The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Dropping the baby

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:56:48 GMT

FEB 10 — Have you ever tried dropped a baby on his or her head? I have. Well, I didn’t exactly try. The baby just dropped on her head on my watch, that’s all. Athena’s mother was leaving her for the first time since she was born. She had to go to Singapore over a weekend for work and I was put in charge. The first night went well. Athena woke up ...

Cheerio Fabio, hello Harry?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:20:15 GMT

FEB 10 — The build-up to this weekend’s Premier League fixtures — including the English classico between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford — has been overshadowed by the abrupt resignation of Fabio Capello as England manager on Wednesday evening. On the surface, Capello has packed up and left simply because he opposed and felt ...

Corrupting our youth

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:14:41 GMT

FEB 10 — “Muat tak?” The young girl’s head snapped up in surprise. In Singapore, once the centre of Malay culture and literature, switching unconsciously from English to Malay and back, as you’d do back home, can catch people off guard. I was at the supermarket checkout, and the cashier packing my groceries into a bag seemed to be struggling, ...

Local-grown kingmakers

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:01:19 GMT

FEB 9 — It was something she said. So I relented to view the January 29 debate between PKR strategy chief Rafizi Ramli and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin on YouTube. Why not earlier, since these things don’t occur that often [1]? Well for one reason above anything, they held it in the United Kingdom. I don’t blame the Malaysian student ...

Cowgate, ‘jambu’ and the changing political ground

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:43:27 GMT

FEB 9 — It is entirely possible that Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and her family are innocent of any wrongdoing in the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal, and will be exonerated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after investigations are complete. But what has been at times bewildering are the reactions to ...

Rooney for Chelsea? Why not?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:33:01 GMT

FEB 9 — If that was the team in transition, then Chelsea, after their six-goal thriller against Manchester United, really do not need to change that much. In that exhilarating game last Sunday, the Chelsea midfield was shapeless and was overrun time and again. However, in my opinion this only calls for a change of formation and the system of ...

Pakej Malaysia terbaik dibanding dunia Afrika

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:49:47 GMT

8 FEB — Berkata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak di Kampung Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur sehari sebelum Raya Cina: Malaysia miliki pekej terbaik dibanding dunia lain dari segi taraf hidup dan kemudahan untuk rakyat, value of money, harga minyak, kos dan sewa rumah, rekod cemerlang dari segi memampuan mentadbir. “Jika digolongkan sebagai satu ...

Why is the government raiding our piggy bank?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:42:52 GMT

FEB 8 — I still remember the 80s recession for all the things my family lost. My father lost his job. We lost the house. Gone, too, was the money I saved as a little girl in my rabbit-shaped piggy bank, used by my mother for groceries. When you resort to tapping your children’s paltry savings, you know you’ve reached rock bottom. So why aren’t ...

A new Malaysia: The Promise (Part 1)

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:34:39 GMT

FEB 8 — A new Malaysia is dawning. When I was in school, I learned of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s vision for a new Malaysia. A vision whose ultimate objective would be a nation where children are born to a fully developed society in every sense. We sang the national anthem, Negaraku, and the Wawasan 2020 song every Monday morning at ...

Najib’s not the only problem

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:37:10 GMT

FEB 7 — Now as much as I’d like to continually heap more and more criticism on the prime minister and his spouse, there is one thing that we need to get straight. Datuk Seri Najib Razak, our prime minister, is not the only person in Umno who has his head in the political guillotine in the next general election, whenever he chooses to hold it. ...

AVB deserves more time

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:22:28 GMT

FEB 7 — The first rule of watching English Premier League football: never write off Manchester United. The second rule? Never write off Manchester United. Sunday’s thrilling comeback at Stamford Bridge — recovering from 3-0 down to register a 3-3 draw — was something the Red Devils have achieved so regularly over the course of Sir Alex Ferguson’s ...

The beautiful mind

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:12:30 GMT

FEB 7 — I recently began my nine-week placement in psychiatry, and I have really been swept away by the complexity as well as the manifestations of disease of the human mind. This article is not to teach you psychiatry, or to argue its importance in the medical profession. I just want to give you an interesting five minutes’ read, and then I hope ...

In denial over evolution, in denial over science

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:14:19 GMT

FEB 6 — “Malays have no problems embracing science when it supports their pride, but they won’t even acknowledge the theory of evolution,” a friend remarked after reading the news on proto-Malays. It might sound like a broad sweeping statement, but it is obvious that most Malaysians, and by extension most Malays, have strong disagreement with the ...

