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Ooops Sikap, not Ops Sikap

At the UCSI Faculty of Economics and Policy Science, we teach how to analyse policies and make public policy recommendations. Two weekends ago, we had more than 80 young participants in the first Malaysia Public Policy Competition. This initiative belongs to some of the Malaysians scholars (not necessarily PSD scholarship holders) at LSE, Imperial College […]

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From Merdeka to Malaysia

When Malaya gained Independence, I was only seven years old and in Standard One. It was a repeat year for me, as my Dad had emplaced me in the primary one class with my older brother in 1956, but I could not be technically promoted. I was then moved to Ibrahim Primary School where my […]

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Constitution 101

I am not a teacher of the law, but I have been a student of the federal constitution and the subject of good governance since the day I first set foot in the Parliament in 1968. In Form 6, we studied a subject called ‘British Government’ and read ‘Modern Organisations’ by Amitai Etzioni.   In […]

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Truth often hurts

Najib Abdul Razak told the Malays to stop their dependency on the government, and especially on Umno, to get them easy projects and business perks. They have to learn to become self-reliant. Lim Guan Eng told his Singaporean audience to visit and invest in Penang, even if more incidents of kidnap and blackmail occur in […]

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My take on Steve Jobs

Every so often in our lifetime, someone passes who you feel for and begin to miss, although you did not know the person in a personal sense. I first felt that way with President John F Kennedy even though I was only 13 at the time of his death. I felt the same when my […]

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Leadership a la white water rafting

Oon Yeoh has written in his recent column in The Sun about Steve Jobs (SJ), as I did last week. Knowing that Oon is more ICT-savvy than I will ever be, I take his views and experience about the internetworked world seriously. Therefore, let me quote him and suggest what the public services of Malaysia can learn from the […]

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Minimum personal regard for life

Life is sacred. Any life is sacred. Every life is sacred. All life is sacred. Whether the name is Muammar Gaddafi, or the unknown child in China run over by a vehicle, or the given name is Altantuya Shaariibuu; all life is sacred, period! No life can and should be taken away by another human […]

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Virtually occupy green lungs

I read in the newspapers that MCA has the great ambition to retake the Kampung Tunku state assembly seat in Selangor. I welcome that but is an MCA candidate really good enough?  Allow me therefore to make my comments on this intention. Through this column I will also declare my specific political agenda about my […]

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Pendulum decision-making!

Good policies drive the review of serious issues and concerns and propose new ways forward for adoption at the national level, and create new and positive pathways. The PPSMI was a good public policy introduced by the current prime minister, when he was the minister of education. Rather, lamely and unfortunately, before a good and […]

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Go for residence based elections

My column this week will be based on my presentation to the parliamentary select committee on one idea for improved free and fair elections. Below was the content of my presentation on behalf of the NGO, Oriental Hearts and Mind Study Institute (OHMSI). Living a life integrated with integrity The electoral reform opportunity can become […]

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