Pakatan Rakyat Pahang turut bantah kilang simen Jebak Puyuh

Oleh Zukri Aksah

KUALA KRAU, 6 Ogos – Setelah terhimpit dengan beban hutang yang semakin bertambah membukit, Kerajaan Negeri Pahang yang terdesak dalam mencari sumber pendapatan negeri yang baharu telah bercadang mahu membina sebuah kilang simen di Gunung Jebak Puyuh, Kuala Krau, dalam kawasan rekreasi Hutan Lipur Gunung Senyum.

Projek yang dicadang untuk dibangunkan dengan kerjasama syarikat YTL yang bernilai RM1.2 bilion ini telah menerima tentangan hebat dari penduduk tempatan, bahkan Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) kampung tersebut pernah memanggil sebuah stesen televisyen tempatan untuk membuat liputan bantahan.

Ini kerana kerajaan negeri dalam membuat cadangan ini, walaupun mendakwa telah merujuk kepada Jabatan Geologi, Alam Sekitar dan pakar sejarah tempatan, tetapi tidak pernah mendapatkan pandangan Jabatan Pelancungan, Perhilitan, Felda, Felcra, JBA dan persatuan penduduk, padahal merekalah yang akan menerima kesannya nanti.

Gunung Jebak Puyuh merupakan gunung tercantik di antara lima gunung yang terdapat dalam kawasan Hutan Lipur Gunung Senyum, dikatakan memiliki khazanah alam yang telah terbina sejak jutaan tahun lalu, termasuk gua batu kapur yang nilainya dianggarkan termahal di dunia. Tahun lepas sahaja ia berjaya menarik 30,000 pelancong untuk datang melawatnya. Gunung Jebak Puyuh juga adalah penting sebagai kawasan tadahan air.

Atas kesedaran ini, sekumpulan penduduk tempatan telah berhimpun semalam bagi menyuarakan bantahan terhadap cadangan kerajaan negeri ini, kerana bimbang dengan risiko masalah kesihatan, masalah alam sekitar dan terjejasnya sumber ekonomi penduduk di kawasan terbabit.

Atas rasa prihatin, para pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat Kuala Krau turut turun menyertai perhimpunan tersebut sebagai tanda sokongan, antaranya ialah Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, YDP PAS Kawasan Kuala Krau, merangkap Pesuruhjaya PAS Negeri Pahang dan Naib Presiden PAS Pusat, juga Saudara Suhaimi Said, Ketua PKR Cabang Kuala Krau.

Tuan Ibrahim dalam ulasannya, risau pembangunan kilang simen di Jebak Puyuh boleh mengakibatkan Loji Air Lubuk Kawah terdedah kepada pencemaran. Kesan pencemaran ini bukan hanya melibatkan penduduk di sekitar tapak projek, tetapi seluruh perkampungan di sepanjang 50 km Sungai Pahang, dari Kuala Krau ke Temerloh ke Felda Gugusan Jengka, yang berkapasiti penduduk seramai 300,000 orang.

Sementara Suhaimi pula dalam kenyataannya membidas Kerajaan Negeri Pahang yang dilihat tergesa-gesa mahu melaksanakan projek ini semata-mata mahu meraih hasil kewangan yang tinggi, akibat dari tekanan hutang yang semakin berganda dari sehari ke sehari. Pada masa yang sama, pandangan rakyat setempat yang sepatutnya didahulukan telah diabaikan sambil merisikokan pula keindahan flora dan fauna dan keselamatan penduduk di situ.

Bagi penduduk pula, mereka merasa hidup mereka tidak akan aman lagi selepas ini. Risiko paling nampak adalah ancaman debu berbahaya yang bukan hanya mengancam kesihatan mereka, tetapi juga hasil tanaman dan kebersihan Sungai Senyum serta Sungai Pahang.

Kalau cadangan projek kuari di Gua Kota Gelanggi sebelum ini boleh dibatalkan kerana bantahan penduduk atas alasan alam sekitar, sejarah dan pelancongan, maka atas alasan yang sama, ditambah dengan ancaman kesihatan terhadap penduduk, tidak ada sebab untuk kerajaan negeri tidak mengambil tindakan yang serupa, membatalkan terus cadangan pembinaan kilang simen di kawasan ini.

Comments (6)Add Comment

Write comment

busy
 

Joan Lau

Eh, my grandfather was no beggar lah!

FEB 7 — Just when you thought it was safe to go into a restaurant again, Chinese New Year (and its accompanying excesses) is upon us once more. Following on ...

Readmore

Should I stay or should I go?

JAN 24 – Somebody wished me “Happy New Year” a couple of days ago. Technically a valid greeting since we are still in January but I returned her chirpy greeting ...

Readmore

What? Well, I think you are...

JAN 17 — Are you one of those people who spends hours at the computer, trawling the Net for all sorts of information? Participating in forums? Sharing your point of view ...

Readmore

A bit of this, a bit of that, you'd be surprised

JAN 10 — I learned something about our country over the past week: we are shallow (79 per cent believe a person is defined by what he or she does ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

A taste of what’s to come

OCT 11 – MCA is now leaderless. Both the President and Deputy President of MCA have been rejected by delegates at their EGM. This has a bearing on the government of ...

Readmore

Why I shall not be accepting Zaid’s offer

JULY 22 — I am honoured that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim should speak so highly of me, and consider me worthy of national leadership. He invites me to join PKR, and ...

Readmore

Petronas governance, oil and talent

JUNE 29 — There are reports of a supposed tussle of wills between the prime minister and the board of Petronas over his choice of a non-executive, independent director for ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Amin Iskandar

Setahun sudah berlalu, Perak masih tak menentu

FEB 8 — Buat pertama kalinya istilah “Adun Bebas Menyokong Barisan Nasional” diperkenalkan didalam kamus politik Malaysia. Selain daripada itu, krisis politik di Perak juga telah menyebabkan nama Datuk Seri ...

