MALAYSIANS have been speaking up about crime recently and recounting experiences of violent crime such as robberies, kidnapping and attempted rape. The Nut Graph speaks to political scientist Wong Chin Huat on what it will take for Malaysians to feel safe again and whether crime will be an election issue.
uncommon sense
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Penang, Pakatan and local government elections
By Ding Jo-Ann
IF all goes smoothly, Penang will hold local government elections by year end, something not done in Malaysia for almost 50 years, because of the Local Government Elections (Penang Island and Province Wellesley) Enactment 2012. What challenges are in store for the return of local government elections? And how will citizens benefit?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: What does Bersih 3.0 want?
By Ding Jo-Ann
ON 28 April 2012, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) will hold its third major demonstration in the city known as Bersih 3.0. Despite the government’s efforts at electoral reforms, the movement remains unsatisfied. What really is Bersih 3.0’s purpose?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Has Najib won over Indian Malaysians?
By Ding Jo-Ann
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has obviously been trying to win the Indian Malaysian community’s votes ahead of the impending general election. The list of government initiatives for the Indian community in the recent months has been long. These initiatives range from funding new school blocks to increasing allocated seats for Indian matriculation students; […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Why hasn’t Shahrizat resigned?
By Ding Jo-Ann
WHAT do cows and condominiums have to do with each other? This question arose after it was revealed that the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) had purchased several luxury condominiums. The question was a no-brainer because the NFC received a RM250 million government soft loan to run a cattle-breeding project, not dabble in real estate. The […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: What if Najib wins?
By Ding Jo-Ann
THE next general election will be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first election as head of the Barisan Nasional (BN). Najib will also be leading the BN into its first general election after its worst election performance in March 2008. The Nut Graph asks political scientist Dr Wong Chin Huat on how well Najib […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: On civil disobedience
By Deborah Loh
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.
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Lessons from the Seksualiti Merdeka controversy
By Shanon Shah
Open-ended vs. close-ended democracy?
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: De-politicising hudud
By Deborah Loh
HUDUD. One is either for or against its implementation in Malaysia – or so the prevailing political discourse goes. But what are we missing in between? Have proponents of hudud adequately justified their position, and how they would apply the Islamic penal code in today’s society? Can those who oppose it ever imagine a human […]
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Deeper lessons from Mat Sabu and the communists
By Ding Jo-Ann
THERE has been much politicking over PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu (Mat Sabu)’s remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident in 1950. In a speech on 21 Aug 2011, Mat Sabu had questioned the portrayal of Mohammad Indera in Malaysian history as a terrorist. Mat Sabu said that Indera, who led an attack on a police […]
