasting […]
The moral imperative of disobeying unjust laws
Sideways by Deborah Loh
THE day after police forcefully broke up peaceful candlelight vigils held on 1 Aug 2010 against the Internal Security Act (ISA), and arrested 36 people in Petaling Jaya and Penang, I followed a debate on Twitter. It was between a young lawyer and a Barisan Nasional (BN) Member of Parliament (MP). The gist of their […]
Foreign spouses and the brain drain
Sideways by Deborah Loh
WORSE than Malaysia’s brain drain problem is the fact that little is coming in to replace what goes out. Losing skilled local talent to other countries is not unique to Malaysia, as statistics show. After all, the world was built on migration. But what is unique, and not in a good way, is that we […]
Saving our wildlife
Sideways by Deborah Loh
FED up with humans and their politics, I write today about animals. Unlike our politics, which goes in circles based on tit-for-tat rhetoric and racial fear-mongering, there has been real progress in wildlife conservation. Soon we will have a new law that some wildlife protection groups say is the best they’ve seen in a long […]
Living on RM3,000: Who is the government kidding?
Sideways by Deborah Loh
IT never goes down well, leaders telling citizens how to manage their finances. Especially when the public are more familiar with leaders who live lavish lifestyles than with those who live humbly. The latest advice to the urban masses is that living on RM3,000 a month is “manageable”, provided one stops subscribing to Astro and […]
Sex, honestly
Sideways by Deborah Loh
WAS it wrong for award-winning school teacher Alias Ismail to be so upfront about his sex life? When asked for the secret of his career success, he credited reading a book with his wife, having a good conversation, and then having sex before going to sleep. Every night, apparently. Was it shameful for the 42-year-old […]
MCA’s Malaysian dilemma
By Deborah LohChua Soi Lek ALL anyone might remember now from news reports on MCA’s 100-page proposal to the government for the 10th Malaysia Plan was its request for RM1 billion to support Chinese vernacular education. This is triple the RM320 million allocation for the same purpose under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. It is a sensational angle, […]
Reclaiming 13 May
By Deborah LohAzhar Ibrahim (Wiki commons) MUCH as some of us want to move on, we keep being reminded about 13 May 1969 in fearsome ways. For many, in particular those who feel politically threatened, the date is a bogey to scare others into submission. That’s why we still have the likes of Penang Opposition Leader Datuk […]