Readmore

Malaysia di awal 2010

FEB 2 — 2010 bermula dengan hambar bagi Malaysia apabila rumah-rumah ibadat “diganasi” oleh pihak-pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab. Selain daripada gereja, kuil Sikh, surau dan masjid turut menjadi mangsa. Terbaru, kepala ...

Readmore

Cooling off period

JAN 26 — Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) mengumumkan beberapa langkah untuk pembaharuan perjalanan pilihanraya di Malaysia. Di antara pembaharuan yang ingin dilakukan adalah memperkenalkan sistem pengundian awal dan “cooling off period” ...

Readmore

Nasi sudah menjadi bubur

JAN 11 — Segala maki-makian, penghinaan dan kutukan ditujukan kepada perancang, perlaku dan yang menyokong serangan-serangan terhadap rumah ibadat penganut agama Kristian di Malaysia. Ketika artikel ini ditulis, Menteri Dalam Negeri, ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Chua Tee Yong

GST yes, but steps must follow

NOV 28 — The government has recently announced that there will be tabling of first reading of the draft GST at the end of the December 2009 parliament session. During the ...

Readmore

Nationalisation of toll operators not viable?

JULY 15 — There seems to be a misconception regarding my proposal to nationalise PLUS, the company which operates our highways. I had proposed that Khazanah acquire the remaining stake ...

Readmore

Proposed version of payment scheme for property purchase

JULY 7 — Most housing developments in Malaysia are undertaken by private developers who use the concept of sell then build (STB). Even though most of the projects are ultimately ...

Readmore

Revamp taxi service to benefit drivers and public

MAY 27 — It was recently reported that taxi drivers may soon get their long awaited fare increase. It was not too long ago, in 2008, that the Commercial Vehicle ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Nur Jazlan

PAC is not a game of Pacman

DEC 16 — The prosecutors finally screwed up the courage to charge four people for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project over the past week, thanks to the Public ...

Readmore

Hak akar umbi pilih calon pilihanraya

DEC 4 — Umno yang dilahirkan sebagai parti akar umbi sebenarnya sudah menunjukkan perubahan. Ini terbukti apabila Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan timbalannya Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin sebulat ...

Readmore

Najib’s Umno: is it really back to basics?

OCT 19 — Umno must return to its roots to be an all-inclusive party. That was the main theme of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s presidential speech at last week’s Umno ...

Readmore

Annus horribilis

OCT 4 — Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It is exactly a year since I offered myself for the Umno deputy presidency. I knew I didn’t have a chance in hell of ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Khalid Jaafar

A national buffoonery

AUG 20 — "All great world-historic facts and personages appear twice. The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce." So Marx wrote in the 18th Brumaire of Louis ...

Readmore

The morality of defection

AUG 12 — Crossing over is too neutral. Let’s call it defection. I have forgotten the exact date of Dr Chandra Muzaffar’s defection to the Barisan Nasional. He was a founding ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Lim Ka Ea

The beauty and the beasts of Harar, Part 1

FEB 6 — As the sky bids farewell to the descending sun and welcomes the moonlight, Butar, Rajoo, Mimi, Kamer, Tika, Shimay, Deeish and the rest slowly appear out of ...

Readmore

LibanOne* vs OneMalaysia

JAN 20 — Lebanon is unmistakably one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. At the same time, it is achingly painful when I look at the indiscriminate pockmarks ...

Readmore

Traffic jams and human rights in Malaysia

News image

JAN 2 — Traffic jams in Kuala Lumpur are something many would gladly live without. Surprisingly, I’m beginning to see the bright side of it. That is, if I’m in ...

Readmore

Adults do get bullied. It’s called politics!

DEC 18 — Bullies are mean. Bullies think they have the natural right to make others feel bad about themselves. Bullies are cowards. Yes, so we’ve ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Fahmi Fadzil

Si Bangau dan Sang Ular

NOV 28 — Pada Hari Raya Korban (atau Eidul Adha) yang baru berlalu, saya dan keluarga sempat pulang ke kampung ayah saya di Kuala Pilah. Bagi saya, Eidul Adha ...

Readmore

Hari-hari Terakhir Seorang Mufti

DEC 10 - Semalam saya terbaca dalam sebuah laman web berita yang Mufti Perlis, Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, telah pun menulis rencana terakhirnya sebagai Mufti dalam blognya. Beliau enggan membaharui ...

Readmore

Ini bukan satu review

DEC 4 — Sabtu lalu saya sempat tonton Muallaf, filem terbaru Yasmin Ahmad, di sebuah pawagam di negara jiran kita, Singapura. Sebenarnya saya bukan ke sana semata-mata untuk tonton filem, ...

Readmore

Cabaran yang belum tersahut

By Fahmi Fadzil Nov 19 – Tiga senario mutakhir yang bagi saya mencerminkan perjalanan auh yang masih harus kita tempuhi sebagai satu Keluarga Besar Malaysia untuk menzahirkan Bangsa Malaysia. Pertama. Sewaktu saya ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Art harun

Justice is an illusion

NOV 30 — It’s really tough being a judge. Really, I think it’s a thankless job. A judge can never do any right. I think it was in 1996 that a ...

Readmore

Freedom lifts us up to where we belong

NOV 24 — I must say I was surprised at how much attention my article Enemies of the State (I owe this title to The Malaysian Insider as my original ...

Readmore

Enemies of the state

NOV 19 — India, apparently is a country which has made the "mistake of being too democratic". And, "democracy can be a hindrance to progress because you spend so much ...

Readmore

Of judges, KPIs, justice and superficiality

NOV 10 — I want to ensure that justice is produced fast. Clear the backlog. If I can do this, then I would be very happy” – Tun Zaki, Chief ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Dina Zaman

The forgotten legacy

FEB 9 — It is unfortunate that in the last years of his life, all that Tunku Abdul Rahman stood for lived only in textbooks, history journals and other literature. ...

