(© lumaxart.com | Flickr) AS an editor, I’ve sometimes had to remind journalists who merely copy and paste from a press release that they are paid to think, question, and make sense of the issues they are writing about. A journalist’s role is not to be a stenographer. It’s to be a public intellectual that […]
Umno
Dreaming about different Malaysias
By Shanon ShahONLINE media followers might recognise Fahmi Fadzil as the host of PopTeeVee‘s The Fairly Current Show on “quirky and current affairs in Malaysia”, uploaded every Thursday. Apart from this, Fahmi is also an award-winning performer, writer and design studio operator. An active member of Five Arts Centre, he was named Most Promising Artist at the […]
Najib’s call to the media
By Shanon ShahIs Najib serious? (pic courtesy of theSun) “BUT to shape society’s knowledge, so that we are more intellectual, critical, and can think objectively, this is also the role of the press. You can’t report only stories that are sensational, hot or about conflicts only.” These were Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak‘s […]
No replies for 13 May 2010
By Koh Lay ChinTHE following Members of Parliament (MPs) have not replied to the six questions under MP Watch: Eye on Parliament as of Thursday, 13 May 2010, the end of a two-week deadline. Their responses will be updated if and when they reply. Name: Douglas Uggah Embas Constituency: Betong Party: PBB Years as MP: Since 1986 Government […]
Sibu – another referendum
By Wong Chin HuatDATUK Seri Najib Razak called the Hulu Selangor parliamentary by-election a referendum on his premiership. The justification was rather obvious as it was formerly a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold with an ethnic composition mirroring Peninsula Malaysia’s. The campaign was largely fought by Umno, even though the BN’s candidate was from MIC. Sibu has also been […]
No replies for 5 May 2010
By Koh Lay ChinTHE following Members of Parliament (MPs) have not replied to the six questions under MP Watch: Eye on Parliament as of Wednesday, 5 May 2010, the end of a two-week deadline. Their responses will be updated if and when they reply. Name: Abu Seman Yusop Constituency: Masjid Tanah Party: Umno Years as MP: Since 2004 […]
Voting and race
By Deborah LohORANG Cina Malaysia, apa lagi yang anda mahu? queried the headline of an Utusan Malaysia editorial last week following the 25 April 2010 Hulu Selangor by-election. Indeed, Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians are trying to understand just what it is that will make Chinese Malaysian voters return to the BN’s fold. Not all Chinese Malaysians voted […]
Abdul Manan Ismail (Paya Besar)
By Koh Lay ChinPAYA Besar Member of Parliament (MP) Abdul Manan Ismail’s response to the MP Watch: Eye on Parliament project, which asks all 222 MPs six questions. (source: parlimen.gov.my)Name: Abdul Manan IsmailConstituency: Paya Besar Party: UmnoYears as MP: Since 2008 Government position: None Party position: Paya Besar Umno division member Membership in parliamentary committees or caucus: None […]
Has Umno changed?
By Shanon Shah“Umno has changed…It’s time for other component parties to change.” PRIME Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak, speaking at the Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) convention on 7 Apr 2010. He said that losing Selangor to the Pakatan Rakyat was just “temporary”, and a signal that people wanted the BN to change. “[It’s] not […]
By-elections and bumiputeraism
By Wong Chin HuatCorrected at 2.59pm, 16 April 2010 WHILE by-elections can hardly be considered referendums, they are nevertheless mid-term elections and often have far-reaching implications. The triple by-elections of April 2009 Remember the triple by-elections of April 2009? What if newly-minted premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak‘s Barisan Nasional (BN) had won all three handsomely? Would he then […]