Tentang Thaipusam

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:51:17 GMT

6 FEB — Sempena sambutan Thaipusam esok, baru-baru ini, saya diundang ke studio TV Selangor untuk berkongsi maklumat asas berkenaan sambutan keagamaan itu bersama khalayak pelbagai kaum dan agama. Saya menganggap itu sebagai peluang baik untuk memberi penjelasan dan penerangan asas mengenai beberapa persoalan yang sentiasa bermain dalam fikiran ...

Apa Ada Di AJL26?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:35:00 GMT

5 FEB — Sudah beberapa tahun aku tidak menonton pertandingan akhir Juara Lagu, kerana tidak berada di dalam Negara. Selain menonton siaran langsung di TV3, aku juga pernah menonton persembahan di tempat berlangsung di Bukit Jalil. Tapi sekarang orang sudah boleh menonton di seluruh dunia melalui www.tonton.com.my. Tahun ini juga aku mengambil ...

Rasuah dalam bola sepak negara: Di mana titik penamatnya?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:30:41 GMT

5 FEB — Sukan bola sepak negara telah melalui beberapa transformasi yang membanggakan sejak dua tiga tahun kebelakangan ini. Bagaikan tidak diduga, segala yang diharap dan didoakan agar akan ada sinar harapan dalam sukan bola sepak negara (selepas puluhan tahun dalam kemalapan), akhirnya menjadi kenyataan. Daripada kejayaan cemerlang merangkul ...

What is your skin colour worth?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:25:41 GMT

FEB 5 — Complete bewilderment washed over me when I read that a golf club had assigned a price tag to my skin colour. While I may not care very much for golf, I could not help but feel horribly affronted for the members of Kelab Golf Negara Subang (KGNS) who are charged membership fees according to their race. But they did choose to be members ...

Politik ‘kepala babi’

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:56:14 GMT

4 FEB — Muncul lagi kes-kes “kepala babi” dicampakkan ke masjid. Mula-mula berlaku di Masjid Nurul Iman yang terletak di Rawang, Selangor. Kemudian Masjid Al-Hidayah di Sentul, Kuala Lumpur. Meletakkan kepala babi di dalam masjid, rumah ibadah orang Islam — turut dianggap sebagai rumah Allah — adalah satu tindakan yang harus dikutuk oleh semua ...

Oscar season — Part 2

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:15:21 GMT

FEB 4 — Last week I wrote about my reactions and predictions to the just announced Oscar 2012 nominations for the major categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. So if you haven’t read that piece yet, please do. And as promised last week, let’s take a look at a few more ...

The John Terry soap opera: Part three

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:02:35 GMT

FEB 4 — Almost exactly two years ago, on February 5, 2010, Chelsea defender John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy amidst revelations of dalliances with the girlfriend of his former Stamford Bridge teammate Wayne Bridge. Almost exactly one year ago, Terry was reinstated to the national team’s armband as manager Fabio Capello declared ...

The truth about Malaysia and Israel

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:31:20 GMT

FEB 3 — It comes as no surprise that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim got into trouble with the federal government and Umno when he came out stating that he would support a final resolution to begin lifting sanctions against Israel. After all, there are already Malaysians booing Israeli footballers. And Malaysia was not the first nation to start ...

Ayuh raikan keragaman!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:13:25 GMT

3 FEB — Minggu yang baru sudah negara kita terutama yang mendiami secara fizikal wilayah Lembah Klang dihidangkan dengan pelbagai program yang telah lama dirancang oleh para penganjurnya, baik acara arus perdana berskala besar mahupun alternatif yang berskala kecil dan sederhana. Pastinya pilihan yang dihidangkan menggiurkan banyak di kalangan ...

I am Zan Azlee first!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:04:03 GMT

FEB 3 — When I meet people for the first time, I always introduce myself as such: “Hello! My name is Zan Azlee.” But if the ruling government has its way, I would be introducing myself like this: “Salam 1 Malaysia! I’m Malay, Muslim and Malaysian. By the way, I happen to be Zan Azlee.” And if the opposition has its way, I would be introducing ...

Football killed the racist star

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:28:10 GMT

FEB 2 — “Monkey man” went to jail. Through the use of basic technology and social media, the police identified the man who mimicked an animal to abuse Manchester United’s Patrice Evra last weekend. He has been caught, and the message is eloquently clear to him and others, there is no place for racial abuse in modern society. A football pitch and ...

Mediocre Everton’s moment in the sun

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:17:46 GMT

FEB 2 — Being an Everton fan must be a frustrating experience. Firstly, there’s the irritation of constantly living in Liverpool’s shadow: whatever Everton do, it is generally treated by the wider world as a minor insignificance compared with the latest goings-on a few hundred metres down the road at Anfield. You almost feel that Everton could ...