Readmore

Diary: A day in Chow Kit 1

JAN 27 — The kids have been really receptive to the Book Project. Every week, plus minus 15 of them, all would come to the workshops facilitated by Nursalam and ...

Readmore

Ladies, how about four husbands?

JAN 13 — Recently, an article written by Nadine al-Bedair My Four Husbands and I created a furor among  the Saudi conservatives. The said essay was picked up by the ...

Readmore

Here’s looking at you... 2010!

News image

JAN 2 — 2009 was the year Malaysians literally had to gaze at their hearts and navels to understand what it meant to be a believer or non-believer in this ...

Readmore
-
+
1

K Anand

A Terry-ble state of affairs

FEB 7 — It is not hard to imagine what must be going through the minds of Chelsea players these days. My guess is that they must be contributing a small ...

Readmore

It’s getting hot in here … oh, it’s the EPL!

FEB 6 — The English Premier League (EPL) is anything but quiet. We watch brawls on the pitch, temper tantrums, taunting by rival fans, and then read about the verbal ...

Readmore

Lies and deception in football and the real world

JAN 31 — Watching the Oscar-winning movie “Braveheart” recently, where Mel Gibson starred as the great Scottish warrior and leader, William Wallace, one is painfully reminded of deception in the ...

Readmore

A letter to a Muslim friend

JAN 19 — Recently, someone whom I consider a very close and trusted friend, and who is a Muslim, wrote an email to me with a very simple question: “What ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Zaidel Baharuddin

How dreams die

FEB 4 — Hello, fellow readers. Chances are quite high that you are reading this in an office on a lovely working day; thus based on this assumption, I wish ...

Readmore

Cerpen cinta Clarissa

JAN 12 — Baru-baru ini terdapat beberapa kejadian yang tidak diingini berlaku di negara kita, ianya menyedihkan dan mengejutkan dan telah saya menulis mengenainya di blog peribadi saya. Namun saya ...

Readmore

God in English is OK! But Tuhan in Malay cannot

JAN 7 — Pada hari terakhir tahun 2009 mahkamah tinggi memutuskan bahawa akhbar mingguan gereja Katolik Malaysia iaitu Herald boleh menggunakan perkataan Allah untuk penulisan bahagian Bahasa Melayu. Ini telah ...

Readmore

Live life to the foolest!

DEC 29 — As I write this there are only two days left to 2009. A year that has been quite interesting for me personally and for Malaysia generally.  Knowing ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Zulhabri Supian

Seni, demokrasi dan hak asasi manusia

NOV 14 — Dari tanggal 13hb hingga 15hb November, Oxygen Media, komuniti Frinjan dan SEAMUS singkatan untuk Southeast Asian Muslims for Freedom & Enlightenmetn akan menganjurkan Festival Hak Asasi Manusia ...

Readmore

Pemotoran, Mat Rempit dan dasar Pakatan

OKT 31 — Pejam celik tanpa disedari penganjuran kejuaraan Moto GP di Malaysia telah memasuki edisi ke 19 setelah pertama kali menjejak kaki di bumi bertuah ini di Batu Tiga ...

Readmore

Saatnya silatulrahmi murahnya melancong

OKT 22 — Melancong baik di dalam negara mahupun di luar negara sering menjadi agenda setiap orang yang hidup di muka bumi dan maka kerana itu tidak hairanlah melancong atau ...

Readmore

Dilema perubahan di Malaysia

OKT 15 — PAS khususnya dan Pakatan Rakyat umumnya menerima pukulan teruk ekoran kekalahan mereka kepada Barisan Nasional yang diwakili Umno di pilihanraya kecil Bagan Pinang. Pelbagai analisa keputusan telah ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Wan Saiful wan Jan

A small gift on Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman’s birthday

FEB 3 – I am now in Taipei attending the executive committee meeting of the International Democrat Union (IDU), chaired by the former Prime Minister of Australia. The schedule here is ...

Readmore

In (partial) defence of Hasan Ali

JAN 6 — I detest the idea that Selangor PAS may form a coalition with Umno. This has nothing to do with which party I support. But it is because ...

Readmore

Empower party members to select candidates

DEC 28 — Datuk Nur Jazlan’s recent suggestion for Umno members to be given the right to select their own candidates must be examined further. In fact, politicians from all ...

Readmore

Climategate: The inconvenient truth

DEC 7 — Is it just me, or is there no substantial report about Climategate in the Malaysian press? This certainly is too big a news to be ignored. Climategate tells ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Muaz Omar

You are the problem, Dr M

JAN 21 — “Jews have always been a problem. They have to be confined to ghettos and periodically massacred.” Those are the exact words of the notoriously sly former prime minister, ...

Readmore

The end is nigh for the weak and narrow-minded

JAN 5 — The dawn of a new year is expected to bring a slew of changes to the nation and we do hope that the changes are for the ...

Readmore

Umno’s politics of engagement

NOV 21 — “If I were Chinese, I, too, would not support the MCA.” Those words will ring in the ear of every single MCA member for a long time as ...

Readmore

Autocratic orthodoxy in religion

NOV 15 – The arrest of former Perlis Mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin in the bourgeois neighbourhood of Bukit Antarabangsa has opened up another Pandora’s box in the country. Allegations by ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Mujahid Yusof Rawa

Isu perobohan gerai di Pulau Pinang antara ethno-centric dan undang-undang

FEB 9 — Dalam kedinginan bilik hotel setelah terpaksa berkurung dua hari kerana ribut salji yang melanda Washington DC, saya sempat mengikuti berita perhimpunan Sedaq yang dianjurkan oleh beberapa kumpulan ...

Readmore

On good governance

FEB 5 — Good Governance! A word used alot by many politicians all over the world today as it provides the key for checks and balances where transparency and accountability ...

