Rustam Sani wonders if ‘Malay cowardice’ is really a problem as some once-powerful Umno leaders suggest. Former leaders like Mahathir must begin to accept the fact that they themselves have been a part of the
shepherds of the Malay herd and are responsible for – indeed have benefited from – the creation of Malay cowardice through their efforts in enforcing the ethos of homogeneity in the community.
All the Malaysia Plan documents have classified estate workers as among the poor and disadvantaged sectors in Malaysia. What the government has failed to do is to add specific provisions to regulations regarding termination benefits to provide adequate protection to retrenched estate workers. Jeyakumar Devaraj calls for the law to be amended to protect their rights and welfare.
A moment comes in the history of a nation when its citizens are asked to bear testimony to their belief in justice and truth. That defining moment will soon be coming with the next election, said Aliran president P Ramakrishnan, at Aliran’s 30th anniversary celebratory dinner attended by some 700 concerned Malaysians. He recalled the ups and downs in the 30 years of Aliran and noted that those in Aliran were once labelled and abused – but at the same time, they also discovered the joy of standing up for justice and found what makes living worthwhile.
It was all so different from the official Merdeka celebrations, monopolised and dominated by members of the ruling coalition, recalls Anil Netto, of a night to remember.
Did Tun Ismail preside over a golden age of democracy and liberalism? An Aliran Monthly reader finds Johan Saravanamuttu’s review of Ooi Kee Beng’s book on the late Tun Dr Ismail rather disturbing. Johan responds and, in the process of this debate about memory and politics, we gain further insights into the man who could have been prime minister and his times.
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Hecklers disrupted an animal lovers meeting with the Selayang Council over a controversial dog-catching competitition, reports Cleopatrathelabrador.
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In the Batu Burok gathering, why did the plainclothes policeman not fire into the air – even if it is true he was being threatened – instead of choosing to shoot directly at unarmed persons, ask the organisers, Bersih.
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We have a duty to ourselves as Malaysians, and to civilised society, to say loudly that: enough is enough, says Ambiga Sreenevasan.
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Yeo Yang Poh warns us that ‘the politics of disappearance’ – the gradual disappearance of societal pillars such as justice, fairness, democracy and accountability – is becoming more pervasive in Malaysia. It is time for Malaysians to banish such disappearances. No justice for sale! No more vanishing tricks!
If we love justice, honour the rule of law; if fairness and truth means anything to us; then we must pay heed to the saying, “There is always time to make right what is wrong,” says P Ramakrishnan.
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