All in a day’s work

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:19:16 GMT

FEB 2 — I walked into the open hall and saw this black lumpy thing that looked like a Snicker’s bar that someone had trod on lying next to the stage. There were smears of what looked like chocolate around it as well as two safety cones, as if to protect it from being stepped on by the stampede of kids coming in from recess. A colleague who was ...

Ibrahim Libya: Who was he really?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:52:50 GMT

FEB 1 — Excerpt from Memali incident chapter: Mak Su’s brother, Pak Andah, popped by for tea. There were always people coming in and out of the house for a chat or a meal. Mak Su was a generous host; it was tea after hot tea, and goreng pisang, ondeh-ondeh, fried rice — there was always something to serve guests. People in her house meant ...

When poor English is a dangerous thing

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:42:46 GMT

FEB 1 — Think poor English standards aren’t a problem? Well, my sister almost wasn’t born… because our mother barely knew English. It’s almost comic, the story. Our parents were in the Philippines at the time; my father was doing his Masters. My mother was pregnant with baby number three: my second and most hard-headed sister. They had planned a ...

More than the colour of an angpow

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:40:14 GMT

FEB 1 — Call it as you see it, Ibrahim Ali has a knack of keeping himself relevant. I don’t know what he was thinking when he merrily gave white angpows to elders during a Chinese New Year gathering hosted by Perkasa (you didn’t see this coming either, did you?) but I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt only because I find him so ...

Messi or Djokovic: Who’s the greatest?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:45:39 GMT

JAN 31 — I have to admit that my concentration on this weekend’s largely tedious FA Cup action was distracted by the remarkable, record-breaking Australian Open tennis final between Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Watching the epic encounter with a friend led to a debate as to who is currently the greatest sportsman on the planet: Djokovic, my ...

Corruption and grand corruption

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:32:37 GMT

JAN 31 — If you have ever expressed a political opinion in public, taken part in a student demo, driven with an expired road tax disc, made out in public, agreed to overpay a cabbie, given duit kopi or expressed an opinion in favour of all citizens being equal before the law, this column is for you. When the number of things a society sees as ...

Debate already!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:24:51 GMT

JAN 31 — I was in my university library when I heard that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) was acquitted by the High Court of the charges associated with Sodomy 2.0. Truth be told, I was more relieved than overjoyed. Finally, our nation can turn the page and focus on more urgent issues rather than the question of did-he-shove-it-up-god-knows-what. ...

Running your first 5k run!

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:49:16 GMT

JAN 30 — Running really is a low-budget activity. In this challenging economic climate, you might not be able to cough out the 150 bucks for the monthly gym membership or engage in some other activity which requires fees and equipment such as golf. Not everyone can go to their friendly neighbourhood plastic surgeon and liposuction off a few kilos ...

Tentang 120 filem Melayu

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:31:47 GMT

30 JAN — Saya peminat filem. Akan tetapi, saya amat selektif dalam menentukan filem-filem yang saya tonton. Catatan mengenai beberapa filem yang saya tonton boleh dibaca di blog saya. Filem Inggeris, Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Mandarin dan bahasa-bahasa lain menjadi pilihan saya; tidak menjadi masalah jika saya tidak memahami bahasa yang digunakan ...

When the middle path is a waste of time

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:16:36 GMT

JAN 30 — Amid opposing positions, political centrists have the tendency to stake the middle ground. It is a compromise that appears sensible on the surface. Sometimes, it can be sensible deep down in a substantial way. It can even be the best path forward. Not always though. Not all compromises are sensible and it can be even outright nonsense. A ...

MCA: kapal yang hampir karam

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:28:58 GMT

29 JAN — Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) takut akan kehadiran pilihan raya umum (PRU) akan datang. MCA sedar, mereka tidak mampu untuk mengekang kemaraan Democratic Action Party (DAP) — yang semakin kuat disokong oleh masyarakat Cina. Silap haribulan, MCA akan kalah teruk sehingga parti tersebut terpaksa tutup kedai. Presiden MCA, Datuk Seri ...

Tubuh parti politik baharu: berpijaklah pada bumi nyata!

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:22:59 GMT

29 JAN — Dalam arena politik negara, kita sebenarnya tidak ketandusan parti-parti politik. Malah boleh dikatakan kita sebenarnya “spoilt for choice”. Bukan dua tetapi lebih daripada berpuluh-puluh parti politik. Ada yang besar, ada yang kecil dan tidak kurang juga mereka yang telah berada dalam persada politik negara sejak sekian lama. Daripada ...

Oscar season

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:09:34 GMT

JAN 28 — The Oscar 2012 season has officially begun as the nominees were announced on Tuesday this week. While the frontrunners as announced were kind of expected — “The Artist” and “Hugo” have been scoring big at all the Guild awards and generally fared well in all the Critics’ Circle end-of-year lists — there were quite a few surprises and snubs ...