Readmore

The day I spoke at the Hall of the Holy Spirit

JAN 16 — Since the controversial High Court ruling on Dec 31 allowing the Catholic newspaper Herald to use “Allah” in the Christian context, Malaysia has turned into a land ...

Readmore

Allah mengharamkan melakukan kerosakan

JAN 11 — Semasa artikel ini ditulis satu lagi gereja di Miri dibakar menjadikan keseluruhan Gereja yang dibakar tujuh semuanya. Satu surau turut diserang dalam insiden terkini provokasi golongan munafiq ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad

The forgotten Malaysians

DEC 31 — It seems like all we can think about in Malaysia these days is race and religion. We feel threatened by other races, and feel insecure about the ...

Readmore

Federalisme, sistem dua parti dan realiti politik Malaysia

NOV 27 — Pada 21 November lalu saya dijemput Institut Kajian Dasar untuk bersama-sama YB Datuk Husam Musa dan YB Teng Chang Khim di dalam forum membincangkan Sistem Dua Parti ...

Readmore

Overcoming our democratic deficit

NOV 7 — I am currently in Britain meeting Malaysians and talking to them about politics. I was also recently in the United States, at the Bay Area in California, ...

Readmore

Menyambut Hari Malaysia

Sept 16 — Perhimpunan Khas Sambutan Hari Malaysia di Dewan Jubli Perak Selangor baru sahaja selesai. Sebagai anggota jawatankuasa penganjur program tersebut, saya gembira program tersebut yang dihadiri wakil rakyat, pegawai ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Ioannis Gatsiounis

Resisting the impulse, reviving the spirit

FEB 5 — The pig heads left at two mosques last week in Petaling Jaya were a blatant and tasteless attempt to provoke the Malay community. So far the Malays ...

Readmore

Making a stink over durian

NOV 20 — Khalwat and durians are a steady presence in my new short story collection, "Velvet and Cinder Blocks." In one story, a KL taxi driver recalls an overbearing ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Idlan Zakaria

Welcome to Fantasy Island

JAN 31 – Those who can ... earn thousands of pounds every week and sign multi-million pound contracts to promote products ranging from underwear to hair gel. And those who ...

Readmore

Sporting the white stuff

JAN 17 — Legend has it that many moons ago, two warring factions during the English Civil War, both severely depleted due to casualties, decided to agree to a truce ...

Readmore

Me, my tudung and my 2010 sports predictions

News image

JAN 2 — In a crowd of approximately 8,000 spectators at Colchester United’s game against Leeds United earlier this season, I could see fans from all walks of life taking ...

Readmore

Where are our new sports stars?

DEC 20 — Against the run of play, Manchester United football legend Ryan Giggs pipped Formula 1 champion Jenson Button to be crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Nathaniel Tan

The only game in town

FEB 5 — Why do people with good hearts even bother anymore with politics in Malaysia? There’s a story about gambler and card sharp Canada Bill Jones, who was one day ...

Readmore

‘Allah’, 1 Syaitan, pride and prejudice

JAN 11 — It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a fanatic in possession of a historical adversary, must be in want of a fresh fight. The controversy surrounding the usage ...

Readmore

Interrogation after hours? Stop deaths first

DEC 2 — Our friend Rocky argues thus: since law enforcement in Britain and Hong Kong can question detainees after hours, why not Malaysia? I think it our duty to point ...

Readmore

Keadilan ala Pasar Gelap Malaysia

NOV 14 — Malaysia harus diisytiharkan sebagai “Shopping Desitination of the World.” Ternyata, apa pun boleh dibeli di sini — termasuk hakim, kebenaran sehinggalah kerajaan negeri. Dalam minggu ini, kita ternampak ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Wan Hamidi Hamid

Diktator, cauvinis dan berfikiran komunis

FEB 7 — Mungkin kerana warna kulitnya, agamanya, bahasa ibundanya dan ketegasannya untuk membasmi rasuah, penyelewengan dan salah guna kuasa, Lim Guan Eng menjadi mangsa kecaman dan ancaman hebat dari ...

Readmore

‘Middle Malaysia’, a step closer to Putrajaya

JAN 20 — What is “Middle Malaysia” all about? That has been the question since the past weekend. “Middle Malaysia prefers co-operation not conflict, consultation instead of confrontation and an inclusive, ...

Readmore

Muafakat Baru dan 1 Malaysia: Mana satu pilihan hati?

DIS 21 —Kejayaan paling besar buat gabungan pembangkang dalam dekad ini adalah apabila tiga parti yang bertentangan ideologi mampu duduk berhimpun untuk mencapai kata sepakat bagi membentuk satu platform dasar ...

Readmore

Never mind punk rock, here’s the Buzzcocks

NOV 10 — I did not cry although I wanted to. I know it probably means nothing to many of you out there but it was a memorable night for ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Shebby Singh

Only two games in, fans are baying for blood

AUG 21 — I thought I should wait till the mid-week fixtures were out of the way before sharing my opinion on what has been an outstanding start to the ...

Readmore

Football or Powerman?

AUG 13 — It’s off topic a little as I share my exploits during two recent weekends. On July 25, I was at Uniten to witness the Malakoff Universities Duathlon ...

Readmore

Much anticipation but expect little to change in top Euro leagues

AUG 4 — The new European football season will be upon us soon and for argument’s sake, Spain’s La Liga will be grabbing the limelight for obvious reasons. The battle ...

Readmore

Shebby’s short cuts

JULY 13 — This is my take on a few of the highlights in the world of football over the past couple of weeks. Malaysia Boleh My first comment is actually an ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Tunku Aziz

Najib does not disappoint

OCT 10 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak does not disappoint. He is true to his values whatever they might be. He upholds his principles with messianic zeal. His principles are ...

