It is said that in both good and bad times, two professions always flourish – the accountant and the undertaker. But there is a third, seldom mentioned profession which is even more versatile especially when times become worse. We are talking about those in the gambling industry, i.e. operators of casino, lotteries (both legal and … Read more
Photo courtesy of Dr Boo Cheng Hau Malaysia is the Asia-Pacific’s “best model??? in dealing with the rights of indigenous peoples – or so it is claimed. On Saturday (incidentally the same day Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the Perkasa inaugural congress), BN Member of Parliament Dr Makcus Mojigoh said, in his paper presented at a … Read more
A Malay boy – in his middle or late childhood years – was captured on video attempting to stomp on the gory cow head during the protest against a Hindu temple by Muslims in Shah Alam. The boy displayed a simultaneous attraction and repulsion to the act, and viewers were left with an indelible image … Read more
It is established theory in political sociology that potential ‘class conflict’ is endemic to democratically elected governments. Applying theories of imperialism and colonialism, I have shown in my Oxford doctoral thesis that in the case of Malaysia, the manipulation of British colonial policies of indirect rule, and divide and rule resulted in ‘intra-class conflict’ … Read more
This article is a response to ‘I wish to remain a Malay’, a translation carried by CPI on March 2. I am always been proud to be a Malaysian, but unlike Kadir Jasin I don’t need to apologise for this. However, like Pak Kadir, I too am embarrassed when some Malaysians showed their tidakapathy … Read more
Malaysia was formed as a federated state where power is shared between three levels of administration, i.e. Federal, State and local governments. Under this arrangement, the state governments have control over management of religion, land, natural resources and water. However, in reality, state governments in the country are practically left with very little fiscal … Read more
Many have asked as to why I wrote, ‘Isu Sebatan – Islam atau Politik’ in Bahasa Malaysia [“BM???] rather than English. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, there are many other more capable writers who can express the same issues (and who have done so) in English. Secondly (and more importantly), writing in … Read more
Manmohan Singh ialah Perdana Menteri India yang ke-14 yang kini telah masuk penggal kedua pemerintahannya. Di kalangan pemerhati politik, ramai yang terkejut ketika beliau dilantik kali pertama sebagai perdana menteri pada tahun 2004. Tatkala Parti Kongres India memenangi pilihanraya umum pada tahun tersebut, calon popular bagi jawatan perdana menteri ialah Sonia Gandhi, balu kepada … Read more
Before 1750, the whole of Southeast Asia was sparsely populated; except for large trading cities and in pockets of settlement where intensive wet-rice cultivation was practised. Population growth was deterred by frequent warfare and raiding, resulting in movement and decimation of the population. The population of Melaka at its peak was estimated at between … Read more
The other day, as I brought a group of Indonesian friends to visit Kuala Lumpur by train, I explained to them that KTM stood for Keretapi Tanah Melayu. They were quite amused by the term Tanah Melayu, hearing it for the first time in their life. Tanah Melayu was the term Umno leaders insisted as … Read more