KJ

As a continuation to my earlier column about truths that we ignore last week, allow me to focus on the how we cannot ignore the truths related to the use of the ‘Allah’ word in Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and the Borneo Island in general, premised and predicated upon Malaysian history. ‘Allah’ is before all of […]

The prime minister singlehandedly espouses and seeks to execute the 1Malaysia agenda: People First, Performance Now. But I say, in retort: it is still 1Malaysia with 2Coalitions and 3Peoples. Therefore, we are not yet a Bangsa Malaysia, or a Malaysian nation, or a Malaysian community. Unfortunately for the PM, even Umno disregards his mantra for […]

In a democracy, what is a third party interest? Recently, there has been some commotion over the seating of the so-called ‘third force\’ in Parliament. Frankly, these may be sincere people who hold a third way of thinking and being, or they are simply discards of another established way of thinking? In war, they are […]

A rose by any other name smells the same! Intimidation by any other names feels the same. Ask Police Officer Ramli Yusoff or Dr Irene Fernandez. It looks like it is now the turn of Sisters in Islam (SIS) executive director Hamidah Marican ( left ) to prevail in spite of the tools and tactics of the […]

In the next three or four columns, I am going to discuss whether there is anything ‘new’ in the NEM or whether the NEM is merely a change of one letter in the NEP brand, as some have suggested. But, before I can do that I have to give some context to the word ‘development’ […]

Allow me to reflect on the real meaning of unity and purpose of Malaysia. Does it, as an organisation, have a unity of purpose?  Most good organisations do. Does the DPM of Malaysia have a unity of purpose in his political service to the nation? Does the Malaysian Ambassador in Washington DC have the same […]

I joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) in January 1992 after returning from pursuing but not having completed my PhD. Miti did even not know I was to report for duty. As it was the first day of the month and year, I was ushered to an official meeting called a ‘morning […]

My father was a founder member of Kedah MIC; one of the original four who helped to set it up in Kedah in the early 50s. Nonetheless, having grown up around the atmosphere and politics of the party and having heard and observed the crab-culture of its adherents; many years ago I decided to stay […]

When Jesus walked the earth in the days of old, once, the Jewish religious teachers and law enforcers asked him a trick question: Should we pay taxes to Caesar or God? This was a trick question because it was a loaded question. Let us look at the context in which Jesus was supposed to answer […]

In Chinese culture, it is said that ‘the fish rots from the head’. Is the 5,000-year-old cultural saying wrong? If not, what is it that makes institutions become corrupt over time? What has made civilisations themselves corrupt, leading to their extinction, such as that of Babylonia or Egypt? What has made the Christian culture and […]