Readmore

Living in the shadow of Najib’s 1 Malaysia

SEPT 26 — I was in Seoul last Monday to participate in the World Forum for Democratisation in Asia (Third Biennial Conference) on “Sustaining Democratisation in Asia: Challenges of Economic ...

Readmore

Demonstrations: A fundamental right of citizens

AUG 6 — It would be an untruth if I said I was ever a fan of Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Be that as it may, I am sorry about ...

Readmore

Nazri: An unrepentant boor

JULY 18 — Accustomed as I am to Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s often outlandishly over the top and predictably uncharitable innuendoes about people and their integrity, coupled with ...

Readmore
-
+
1

John Lee

We need to talk

JAN 29 — One of the most infuriating things about this “Allah” debacle is how little back-and-forth there has actually been between the different points of view. All we have ...

Readmore

The way forward

JAN 10 — Attacks on places of worship as we’ve seen over the past few days are unprecedented in Malaysia — but they offer an unprecedented opportunity for Malaysians. ...

Readmore

No masters in my country

DEC 13 — I often wonder if ketuanan Melayu proponents can even comprehend the illogic of their position. They say ketuanan is rooted in the rulers’ prerogatives, but the rulers rule ...

Readmore

The race face changing

DEC 8 — Virtually overnight, ketuanan Melayu has become a dirty word in Malaysian politics. It was not so long ago that — as mad as the idea of racial ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Justin Ong

The fallen mighty

FEB 7 — “Have you ever seen a Corolla break down?” “No, but I’ve seen a guy in a Camry shoot past while screaming ‘Ohmygawdthisthingwillnotstop!’ Does that count?” Schadenfreude came to mind ...

Readmore

Get on The Wire

JAN 31 — If you have yet to watch HBO’s scintillating miniseries “The Wire”, do yourself a favour and run, not walk, run to your nearest video store and bag ...

Readmore

The best laid plans

JAN 24 —Thieving bastards have this tendency to treat my cars as though I were running a loan programme for auto parts. Stereos, wheels, badges, spoilers, and more have all ...

Readmore

No safe havens anymore

JAN 17 — Crime is no laughing matter in Malaysia. It used to be stories you’d hear about a friend of a friend whose aunt’s cousin thrice removed who peeled ...

Readmore
-
+
1

James Chin

Clueless over a no-brainer

JAN 21 — This the story appeared in The Star: Nanyang Siang Pau reported that the number of Chinese in the civil service has dropped tremendously despite the Government’s efforts to ...

Readmore

Sarawak is BN’s secret weapon

JAN 8 — This article is for Sarawak observers and Sarawakians in general. After the last state election in 2006, many think another state election would be due in 2010. ...

Readmore

Give chance ok?

DEC 26 — Malaysians like to laugh at the kiasu, (Hokkien dialect for “afraid to lose”), mentality among Singaporeans. We think it’s funny but in reality, it is actually one ...

Readmore

I no understand

DEC 19 — We Malaysians are really on par with the developed countries. We produce thousands of university graduates every year and our academics keep winning “gold medals” in competitions in ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Yusseri Yusoff

A MILF-PRON guide on how to survive a BTN course (for men), Part 2

DEC 11 — Following from yesterday's enumeration of the items recommended to be brought with you into the BTN camp, we would now like to assist you in going through ...

Readmore

A MILF-PRON guide on how to survive a BTN course (for men), Part 1

DEC 10 — Recently, there have been allegations that the courses run by Biro Tata Negara (BTN), designed to instil the spirit of patriotism and love for the country, are ...

Readmore

Impian gay menggamit kebuntuan, membutuhkan inspirasi

NOV 25 — Sebenarnya, aku tidak tahu makna perkataan “menggamit”, tapi aku guna pakai juga kerana ia membuatkan judul artikel aku ini lebih gah. Tetapi mengikut Kamus Pelajar Edisi Kedua, ...

Readmore

A devil’s life

JULY 28 — We live in hard times. Hard times, indeed. What with the tanking economy and a political arena seemingly occupied by idiots[1] on one side and morons on ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Jeremiah Mahadevan

A more religious brand of secularism

News image

NOV 27 — Religion is a problem for PKR. The recent bouts of infighting over Kulim MP Zulkifli Noordin's claims that Malaysia is an Islamic state seem to indicate a ...

Readmore

On cow heads, Nina Simone and 15 Malaysia

OCT 12 — I remember being back in school, in my then-still-small hometown of Banting, seated alongside many other little sons and daughters of the land and being imparted with ...

Readmore

A Merdeka message from Kampung Buah Pala

AUG 31 — Among the many headaches that Penang’s former Barisan Nasional administration left for its Pakatan Rakyat replacement, Kampung Buah Pala must command a particularly high painkiller budget. As ...

Readmore

The politics of language

MARCH 9 — It may have been overshadowed by a farcical constitutional crisis and a prehistorically sexist fixation on the bedroom time of a politician, but the groundswell of popular ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Malik Imtiaz Sarwar

The Texture Of Justice

MAY 12 - It was to be expected. As news of the decision of the High Court in the matter of Nizar v Zambry filtered out, many were quick to ...

Readmore

They play, we all pay

MARCH 31 – The Umno Assembly has come and gone and, as has been the case for at least the last three assemblies, in its wake many of us have ...

Readmore

Assault on Legislature, Constitution dead

By Malik Imtiaz Sarwar MARCH 7 — Discussing the Perak situation with specificity is, by this stage, a difficult thing to do. So much has happened so quickly. Nuanced actions and ...

Readmore

Perak: A constitutional crisis

By Malik Imtiaz Sarwar FEB 6 — Now that the dust is settling, it is becoming clearer what it is that took place in Perak over the last 24 hours. My ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Hanipa Maidin

Anwar — Victim of overzealous prosecution

FEB 9 — I have been practising as a criminal lawyer for almost 16 years. I have considerable experience defending accused persons who were being charged for sexual related crimes. ...

