Interview with Mahathir Muhammad
The Former Prime Minister speaks his mind …
What do you think of the possibility of Mr Hishamuddin Hussein or Mr Khairy Jamaluddin playing a bigger role in Umno after the elections?
.I think if you follow them, it will be disastrous for the party.
A little girl’s open letter to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
How can one not be moved by this letter?
Pro-Opposition sentiment rising in Penang
I get the same feeling to here in KL …. I wonder how all this will turn out into votes?
A retired police personnel, for his part, informed me he heard some “influential” grapevine people in the Weld Quay area have been telling Chinese Malaysians that even if the Opposition were to put up a monkey as a candidate in their area, vote for the monkey! Such is the sentiment in some circles.
Many Indian Malaysians already appear to have swung to the Opposition, riding on the Makkal Sakthi fervour. Everyday, I receive SMSes from Indian Malaysians urging people to vote for the Opposition. These SMSes come from the most unlikely sources, from people you would not normally think as being politically concerned or awakened.
PJ Selatan : Of two Lims, a Lee and a Hee
Another effort by the Catholic church as a service to help church members understand the issues and in this case their candidates. The Protestants are catching up this round … I’m keeping an eye to see how the candidates perform.
Lee was Mr Cool, sure of himself and his facts, smiling when ADUN Lim made snide remarks about his party’s manifesto, relaxed on stage and refusing to bite the bait thrown at him.
He gave sound suggestions for the future of PJ, like “Why don’t you take development away from the city centre?” and asked, “Why are monsters like IJM allowed to happen?” Most of all, Lee recognized where he stood and would stand in the scheme of things if he got elected. He said, “I believe a responsible ADUN and responsible councillors should meet up with people before plans are put up and displayed. Meet up before and not after the decisions are made and pushed down people’s throats. We have irresponsible councillors appointed. We should have elected councillors in the country. It’s about time people are empowered.”
How Does One Endorse A Friend?
One of the challenges in our Malaysian Elections is that time is short during the campaign period to REALLY get to know the candidates. But in the dawn of the internet age, it’s nice to be able to read also the more personal side of some candidates which helps to know them as a person and their character. While competence is an important consideration like in all functions, character goes a longer way …
When Nazmi returned to Malaysia upon completing his studies, he started work with a government linked corporation, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, as part of his contractual obligations attached with his scholarship. It was, perhaps, during this time that he saw how bad things really were at home, the underlying ethnic tensions, runaway corruption, et al. He then made a very difficult decision to terminate his contract, subjecting himself to repaying quite a large sum of money back to PNB, and join Anwar Ibrahim’s staff as his private secretary.
One can tell the measure of a man by the fruits shown and Nazmi has always shown himself to be sacrificial and committed in his task for what he perceives to be the common good.
So Who The Heck Is Loh Gwo Burne?
I think many people asked this question …. apart from being the one who recorded the Linggam video, and come forward to testify …
‘Islam Hadari’ Cannot Correct Itself
Someone asked me what I felt about "Islam Hadari" as propounded by the current caretaker Prime Minister (Note: Not asking about Islam specifically …). I had to pause before I answered … and Farish says it better than I do.
It would seem rather odd, not least for Malaysia-watchers overseas, that despite the talk of the ‘moderate and progressive’ brand of normative Islam that has been bandied about in Malaysia under the general theme of ‘Islam Hadari’ (Civilisational Islam) that the practice of normative Islam in Malaysia seems anything but moderate and progressive. Among the latest instances normalised abnormality include the seizure of Bibles from a Malaysian Christian returning from the Philippines, on the grounds that the Bibles had to be checked by the Ministry of Home Affairs for security reasons; the demolition of Hindu temples that were said to have been built illegally; the furore over the conversion of Malaysians from one religion to another, etc.
Recently a loose coalition of Muslim NGOs have also put forward their demands to the Malaysian government and all the parties contesting the 12th General Elections of Malaysia, calling on them to defend the status of Islam and to explicitly reject the idea that Malaysia is a secular state. The Islamist NGOs also voiced their concern about the very notion of religious pluralism in the country, and called for the stricter implementation of Islamic rules and laws that already exist in Malaysia.
Yet while these exclusive demands are being voiced in the public domain, the Malaysian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi maintains that Malaysia is a progressive and moderate Muslim country. How does Malaysia qualify as a moderate country when books are routinely vetted and banned by the authorities, when the moral police are allowed to conduct raids into people’s homes, and when even the discussion of religious pluralism is seen as anathema for so many?
The objectives of this blog are:
• Assess prospects for religious liberty and explore new social/legal initiatives to strengthen religious liberty in Malaysia
• Inform the public on trends and current controversies of religious rights and multicultural politics
• Explore Christian public theology for social engagement and develop resources that help in strengthening Religious Liberty and Pluralistic Democracy
• Facilitate networking among lawyers and Christian leaders who are addressing current issues and development pertaining to religious liberty and Islamization and dhimminization of non-Muslims.
I think many of us would be more of an independent in terms of issues and specific candidates like Marina who’s post here Elections, oh elections… is worth some time. The challenge of course is how all this translates when the systems in place need a major revision for "us" independents to operate fully. I started with the Father and ended this series of links with the Daughter. 🙂 And now, a quick excerpt from the original link.
1. Sexist MP, Datuk Mohamad Said Yusuf, Jasin has been dropped from the 2008 Election. This is a victory for the JAG’s campaign against sexism and discrimination at the Parliament. However, there are still thirteen (13) more sexist MPs who have been nominated for this General Election. They are:
i. YB Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan)
ii. YB Mohamed bin Aziz (BN-Sri Gading)
iii. YB Badaruddin bin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai)
iv. YB Idris Haron (BN-Tangga Batu)
v. YB S. Samy Vellu (BN-Sungai Siput)
vi. YB Raja Dato’ Ahmad Zainuddin bin Raja Haji Omar (BN-Larut)
vii. YB Dr Mohamad Hayati bin Othman (PAS-Pendang)
viii. YB Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian)
ix. YB Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan)
x. YB Datuk Jasmin Mohamad (BN-Sungai Dua)
xi. Timbalan Yang di-Pertua Dato’ Haji Muhamad bin Abdullah
xii. Tuan Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar (BN-PBB-Santubong)
xiii. YB Abdul Fatah Harun (PAS-Rantau Panjang)