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An Open Letter to Chandra Muzaffar
Dear Dr Chandra, I remember the first time I saw you speaking. I was in sixth form and you were speaking in a public forum at the Komtar Dome in Penang. I was in awe of your intellectual courage. You spoke the language of justice and equality in an environment where equality seemed a dirty…
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Wanted: A new language and way of thinking
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com PETALING JAYA: If you think your “work” as a voter is done after you cast your ballot on March 8, and the rest is up to the political parties, think again. The process of shaping a political culture that is more democratic and more in tune with the different voices on…
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Wanted: A new language and way of thinking
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com The speakers at the CPPS dialogue: [L-R] Denison Jayasooria, Zainon Ahmad, Khoo Kay Peng, Ramon Navaratnam, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Farish Noor. Photos by Cindy Tham. PETALING JAYA: If you think your “work” as a voter is done after you cast your ballot on March 8, and the rest is up…
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Shahrizat didn’t deserve to lose
By Child Care Worker Almost everyone I know is happy with the election results, and so am I. I am so proud to be Malaysian, I burst at the seams! I am, however, devastated by [former Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri] Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s loss. Over and over again, I hear that…
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CMs, DPMs and PMs: Time to go beyond the old taboos
By Farish A. Noor WHEN the opportunity presented itself for Malaysia to choose a Malaysian woman of South Asian origin to be made the country’s first astronaut, those responsible for the final decision stepped back before the seemingly-insurmountable wall of taboos and inherited petty wisdom. No, they opined, we should choose a Malaysian Male Muslim…
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CMs, DPMs and PMs: Time to go beyond the old taboos
By Farish A. Noor WHEN the opportunity presented itself for Malaysia to choose a Malaysian woman of South Asian origin to be made the country’s first astronaut, those responsible for the final decision stepped back before the seemingly-insurmountable wall of taboos and inherited petty wisdom. No, they opined, we should choose a Malaysian Male Muslim…
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The victorious moon: An analysis of the 12th general election results in Kelantan and the future prospects of PAS
[Waiting for the election results in Kota Bharu. Photo by Danny Lim.] By Farish A. Noor THE overwhelming victory of PAS in Kelantan deserves some degree of analysis and reflection. This commentary is based on observations made by myself and Danny Lim of MalaysiaVotes.com during our 10-day stay in Kelantan (and Terengganu), where we witnessed…
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The victorious moon: An analysis of the 12th general election results in Kelantan and the future prospects of PAS
By Farish A. Noor THE overwhelming victory of PAS in Kelantan deserves some degree of analysis and reflection. This commentary is based on observations made by myself and Danny Lim of MalaysiaVotes.com during our 10-day stay in Kelantan (and Terengganu), where we witnessed first-hand the preparations for the elections and the campaign by both PAS…
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Editorial: The real work has just begun
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com UNTIL January 2008, Loh Gwo Burne was an unknown in the Malaysian public space. Today, the 34-year-old, who barely speaks Bahasa Malaysia, is the newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Kelana Jaya who will have to brush up on his command of the national language to speak up in Parliament.…
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Editorial: The real work has just begun
By Cindy Tham cindytham@malaysiavotes.com UNTIL January 2008, Loh Gwo Burne was an unknown in the Malaysian public space. Today, the 34-year-old, who barely speaks Bahasa Malaysia, is the newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Kelana Jaya who will have to brush up on his command of the national language to speak up in Parliament.…
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A story of hope
By Shanon Shah A wonderful story can now be told. Last Saturday (March 8), Malaysians emerged in droves to make their voices heard, to make their decisions count at the ballot box. The Barisan Nasional (BN) government was ultimately returned to power, but with a shocking failure to retain its two-thirds majority – shocking because,…
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A story of hope
By Shanon Shah A wonderful story can now be told. Last Saturday (March 8), Malaysians emerged in droves to make their voices heard, to make their decisions count at the ballot box. The Barisan Nasional (BN) government was ultimately returned to power, but with a shocking failure to retain its two-thirds majority – shocking because,…
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Teh, tosai and ‘Uncle, what’s your opinion?’
By Beth Yahp IT’s March 7, eve of the elections. I’m at my usual morning teh tarik corner shop in Bangsar, the New Straits Times [NST] under my arm, making my way to a table out back where I can eat with elbow room, watch people and catch up on the news. It’s my favourite…
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Teh, tosai and ‘Uncle, what’s your opinion?’
By Beth Yahp IT’s March 7, eve of the elections. I’m at my usual morning teh tarik corner shop in Bangsar, the New Straits Times [NST] under my arm, making my way to a table out back where I can eat with elbow room, watch people and catch up on the news. It’s my favourite…
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Longkang Politicians vs Web 2.0
By Tony Savarimuthu The best spin-doctors I’ve seen throughout this election season are probably the guys who were earnestly fresh-tarring the perfectly good road in front of my house. While there are serious issues being debated on whether or not the soul of the country is being usurped by corruption, crime bosses or constitutional misdemeanours,…