Readmore

Where is Allah in Umno’s administration?

JAN 7 — The issue of Allah’s name in the Herald has been manipulated by Umno leaders to the hilt . The way Umno reacted to the issue seems to suggest ...

Readmore

Nizar will win the appeal unless...

NOV 12 — “Show us any provision in the Perak Constitution empowering the Sultan of Perak to sack Nizar”. That was fundamentally the gist of the submission made by Datuk ...

Readmore

Najib defends the indefensible Isa

OCT 7 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak gave the following justification for fielding Tan Sri Mohd Isa Samad as Umno’s candidate in Bagan Pinang: “The offence committed by Isa was ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Zulkifli Sulong

PAS dan nama Allah

JAN 23 — “75 peratus orang Melayu menolak pandangan PAS yang mengizinkan Kristian menggunakan nama Allah. Hanya 25 pertaus sahaja menyokongnya. Di kalangan bukan Melayu pula, 90 peratus menyokong PAS ...

Readmore

Pegawai kerajaan dan kerajaan

OKT 1 — “Tahu tak, kerajaan negeri Kelantan yang ada ini dapat bertahan hampir 20 tahun kini kerana telah menubuhkan 29 jabatan yang baru. “Jabatan yang baru ini pula ditubuhkan untuk ...

Readmore

Najib hilang kawalan ke atas Umno

SEPT 2 — Apakah Datuk Seri Najib Razak mengawal penuh Umno kini? Nampaknya ramai yang tidak bersetuju dengannya. Kawalan beliau hanya sama sebagaimana Tun Abdullah Badawi mengawal Umno sebelum ini ...

Readmore

Jatuh Nik Aziz, jatuhlah icon Pakatan

News image

OGOS 15 — Nampaknya, Umno menjadikan Mursyidul Am PAS, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat sebagai target serangan mereka akhir-akhir ini. Tokoh penyerang utama adalah tidak lain dari Timbalan Presiden ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Ziad Razak

Polemik nama ‘Allah’ : Jangan gugat keseimbangan nasional!

JAN 3 — Di ambang tahun baru 2010, seluruh negara dikejutkan dengan keputusan mahkamah yang membenarkan akhbar Katolik “Herald” untuk menggunakan nama “Allah” sebagai gantinama kepada Tuhan Kristian Katolik. Maka dalam ...

Readmore

Professor Obama teaches Reform 101

SEPT 28 — By the end of this year, US President Barack Obama would either be seen as a legislative genius, who achieved what many presidents before him have tried ...

Readmore

A new economic model for a changing economic landscape

AUG 28 — In the recent few months, the government has indicated that it is currently working on developing a new economic model for Malaysia. Statements from the Prime Minister, ...

Readmore

Who’s afraid of big, bad liberalisation?

MAY 16 — The concept of liberalisation has long been "The L Word" for some: a dirty word; a battering ram fashioned by foreigners bent on enforcing economic imperialism; an ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Nizam Bashir

When bells peal and muezzins call

OCT 21 — When a Malay wedding is over in some kampungs in Malacca, the custom is to welcome the groom into the family by placing charcoal on his face, ...

Readmore

Reforming race: A matter of forms?

AUG 28 — It has been more than 50 years since our independence. Yet, today, we are still apparently debating how race fits (or doesn’t fit) in with our nation. In ...

Readmore

Courting trouble

AUG 7 — Much has been said and written about last Saturday’s Gabungan Mansuhkan ISA (“GMI”) rally. Most notably, the discussions centred on the question of whether traders along Jalan Tuanku ...

Readmore

The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled

JULY 21 — Charles Baudelaire once said that the greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist. Well, he said that but the ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Aidil Rusli

Crude awakening

JAN 23 — I’m sure quite a lot of you out there watched Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) around two weeks ago, or at the very least took some interest in ...

Readmore

Have faith

JAN 8 — Allah. If you’re Malaysian, or have been following Malaysian news (mainstream or otherwise) for the past two weeks, you’d have known that the High Court has ruled ...

Readmore

My favourite movies from 2009

DEC 26 — As you might have noticed from my previous columns, I’ve slowly been inserting more and more film talk into my ramblings instead of my usual focus on ...

Readmore

Appreciating great trash

DEC 12 — Last week I saw one of the liveliest and most engaging documentaries titled “Not Quite Hollywood”, which is about “the wild untold story of OZploitation”, (as the ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Mohsin Abdullah

Of schools, hostels and tight budget

FEB 3 – I first heard about it a couple of weeks ago from a friend who said a friend told him so. Since it cannot be “independently verified”, I ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Hafiz Noor Shams

Forget subsidies, just give me cash

JAN 19 — In spite of opposition that saw the streets of Kuala Lumpur filled with pro-fuel subsidy groups during the Abdullah administration, efforts to liberalise the fuel subsidy regime ...

Readmore

Barking up the wrong tree

JAN 14 — How many times have we heard the statement that if so and so did not exist, certain problems would go away? Specifically, one side would blame Umno ...

Readmore

Racism and moral authority

JAN 9 — In an ideal world, moral authority is unnecessary for a person to hold a position, to raise a point, to criticiSe it, to object to an action, ...

Readmore

Stimulus may bite back in 2010

News image

JAN 1 — Economics has been labelled as some sort of a discipline that predicts the future. The application of various models and efforts at testing its various hypotheses that ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Anita Anandarajah

Strawberry dreamin’

FEB 7 — My first experience — and last to date — growing strawberries took place in a plastic planter box in my concrete backyard when I lived in Kent. My ...

Readmore

My seafaring days

News image

JAN 31 – Looking out my apartment window, I see sampans navigate the narrow corridors formed by clusters of hulking fishing vessels anchored in the sea far below. Beyond this ...

Readmore

Pizza, lai cha and siu mai with my papers

JAN 25 — You know you’re in Hong Kong when 7-Eleven serves up steaming hot siu mai, pau and curried fish balls. The convenience store’s competitor, Circle K, is no shrinking ...

