P Ramakrishnan says that ordinary people should vote responsibly so that the BN is not given another huge mandate to perpetuate its arrogance and lack of accountability.
2007
Aliran Monthly 2007
Many of the economic problems facing Indian Malaysians are also experienced by workers of all races in Malaysia – even the Malays. So the struggle for socio-economic justice must be reoriented to make it more multi-racial, says Aliran member Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, who is tipped to contest against Samy Vellu in the coming general election.
It was meant to be a Hari Raya gathering-cum-dinner attended by staff, employees and guests of Rufaqa’ Corporation Penang. But the Penang Islamic Religious Department saw it differently and raided the venue, turning a happy evening into a nightmare. A Detainee recounts his experience at being detained and treated as an Islamic deviant – even before he had a chance to be heard in court.
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Our cover story looks at the Hindraf phenomenon which has set alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power.
The Hindraf rally was, in effect, a cry of the dispossessed, says Subramaniam Pillay,
and this could radically alter the future political landscape. If
there is a much larger opposition in the next Parliament, the whole
dynamics of human and economic rights will undergo a dramatic change.
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In the aftermath of recent rallies, fiction writer Beth Yahp pens an open letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to unmuzzle the media and practise real democracy.
"When this integral pillar of any democratic system is obstructed and
belittled, as it is in Malaysia, we cannot claim to live in a
democracy," she writes. "Our mainstream media then become merely tools of the
State, used to hoodwink, brainwash and intimidate the people they should
rightly be serving. Instead, we, the people, are spoon-fed, led and
expected to go quietly like sheep to any foregone conclusion."
A people’s hearing publicly identifies those who were guilty of transgressions of human rights and acquits those who had been detained. Julian C H Lee has the story.
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The levels of corruption in all areas of life are evident and marked. The judiciary is in a shambles; the police, customs and immigration departments are reeling from serious questions of credibility. The only option now seems to be to register a strong protest vote at the next general election, urges K Haridas.
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No amount of wind turbines, green lungs and good intentions can offset the carbon foot print of constructing a “zero-carbon city” – unless you build a solar photovoltaic power plant as a central energy source first, says Gwynn Jenkins.
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In our cover story, we look at what is
going on in Malaysian society in the aftermath of recent demonstrations
organised by lawyers, the Bersih coalition and Hindraf. Khoo Boo Teik
observes that the goodwill that was shown to Abdullah Badawi in
2003-2004 has largely evaporated and wonders if there is a whiff of
reformasi in the air now. Jeyakumar Devaraj, however, cautions
that the Hindraf approach is misguided and the struggle for social
justice must be reoriented to make it more multi-racial.
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Concerned Malaysians are encouraged to send petition letters to the Chief Minister of Penang to stop the Penang Global City Centre project before it is too late. (See sample letter below)
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