In a joint statement, Aliran, Sisters in Islam, Islamic Renaissance Front and Projek Dialog have condemned Perkasa’s call to burn Malay-language Bibles as an abominable provocation. Continue reading »
Jan 222013
May 302012
Soon Chuan Yean reviews Amir Muhammad’s book on old Malay movies and finds that ‘reel life’ in those classic flicks often reflected the ‘real life’ setting of that bygone era. Continue reading »
Jan 302012
The Malay Agenda propounded by Umno reminds Tota of a children’s story by Chinua Achebe in his book ‘Things Fall Apart’. Continue reading »
Oct 042011
Was Malaya ever colonised? Most definitely, according to Tommy Thomas, and by not one but four different colonial powers. Continue reading »
Oct 292010
The government’s flip-flop over the use of Malay and English for teaching Science and Mathematics is irresponsible, says Rani Rasiah. What is clear is that these are political decisions to please certain groups and to gain popularity. Continue reading »
Jul 082008
Francis Loh attended a memorial to honour the late pre-eminent public intellectual, Rustam Sani, who was also an Aliran member.
May 162008
Like many autonomy movements, the insurgency in Southern Thailand is fuelled by a combination of nostalgia for the past, anger over the present and the deep-rooted desire for recognition and respect. But how do you show respect to a villager when you stare at his face through the scope of a machine gun on top of an armoured car? And that, in a nutshell, is the problem, says Farish Noor in this despatch from Southern Thailand.
Mar 222008
Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia
(Never Shall the Malays Cease to Be): Hang Tuah’s legendary call to
arms rings a note of defiance laced with anxiety and speaks volumes
about the perennial angst of a people whose place and standing in the
world was never a thing to be taken for granted. But Farish Noor notes that thethe Malays will never cease to be, as
long as we understand that the Malays are in fact a community of
communities, and that one can be both Malay and the Other, as long as
we all remain – first and foremost – Malaysians to whom this
country belongs.
Mar 202008
For
a country that is not exactly known for its reading habit, we seem to
be grabbing a lot of books lately, observes Farish Noor. Or to put it more accurately, we
seem to be confiscating and detaining an awful lot of books
Continue reading »
Jan 182008
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.