Readmore

Haberdashery heaven

JAN 17 — If you are a serial hoarder of all things pretty like I am, you will love this place I am going to tell you about. I encountered haberdashery ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Andy West

Perfect blend gives Chelsea the edge

FEB 8 — So, that’s settled it: the English Premier League, everyone seems to be in agreement, is now a two-horse race between Manchester United and Chelsea following the latter’s ...

Readmore

‘Super Sunday’ showcases contrasting sporting philosophies

FEB 6 — This weekend sees the arrival of another richly-hyped ‘Super Sunday’... but, for once, the global sporting scene’s spotlight will not fall on the table-topping Premier League fixture ...

Readmore

Why John Terry should lose England’s captaincy

FEB 1 – John Terry played a captain’s role for Chelsea on Saturday, scoring with a late header to give his side an important 2-1 victory at Burnley. The Blues continue ...

Readmore

Can Arsenal seize their defining moment?

JAN 30 — Our lives, it can be said, are shaped by defining moments: those rare, elusive events or incidents that have the effect of fundamentally and profoundly changing everything. Defining ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Alice Nah

What does it mean to be Malaysian?

JAN 21 — Recent controversies have prompted many Malaysians to reflect on the fissures and connections between ethnic and religious communities in Malaysia. There are groups in our society who feel ...

Readmore

A happy childhood, free to dream

NOV 20 — Children embody our hopes. We seek for them brighter futures than we visualise for ourselves. Mothers and fathers are willing to sacrifice their own needs for those ...

Readmore

No refuge

OCT 18 – Her eyes are empty as she stares into the distance. She balances a child on her body, wrapped in a sarong. His eyes are lively, piercing, looking ...

Readmore

'Real People, Real Needs': World Refugee Day 2009

JUNE 20 — My first encounter with a refugee who sought safety in Malaysia occurred quite unexpectedly. I was 19 years old in my first week of university in the ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Hafidz Baharom

Getting down to the real business of the day

FEB 1 — Look, I may have nothing but contempt for religious institutions, but I do respect the sanctity of the places of worship. These include churches, mosques, synagogues and ancestral, ...

Readmore

Hypocrisy and religion

JAN 12 — Sometimes I can’t help but wonder why the people within the government insist on being there when they themselves don’t understand laws. And the saddest case of ...

Readmore

Bad habit of not speaking up

JAN 6 — I have a problem with people spewing health advice at me, particularly about this bad habit I have. I’m a chain smoker. I smoke a pack of Marlboro’s ...

Readmore

BTN and then some

DEC 23 — Here’s my piece against Biro Tata Negara, or BTN for short. I’m against it because it’s a racist, fascist, physically and mentally exerting camp that does nothing ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Angela K

Progressing from Noah’s Ark to a shoebox

NOV 6 — Some years ago, I unintentionally offended someone by referring to her property as a “flat.” She snapped at me with “It’s a CON-DO!” as if living in ...

Readmore

A show of solidarity

OCT 13 — “Makan habis lah, Ah Gong…” T pleaded with my grandfather in broken Malay. “Orang-orang di Philippines sudah tak ada makanan,” she continued. This meal-time plea from T ...

Readmore

Hell hath no fury...

SEPT 29 — To date, some 250,000 viewers (on Youtube and stomp.com.sg) have watched a clip of a Singaporean woman repeatedly assaulting a man’s privates with the heels of her ...

Readmore

Working at friendships

SEPT 15 – During my years in university, I had two other good friends. We lived, worked and played together. Together, we were the notorious trio. As long as the ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Hsu Dar Ren

Kill the chicken to warn the monkeys

FEB 6 — The recent racist remark by a top aide to the Prime Minister may be a signal that all is not well in the dominant party. A general in ...

Readmore

Hazards of crossing the road

JAN 7 — Ever experienced having to run across a busy road, even when you are crossing at a zebra crossing? Ever experiencing darting in and out trying all sorts of ...

Readmore

It must be lonely to be old

JAN 1 — My late father drove a car until the very day he died of a heart attack at the ripe old age of almost 90. He got his ...

Readmore

Squeezing a piece of dry cloth drier

DEC 16 — Malaysia faces the prospect of dwindling income from petroleum since petroleum is a depleting resource and will not be there forever. After suffering the curse of oil, ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Sazlin Daud

Till debt do us part?

JAN 10 — The long school holidays are over, and with that, the flurry of weddings. Makeshift placards by the roadside directing wedding guests to the venues of celebration are ...

Readmore

Doctor, Doctor...can't you see I'm waiting, waiting

DEC 26 — I dread making visits to the doctor, especially, if they are specialists based in outpatient clinics at hospitals. Not so much because I fear them, but because ...

Readmore

Excuse me, where are our manners?

DEC 5 — There are many things that I miss about Egypt, but the often lackadaisical adherence on the part of her people to follow basic rules of etiquette — ...

Readmore

Teaching English to future Muslim visionaries

NOV 14 — Six months into our Cairo sojourn, I had offered my time to conduct pro bono English language classes for some Malaysian undergraduates who were studying at Al-Azhar ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Ooi kee Beng

Church attacks — A national loosening of commitments

JAN 16 — Many relationships have changed in Malaysia over the last week, and most of them for the worse. The attacks on churches throughout Malaysia — nine so far and ...

Readmore

BTN issue is a Pandora’s Box

DEC 19 — One more Pandora’s Box was recently opened in Malaysian politics. The Youth Wing of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) managed beyond its own expectations to draw public critical attention ...

Readmore

What Najib seeks is 1BN

Nov 8 — It may be saying too much to claim that Malaysia’s major political parties are self-destructing. But they are certainly not in the best of health. The recently-ended National ...

