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There is a new group on the block which screams more than all other voices of extremism within our now emerging public expression of Malay conservative fringe culture; they are called Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma). They have now labelled not just PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad and Ikram vice-president Zaid Kamaruddin, but also an […]

As a Malaysian citizen I have no problem accepting and agreeing that we need traditional rulers, we call ‘sultans;’ to help moderate issues and concerns of the peoples of Malaysia. Nonetheless, I have serious problems and issues with sultans who ignore the real needs of people but support the power-brokers around the palace; as if […]

Whose interpretive war is the rest of the world caught within; this civil war within Ukraine which murdered the travellers and destroyed our plane, or equally, the abuse of innocent Palestinian lives? Is this conflict really one involving Malaysia versus the West, or is it Europe versus the Russians? These are my simple but hard […]

For one clear and obvious example, is there dignity in this world for Palestinians of Gaza? What crime have they committed to be cursed with the current bombardment of their homes with blatant disregard for human rights, while the UN closes one eye? Is there dignity in the world for all such victims of modern […]

After Dr Mahathir Mohamad  became prime minister and articulated his Vision 2020 ambition, I became a great fan of the then-PM’s vision. I was enthralled by the Bangsa Malaysia challenge he articulated with the corresponding nine challenges. Actually, way back in 1971, I had articulated another version of that same idea in my undergraduate thesis […]

COMMENT The Sun carried a headline, ‘MB: it’s LEGIT’. My question to the menteri besar is not about legitimacy, but regarding morality, spirituality, and ethics. The MB, whom I know personally, worked for at least seven years with Ismail Ali, the very ethical founder governor of Bank Negara Malaysia.   As a consequence, the MB himself has […]

Malaysia is not an Islamic state or a Muslim nation-state, but a Muslim-majority country which is well regarded by most of the world for our unity-style moderate government and our consistent principled stand on global issues; within the larger paradigm and context of a Muslim world which appears often confused or inconsistent on universal issues […]

Why did Tunku Abdul Rahman not call his new nation-state formed by the amalgamation of three former colonies of the United Kingdom, ‘Melayusia?’ Why then did he call it Malaysia? I have a pet theory, and please hear me out before you start calling me names, as little children do. My reasoning goes simply like […]

Since our history past, there have always been ‘royalists’ and ‘republicans’ in our midst. Nevertheless, when our federal constitution was framed and agreed upon, we created and allowed for the institution of the sultans. Nine states had sultans and Malacca and Penang were Straits Settlements; without sultans but with local, people-appointed governors. Our royal institution […]

Recently I attended ‘a story-telling session’ by Elyas Omar, the former mayor of KL and our former sports supremo par excellence. It was a very good, educational, and reminiscent learning experience for me. At the event, I met a few other National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) colleagues. It was good to see that at […]