A Malaysian who believes that good people working together can make a better world.
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During the recently by-elections in Bagan Pinang, I had the privilege of volunteering as a MAFREL election observer. For someone whose only involvement with elections had been to vote once every 5 years, the experience was very enlightening and educational. Here is what happened:I first read that MAFREL...
Today, 17 October 2009, is Deepavali, the festival of lights which is observed and celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists too. Deepavali (or Diwali) literally means a row of lamps in Sanskrit, and lamps play a major role in its celebration, signifying the victory of good over...
I happened to hear this Ryukyuan folk song by chance, after following a YouTube link shared by a Facebook friend (you know how one song leads to another, right). The melody immediately caught my ear, and on further googling, the lyrics immediately captured my heart. Here it is, Tinsagu no Hana (Balsam...
Last weekend I was in Port Dickson for the Bagan Pinang by election, and had some free time on Saturday afternoon. Having had enough of the campaigning antics (of both sides) for a while, I decided to go to Tanjung Tuan (also known as Cape Rachado) for some peace and quiet. It was not far from where the...
Today, 10 October 2009, is World March Kuala Lumpur – Street Party! From The World March for Peace and Nonviolence's website (www.theworldmarch.org):The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was launched during the Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies held at the Park of Study and Reflection...
SAD FAREWELL: A picture of Waythamoorthy and his daughter, taken after their breakfast in Singapore,before he departed for UK yesterday (photo and caption from this Malay Mail report datelined 28/9/09)One of the standard responses of Umno/BN to any people's power movement that they find threatening, is to...
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948photo from hereToday, 2 October 2009 is the 140th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. In India it is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti, and internationally it is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Besides commemorating the...
From the New Straits Times 4 days ago (bold emphasis mine):Instant detention threat for talk on cow's head 2009/09/28 PORT DICKSON: Anyone bringing up the Shah Alam cow's head incident during the Bagan Pinang election campaign will be detained immediately and could face charges of inciting racial...
This is what I observed at the peaceful assembly in front of the Istana Negara on 26 September 2009, which was called by Hindraf and the Human Rights Party Malaysia to deliver a petition to the the DYMM Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. The petition, which you can download and read here, pleads to the YDP Agong for...
Dear Readers,Hope you all had happy and meaningful Hari Raya holidays, because now it's time to get back to the work we must all do: bringing change to our country, beginning with ourselves.Raja Petra wrote an excellent article, Me serve the rakyat? Nah!, published on Malaysia Today yesterday.
Today, 20 September 2009 AD (or 1 Syawal 1430 AH) is Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Hari Raya means day of celebration in Bahasa Malaysia, and Aidil Fitri is from the Arabic Eid ul-Fitr; Eid means celebration or festival, and Fitr pertains to the breaking of fast. It is the Islamic festival that is...
Mary Allin Travers(9/11/1936 - 16/9/2009)Mary Travers, folk singer, activist, and member of Peter, Paul and Mary, the influential folk trio of the 60's, passed away on 16 September 2009. How influential were they? Speaking for myself, the first time I heard Blowin in the wind, it made me think hard about...
ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA PREAMBLE:Recognising that our beloved Malaysia is:A sovereign and independent member of the global community of nations;A polity founded on the principles of a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy;A multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi-cultural society formed on the...
Dear Readers,The folks at The Nut Graph have done it again! I reproduce here part of another powerful article from there, this time by Ding Jo-Ann. This article is sharp and incisive; it gets to the heart of the matter and drives a stake through it. It lays bare what our ruling party is all...
On the 46th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia, another endeavour of hope has been launched: the Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia initiative, the goal of which is to actualise the spirit and substance of One People, One Nation.It is an initiative by a group of Malaysians who believe that we can,...
Dear Readers, This is a joint statement made by more than fifty civil society organizations, where they spelt out a framework for a new national discourse which embodies diversity and dissent and the rejection of political violence as the true signs of nationhood.New Nationalism: Freedom with Empowering...
(Mat Sah Satray with his son Shuaib. Photograph taken from here)Mat Sah Mohamad Satray, Dr Abdullah Daud, Mohd Nasir Ismail @ Hassan, Ahmad Kamil Md Hanapiah and Muhammad Amir Md Hanapiah will be released from detention without trial under the Internal Security Act today. En. Mat Sah, who had been detained...
In response to my previous post MUST READ: Would a British politician stand on stage with a weapon in hand? - Article by Dr Farish A Noor, from the Nut Graph, an anonymous commenter replied as follows:No need to imagine, violent anti-islam demonstration did happen in...
Dear Readers,This is a short excerpt from a powerful article titled Power, politicians and brutality, by Dr Farish A Noor, which was published in The Nut Graph today (bold emphasis mine):Southeast Asians tend to adopt a dismissive view of the West. And there are far too many right-wing...
Dear Reader,I read about the Save Yvonne's Sight meme on Crankshaft.Blogger Yvonne Foong, 22, has neurofibromatosis type II, which has severely affected her sight and hearing due to tumours in the brain and spine. She is scheduled for an operation between 1 and 4 December 2009. The cost of surgery is...