Readmore

Imagine no Umno-MCA symbiosis

OCT 24 — The crisis within MCA is different from earlier ones because, no matter how it is solved, not having an inspiring message for the young is a greater ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Khoo Kay Peng

Penang needs an economic plan, not tigers

MARCH 27 — I am amused by the tiger talk in Penang. In actual fact, we need a forwarding-looking and well thought-out economic plan and not tigers. The premise of ...

Readmore

Economic stimulus: It is not just the size that matters

MARCH 6 — The government yesterday tabled a RM10 billion allocation as part of the proposed second economic stimulus package. It was read out by Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Kong ...

Readmore

Karpal’s calling a spade a spade

FEB 13 — There is one thing I like about DAP chairman Karpal Singh — his bluntness. Karpal is calling a spade a spade when he openly demanded that PKR ...

Readmore

Perak — a failed democracy

FEB 7 — From a legal point of view I was made to understand that the power of the Sultan of Perak to disallow the dissolution of the state assembly ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Shannon Teoh

FA Cup can’t survive on flowers and chocolates

JAN 15 — Ah, yes, it was only a fortnight ago that Manchester United, hot on the heels of and narrowing the gap to Chelsea at the summit of English ...

Readmore

Once upon a time in my Malaysia

JAN 9 — Annabelle is a seven-year-old girl. She walks up to the throng of of men in their baju Melayu who are waving their banners and pumping their fists ...

Readmore

Team of the Decade? Well, a very good one, at the very least

JAN 1 — There's no need to go into specifics and long-winded philosophical ramblings over “what a team is” or “what the decade was” here. From the years 2000-2009, which ...

Readmore

The Noughties were truly that — nought

DEC 29 — Ten years ago, we stood at the threshold of a new millennium — who cares about the pedants — and cheered, danced, sucked face and breathed a ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Victor Chin

Mountains and artists

News image

JAN 23 — Nature has always been an inspiration for artists throughout the ages. Mountains, in particular, have inspired many regional landscape painters. From China there has been a long history ...

Readmore

Buy and sell... it’s all a game

News image

NOV 22 — The 3rd international art market or Artexpo Malaysia is on this week in Kuala Lumpur. This will be a good opportunity for anyone interested in the sport ...

Readmore

Through Eric’s eyes

News image

NOV 1 — This is the last week to catch Eric Peris’s 30th solo photographic exhibition at the Sutra Gallery, which ends on Nov 5. Eric’s first two solo exhibitions ...

Readmore

Poetry of the land

News image

OCT 26 — "Land Below The Wind", Cheong Sung Kin’s title for his exhibition of ceramic sculptures and teapots, is taken from the title of a book written in 1939 ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Suhaimy Kamaruddin

The F1 Malaysia chimera

DEC 16 — The Formula One (F1) 2009 season will be remembered as one in which scandal eclipsed racing drama, after a series of toe-curlingly embarrassing episodes involving the teams ...

Readmore

What, me a banker?

NOV 13 — Someone recently suggested that I write a thorough analysis on the current economic situation, which I promptly dismissed with LOL and ROTFL. You can ask me about ...

Readmore

The madness called mini buses

OCT 20 — I was recently asked the following question: “what was the greatest challenge during my 14 years of working life?” I thought long and hard about it — as ...

Readmore

I just want things fixed

SEPT 20 — I am in Brisbane, Australia as I write this [1] having rather nervously travelled to this country/island/continent on the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. Flying nine ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Praba Ganesan

If this is an animal farm...

FEB 4 — Totalitarianism. Form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of the individual’s life to the authority of the government ...

Readmore

Borneo’s Grinch

JAN 28 — The thing that caught my attention during my time in Sarawak the past week was that I kept referring to my home in Selangor as Malaysia. Actually ...

Readmore

Water makes the world go round

JAN 21 — Today is a school day, so all across the country many children attending public schools would be consuming unsafe drinking water or getting dehydrated. In our government schools, ...

Readmore

The delights of being one

JAN 14 — My senior in school, Shafie, took me aside before the final meeting of the football association. He liked my enthusiasm, we’ve always got along from our junior ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Ambiga Sreenevasan

Towards a golden age of discourse

OCT 17 — Fair but robust criticism of legal judgments and laws is a wholly acceptable practice. In every democratic State it is a frequent occurrence. It is what makes ...

Readmore

We live in confusing times

MARCH 27 — On Tuesday, we read about the call for change and improvement by our leaders. However, just a day or two before that, we also read about the suspension ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Yusuf Martin

1 Merdeka

SEPT 2 — This week was an anniversary week, a week of remembrances and of forgetting. It was a rainy week, one in which Malaysians should have been proudly united ...

Readmore

School kids issue

AUG 22 — This week saw welcome rain in the desert I call home. Every day now, for the past few afternoons, there has been rain, cooling, wonderful rain, plant ...

Readmore

Eco – Logical?

AUG 15 — Hello . . . hello . . . er . . . hello. Is there anyone out there – does my small, almost inconsequential, voice echo in ...

Readmore

O what a carry on …

AUG 8 — And what a carry on it has been over the past week. It has been a salacious week, a downright dirty, rumbustious, saucy, libidinous week worthy of the ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Zan Azlee

Responsible filmmaking

FEB 6 — When you make films that deal with real events and people, there are always sensitivities that are of concern. The responsibility that comes with being a non-fiction ...

Readmore

The art of the interview

JAN 29 — I interview people frequently in the course of my work. I interview them for the news videos that I do and I interview them for my documentaries. ...

Readmore

Passing on the torch

JAN 22 — “Hey Zan!” “Yeah!” “You’re always telling us stories about your work and adventures. Seems like a cool job you have.” “Yeah man! I love ...

Readmore

My camera is bigger than yours!

JAN 4 — He picks up the Sony Z1 video camera and it fits nicely in one hand. He pretends to put in on his shoulders as if it’s a ...

Readmore
-
+
1

Sponsored Links