Yes, we are ready!
Seat allocation agreement reached among DAP PKR PAS
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limkitsiang
All systems go in Swak 2establish Swak no more BN fixed deposit state by at least denying BN 2/3 state assembly majority/end 30yr Taib rule
1 hour ago
limkitsiang
DAP 2contest 15seats – Padungan Pending KotaSentosa BatuKawah Simangang Repok Meradong BukitAssek Dudong BawangAssan Pelawan Kidurong Pujut Piasau BukitKota
2 hours ago
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Sarawak Pakatan Rakyat leaders from DAP PKR PAS in Kuching 2nite announced agreement on seat allocations 4April 16 Sarawak general elections
2 hours ago
What’s important, and what’s not
By Hafiz Noor Shams
MARCH 31 — I am tired of politics revolving around personality. With it comes excessive feudal culture and ugly mudslinging all too frequently. One can never truly escape it but there are other issues of actual importance if one wants to escape the ugliness of it all. These other issues are the ones that truly affect our livelihood. These issues involve our jobs, our savings and our taxes, among others.
Until very recently, Malaysian politics was grazing at the level that makes politics a worthy field to match its name. From military procurement to the mass rail transit system and to nuclear power, things that matter took the limelight.
For a period, there was nuance in the political debate held in the public sphere. It was a breath of fresh air from the stale old stuff of race and religion.
One example that took public debates to the next level was Pakatan Rakyat’s Buku Jingga. Although I do not necessarily agree with some points, I can definitely appreciate how the Buku Jingga forced both sides of the divide to raise the level of debates beyond name-calling. That is the greatest contribution of Buku Jingga.
There were other matters running parallel to this. One was the sodomy trial involving Anwar Ibrahim and Saiful Bukhari Azlan, which is still ongoing of course. Ongoing or not, the issue is dead to me. I have lost interest in it.
What made it even more forgettable were the outrageous details. Listening or reading graphic descriptions associated with the trial created a sensation that I call sodomy fatigue.
Yes, there is a feeling that the system is being manipulated at Anwar’s expense. Yes, there is a feeling of injustice committed against Anwar. Yes, he is important. Yes, he has a significant role to play in instituting a competitive democratic system in the country. Continue reading “What’s important, and what’s not”
Longing For A Free Mind (Part 4 of 13)
[In the first three parts I asserted that for Malaysia to achieve her Vision 2020 goals, both her leaders and citizens must have free minds. Those cooped under their coconut shells are unlikely to achieve greatness. To topple that shell we must first be dissatisfied with our present situation.]
Liberation Through Information
Education and information are among the key tools in helping us emerge from underneath our shell. Once we are aware through education and information that there is a wide world out there, then we are not likely to be satisfied with our own confined dark space, no matter how comfortable it seems to us at the time or what a paradise it is as per the repeated assurances of our leaders.
In the past, this problem of stirring people out of their comfort zone is compounded by their physical isolation. Today, those coconut shells can be penetrated by WiFi! Even the remotest villages now have access to the Internet. While in the past the expression was, “How ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree!” today, Gay Paree comes to them, via the airwaves and the Internet!
Apart from leveling the playing field, the Internet opens up a limitless world of news, information and viewpoints. Exposing oneself to this treasure trove is the most effective way of opening up one’s mind. That is the good news.
Continue reading “Longing For A Free Mind (Part 4 of 13)”