KJ

In my last column , I communicated my undivided support for the central thesis of the Raja Nazrin 7-S Speech. He argued why the Federal Constitution is the central pillar of the multi-racial political entity we call Malaysia. He called upon all Malaysians to defend and promote the integrity of the constitution. I also extended his argument […]

On Monday, I attended the third anniversary of the launch of the National Integrity Plan (NIP) and the Institute of Integrity, Malaysia (IIM), at which Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Commonwealth secretary-general Don McKinnon were guests of honour. The NIP is available in two condensed forms – as a summary of the plan […]

\”In a globalized and increasingly competitive world, Malaysia cannot expect to modernize its economy without modernizing its society. In practical terms, this means choosing the universal values of freedom of conscience and freedom of inquiry over the narrow dictates of Islamic orthodoxy. In practical terms, this means choosing the universal values of freedom of conscience […]

What does it mean that we are all Malaysians; from a country that is 50 years old? Is it therefore mere happenstance that the passport we carry declares that we are from this land \’of milk and honey\’? Does not such a passport-defined identity establish all essential characteristics about us; about who we are, and […]

Perak Regent Raja Nazrin Shah has argued for a place under the sun for all Malaysians. In a recent speech , he said: \”Nation-building occurs when society is open, tolerant and forward-looking. Only by being inclusive and participative can the various sectors of our society be productively engaged. It follows that all forms of extremism, chauvinism, racism, […]

I have written six other parts ( see links below ) in this series on the same theme of \’Integration with integrity\’. My articles were inspired by Raja Nazrin\’s call to protect and preserve the integrity of our Constitution. To me the issues also deals with our nationality defined by that same Constitution, as the prince so […]

DAP organised an excellent dialogue on the above topic. Malaysiakini reported on the standing room-only forum adequately enough through her two reports to give non-attendees a flavor of the forum. To me, the most pertinent aspect of the dialogue was the presence of Yusri Mohamad, the president of Abim and the head of Badai – a loose […]

The Lina Joy case has brought to the forefront core issues related to the freedom of conscience and the role of the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of this nation. There is in fact an excellent article by Kim Quek which very clearly and simply argues the total case and full set of issues. Another excellent […]

When riots broke out on May 13, 1969, I was a first-year student at the Universiti Malaya (UM) First Residential College. Ushered to then University Hospital and directed to donate blood, I realised for the first time that I\’m an Indian and not really a Malaysian first – at least in terms of how others […]

How do we define public interest in Malaysia? How do we decide whether business tycoon Eric Chia should be charged for a crime in a court of law? Or whether, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda should be charged with \”intent to murder the accused, in the headlines grabbing case?\” Or for that matter, whether previous […]