No simple case of black or white

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:22:28 GMT

JAN 28 — Liverpool versus Manchester United has long been one of the most famous and hotly contested sporting occasions in the world, but this weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round meeting between the two clubs will see a new element of controversy introduced into their long-standing rivalry. There have been countless disputes between the Reds and the Red ...

Entrepreneurial journalism

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:38:56 GMT

JAN 27 — In one of my previous columns several weeks ago, I wrote about not wanting a lot of money for my work as a journalist. Many who read it seem to agree with my idealism (fuuyo!), but many also seemed to think that making money isn’t important. I don’t want people to think that working in journalism or the media means that one will live poor ...

Renungan di angkasa

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:22:40 GMT

27 JAN — Sebaik sahaja enjin pesawat mula bergema tandanya bakal berlepas, saya terus memejamkan mata merenung perbualan di lapangan terbang sebentar tadi. Semasa menunggu di balai perlepasan, saya telah terserempak dengan seorang sahabat lama keluarga. Walaupun sudah lama tidak berjumpa, masa tidak mengizinkan omongan panjang. Maka selepas ...

Kuala Lumpur’s own mayor? The wait continues

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:30:32 GMT

JAN 26 — Who’s your favourite? Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Mohmad Shaid Mohd Taufek, Yaacob Latif or Ruslin Hasan? Since one-fourth of Malaysians live in the Klang Valley, a fair number of readers might be well-acquainted with these personalities, enough at least to pick the best mayor Kuala Lumpur has ever had in its 40 years as a city. Ahmad Fuad who ...

The dark side rears its ugly head

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:18:40 GMT

JAN 26 — It is always an exciting weekend when Mario “The Brat” Balotelli hits the headlines as it would likely to have been about the great goals scored on the weekend. But somehow the Manchester City striker decided to behave like a park player last Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur and then showed cowardice when he “only” half-stamped on Scott ...

Mari kita bayar zakat pada Jamil Khir

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:17:39 GMT

26 JAN — Tidak dipastikan Jeneral Jamil Khir Baharom dan dua lagi orang kuat JAWI telah memastikan, atas jawatan masing-masing mereka termasuk dalam asnab yang layak menerima zakat apabila mereka menggunakan wang zakat bagi menampung guaman yang mereka hadapi. Atas apa tujuan juga, kerena atas nama jawatan, mereka dinamakan dalam satu tuntutan ...

Interview with a gay Muslim

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:10:30 GMT

JAN 25 — There is an over-representation of articles and stories on the imminent general election and understandably so. But being the contrarian that I am, I thought I would write something completely different. I decided to write the story of my friend. He is a unique character: one who refuses to be pigeonholed into well-defined categories. I ...

When the enemy is your friend

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:36:51 GMT

JAN 25 — The problem with corruption is that for some, it isn’t a problem. It’s their key to riches and comfort, which is why destroying the current status quo would mean destroying their lifeline. It isn’t just politicians who thrive on the broken system that relies on corruption to grease wheels and palms. It’s the people we know. The friend ...

Filem ‘Nanban’ wajib ditonton!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:27:07 GMT

JAN 24 — Masyarakat Hindu terutama kaum Tamil di Malaysia baru selesai merayakan perayaan pesta Ponggal yang disambut 15 Januari yang lepas, sebuah perayaan menuai yang diraikan secara meluas oleh masyarakat Tamil di negeri Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka dan di tempat-tempat di mana ramai terdapat kaum Tamil. Seperti perayaaan Aidilfitri dan Tahun Baru ...

Why we need more libraries

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:14:19 GMT

JAN 24 — Education, education, education. That, stated Tony Blair, was his government’s top priority when campaigning during the UK’s general election in 2001. Alas, the pledge, like many promises made during election campaigns, was more “indah khabar dari rupa”. An OECD study of 65 countries in 2010 showed that the UK had slipped several places ...

Interlok: Apabila pakar berhujah

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:58:29 GMT

23 JAN — Semasa kontroversi novel “Interlok Edisi Murid” (DBP: 2010) masih hangat, Matahari Books menerbitkan e-book berjudul “Semangkuk Interlok” yang diedarkan secara percuma pada Mei 2011. “Semangkuk Interlok” menyajikan esei oleh 10 individu iaitu Dr Jeniri Amir, S. Fatimah Said, Subashini Navaratnam, S.M. Zakir, Umapagan Ampikaipakan, Hafiz ...

Rejecting religious fascism

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:35:13 GMT

JAN 23 — It can be quite tough to recognise the emergence and symptoms of fascism in this country, especially in this day and age. There are neither cadres of people in brown, black, red or wearing scarfs of chequered patterns nor the sound of jackboots marching here and there. Yes, there are those kids in punk gear and hairstyles wandering ...